My Napoleon [Hardcover]

Catherine Brighton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1997

The arrival of an important prisoner forever changes the lives of the residents of the island of St. Helena, in a child's eye view of the life and times of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5. My Napoleon expresses the special relationship between the legendary French General, Napoleon Bonaparte, and an English girl, Betsy Balcombe. Napoleon spent his last years as a guest in her father's home on the island of St. Helena after his defeat in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Through this story based on excerpts from her journals, readers become acquainted with the man who was once the great emperor. Betsy describes her apprehension about sharing her home with the V.I.P.N. (Very Important Prisoner, Napoleon): "Papa says he is a demon, so perhaps he has a very long, pointed tail with poison on the end. I must keep my distance!" Her dread is short-lived, however, as Betsy begins to befriend the once mighty man. Indeed, he becomes a virtual playmate acting as mischievous as any child. Brighton's exquisitely crafted watercolor illustrations recount the dress and architecture of the day; they are truly descriptive if a bit stylized. The double-page spreads contribute to the sense that readers are unfolding a rediscovered time and place. However, the book is limited to one very specific period as seen through the eyes of a young girl. Children old enough to be familiar with the general's life will find the chatty text and childlike selection of incidents unappealing, and it's unlikely that younger children will get much out of this offering.?Amelia Kalin, Valley Cottage Library, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A look at Napoleon through the eyes of a real child, Betsy Balcombe, in whose home Napoleon lived when he was exiled to St. Helena. Betsy wrote about Napoleon in her journal, and it is this account that Brighton (Mozart, 1990, etc.) uses as the basis for her story. The details have the ring of truth to them: Betsy is terrified of the emperor until she discovers he is tiny--``no bigger than me!'' He teases her and takes her for a ride in his carriage, is pleased that she will speak French with him, and plies her with sugar bonbons until she is sick all over the carpet. When the family returns to England, Betsy is sorry to leave him behind. Scenes from a child's perspective are given bright, hyper-realistic colors that seem to drench the characters in the last rays of the setting sun. Children will enjoy the story whether they know of Napoleon or not, and will be surprised in coming years to meet a rather different fellow in the annals of European history. (chronology) (Picture book. 6-8) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Millbrook Press (April 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761301062
• ISBN-13: 978-0761301066
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,258,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, But Flawed, December 22, 2004

By 

sn Go Blue (SE Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Napoleon (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my child as a gift from my trip to New Orleans because I wanted her to learn a little something about the Emperor from a child's point of view. The book's illustrations are lovely, and there is a good deal of truth to the story. Napoleon loved children, not just his own, but all others to whom he came in to contact. Betsy was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise miserable situation. My one BIG complaint is the error at the end stating the Emperor died not long after Miss Balcombe returned to England. I found myself doing something I rarely do in my daughter's books: I sat down with a pen and corrected the error. The Emperor lived, I believe, about 3 more years after Miss Balcombe left the island.