Queen on Wednesday

"On Wednesday, Thelma was bored," begins this imagination-rich story, "so...she decided to become a queen." Thelma's personality and the narrative's emotional arc are conveyed by surrealist-style paintings showing a pale and restrained heroine clad in Victorian children's clothing. The story ends where it began, with Thelma struck by an idea. What to make of Thelma? Swiatkowska leaves the reader lots of room.

"On Wednesday, Thelma was bored," begins this imagination-rich story, "so…she decided to become a queen." The pleasures of royal life are soon sullied by the burdensome responsibilities thereof, chiefly the servant problem and castle upkeep. Fed up by the following Tuesday, Thelma tosses away her crown and reverts to being a little girl. Thelma's personality and the emotional arc of the narrative are conveyed by the illustrations, a series of surrealist-style paintings of a world where oddities such as a fish anchored by balloons sailing by the window appear unexplained. Thelma, clad in Victorian children's clothing and with dark ringlets, is a pale and restrained heroine. Even in her most joyous moments she manages only a tentative smile of satisfaction. Her equally pale retinue of assistants -- electrician, veterinarian, plumber -- seem oppressed by ennui. The story ends where it began, with Thelma struck by an idea. It looks to involve an old-fashioned coffee grinder with bat wings. What to make of Thelma? Swiatkowska leaves the reader lots of room. sarah ellis