The Lady with the Ship on Her Head - Softcover

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Grade 1-4 --Hoping to win the Medal of Honor for Best Headdress at a fancy ball, Madame Pompenstance will do anything for a new idea. While strolling on the beach, she bends down to find a few seashells to put in her hair. Unbeknownst to her, at that moment a very small triple-masted sailing ship rows upon her head and balances upon her elaborate hairstyle. During the day, while Madame Pompenstance plays croquet, has tea, plays cards, and poses for her portrait, she wonders why her head aches so much. The sailors aboard the ship drop anchor and have a wonderful time eating sweets at the tea and drinking rum punch during the Ball. At the Ball that evening, Madame Pompenstance wins hands down for her ingenious headgear, but resolves to never again use seashells in her hair. This amusing story captures the feel of 18th-century French aristocracy while also serving as a delightfully silly story. Lattimore's lavish ink-wash illustrations perfectly reflect the elaborate styles of the time. Executed in a fairly realistic manner, the characters are reminiscent of Hogarth with their droll, almost grotesque faces. The clothing of Madame Pompenstance and her friends is so finely detailed as to resemble actual costume renderings. All in all, a fanciful bonbon of a story that should have older picture-book audiences giggling at the foolishness of Madame Pompenstance. --Denise Anton Wright, Library Book Selection Service, Inc., Bloomington, IL
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