"You will become a very rich woman and wear a fine dress to the Royal Court"
Rose has a dream. She loves beautiful dresses. One day she is sure she will create one that is truly special:
"Often at night, Rose dreamed of the most beautiful dress of all. It was a dress woven out of moonlight and starlight. A dress rippled and swished like the wind across the sea. A dress with skirts that stretched as wide as the might sky and glittered all over with stars."
Her mother has no time for these dreams but one day a fortune-teller arrives in the small French town. The fortune-teller confirms her dream and so taking this message into her heart, Rose leaves her home and sets off for Paris. She meets rejection at every turn until finally she is taken in by Mademoiselle Pagelle. Rose expects to begin designing the gowns of her dreams straight away but instead she is put to work sweeping, polishing and scrubbing.
She spends many weeks working hard but one day the most wonderful opportunity arises. Rose is sent to deliver a splendid dress to the Princess de Conti. Arriving at the grand house she is taken into a room where she waits with a servant or so she things. Actuallu this simply dressed lady is not a servant - she is the Princess. Rose has told her all about her dream to create beautiful gowns. This wonderful moment means her dream can now come true.
I smiled through this whole story - it feels like a fairy tale - then I gasped. At the end of the book Katherine Woodfine explains this story is based on a real person. Marie-Jean Rose Bertin (known as Rose) was born in 1747. She did indeed travel to Paris and she did design and make beautiful gowns for the royal court including for the famous Marie Antoinette.
Together, Woodfine and Pankhurst have created a truly shining gem of a book. Minerva Reads
You can read the first chapter on the Barrington Stoke web site. I do love this series - Little Gems. Every story is a delight to read. They are perfect for newly independent readers. In this video Katherine Woodfine reads chapter three from her book. And in this video Katherine talks about her book.
Check out the web site for the illustrator Kate Pankhurst (I was delighted to discover she is indirectly related to Emmeline Pankhurst)and the author Katherine Woodfine.
Many years ago I read The Clockwork Sparrow which is for an older age group and I really loved it. I now discover this book is part of a series The Sinclair's Mysteries. I need to add the other three titles onto my expanding "to read" list.
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