Common Sense Media Review
By Mandie Caroll
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Extraordinary art in dark, lovely sisters-adventure tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Oldest sister Franca heeds a strange feeling, a kind of pull, lingering from a dream, and brings her two younger sisters, Carmela and Tomasina, on her search for THE QUEEN IN THE CAVE. They travel into the woods outside their yard, encountering ever wilder, larger wonders. From tiny sun-headed sprites holding lit matches to light the sisters' way, to tea with Grandmother Spider, an ant maze, snippy and sleepy bats, and endless lush flora, Franca leads her sisters "where no one has ever gone before!" But no one expects what they find when they finally reach the cave.
Is It Any Good?
This stunning, weird, imaginative long-form picture book wows on every level. The Queen in the Cave begins its strange, wonderful journey before even the title page with a drawing that foreshadows the final plot twist: a disembodied arm and hand, with pointed finger outstretched from a cloud of magenta smoke that pokes big sister Franca on the back of her head. If this evocative opening doesn't grab the reader's attention, Júlia Sardà's warm-hued illustrations brimming with bizarre but inviting details will.
This is the kind of picture book about which scholars could write long, ponderous think pieces, but even young readers will understand that fundamental truths about childhood are being reflected back to them. Truths like these: Sometimes you have to let people you love go, relationships change over time (not always in ways you'll like), and there's joy, adventure, comfort, and sadness in loving others. This book gets kids, but it will also charm adults into reminiscing about the strange, dream-like qualities of their own childhood. This is a book to savor with each repeated reading, of which there will be many.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the sisters in The Queen in the Cave. How does their relationship to each other change over the course of the story? Why does it change? If you have siblings, how has your relationship with them changed as you've gotten older?
The highly detailed art tells a lot of the story. What would the book lose if it were only text? Are you curious about any of the drawings? If you could, what would you ask the creator of this book about the illustrations?
What did you think about when Franca didn't return home with her sisters? Did you think she was gone forever, or that she'd come home later? Is the ending a good ending? Why, or why not?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Julia Sarda
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Fantasy ( Fairy Tales )
- Character Strengths : Courage , Curiosity
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Candlewick
- Publication date : October 7, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 5 - 9
- Number of pages : 64
- Available on : Paperback, Hardback
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : October 27, 2025
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