A brand new children's book is being published by the Royal Collection Trust in celebration of the Queen's 90th birthday. The Birthday Crown has been written by well-known children's author Davide Cali, and tells the story of the Queen's search for the perfect crown to wear on the occasion of her birthday.The tale begins with preparations for the big celebration at Buckingham Palace, which are being overseen by the Master of Ceremonies. Everything is falling into place, but the right crown for the special event still needs to be found.
The Birthday Crown has been written in celebration of the Queen's 90th
A number of people try to help the Queen; the royal jewellers, greengrocers and gardeners are among those who make alternative suggestions, from a fruit headpiece and a birdcage, to a disco ball and a crown in the shape of a fairground carousel. But at the end of the story, it is the Queen's little grandson who comes up with the perfect solution – a paper crown he has made himself.
The story follows the Queen as she searches for the perfect crown
Kate Slater helps bring the story and its characters to life with her charming illustrations, which have been created using a three-dimensional collage technique; Kate suspends paper-collage pieces from wires to build up and then photograph each scene in the book, removing the wires from the final version of the illustration. "We hope that children and adults alike will enjoy David Cali's charming story about a very special birthday, brought to life through Kate Slater's highly original collage illustrations," Jacky Colliss Harvey, publisher at The Royal Collection Trust, said of the 32-page book.
The book is being published on 12 April
The Birthday Crown will be available from 12 April, priced at £9.95 from www.royalcollection.org.uk/shop and from Royal Collection Trust shops in London and Edinburgh, and at £12.95 from all good bookshops.