Queen of the Falls

This is the second book by Chris Van Allsburg, and I loved it. I think at this point I'd like to try reading them all. There's such a magic about the illustrations that completely bewitch me.

It's always disconcerting when a writer jumps genres, so to speak. Van Allsburg has always been the king of my heart for his amazing fantasy children's picture books. I thought this would be yet another one, but, instead, Van Allsburg has decided to tell the true story of the first woman to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

I'm not always happy when nonfiction writers try fiction or vice versa, but that did not happen this time; Van Allsburg told this story perfectly. His pictures, as always, are breathtaking. I was delighted with this book.