Queen Victoria’s Bathing Machine

Queen Victoria’s Bathing Machine

Author: Gloria Whelan

Illustrator: Nancy Carpenter

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade Level: Pre-K to 3^rd grade

“She whispered a wish, it was only a whim. “How grand it would be to go for a swim.””

And Queen Victoria’s dreams come true. Thanks to her ever so smart and clever husband, Prince Albert. The story begins with Queen Vic complaining about wearing a tight corset on a sizzling summer day while she looks out at the clear blue sea. Her children are all jumping and playing around the room and just looking at them exhausts her. Being a queen, she is not allowed to go in the ocean for a swim in front of them on her bathing suit. Prince Albert feels sorry for her and plans to make a device that he could transport his dear wife back and forth from the sea. Then one night he comes with a grand idea that requires wood, stone, and wheels to build his idea of a device. After some days, he shows his invention to his wife and tells her the rules that she needs to follow to use the bathing machine. “You’re a genius, dear Albert, I’m truly excited.” Up then she goes inside the bathing machine which rolls into the sea. She jumps out of the machine to swim in the ocean without anyone seeing her. And that is how the queen dreams finally come true.

The illustration kind of reminds me of Roald Dahl books. The characters are lanky and almost cartoon-like. Majority of the page is filled with illustration but there are some pages that are dedicated to just words. The book is also easy to read as the verses rhymes which I thought was clever of the author. A well-designed book indeed!

Thoughts:

When I first borrowed this book, I thought I made a mistake. I thought that it was more of a science fiction book rather than historical fiction because of its title. But when I finished reading the book, low and behold, and there it is. Prince Alberts gift to Queen Victoria, her personal bathing machine. Well, it is not the kind of machine where one would hope with technology fitted to it. It is a simple cart with wheels on it to transport Queen Victoria back and forth from the beach without letting anyone see her. I love history, so it is always a treat to read the last pages of the historical fiction books because it gives you a brief history about what inspired the author to write the book. An excellent book and an entertaining story to read to the children!