The Queen in the Cave is a unique children’s book featuring three sisters. One of the sisters, the eldest has a strange feeling, to help herself feel better she decides she wants to search in the woods for the Queen she dreamt about that lives there in a cave.

I have a feeling this is a story that is going to get very mixed reactions and one that people come up with their own meaning behind what is happening. For me, this is a book about depression. The opening page has the eldest daughter talking about how she has a funny feeling that means she no longer wants to paint, make collages or read. She talks about how she can’t describe the feeling but it is similar to when you are hungry but nothing seems appetising.

The artwork reminded me a little of Alice in Wonderland with bizarre scenes, varied and mixed colours, and characters that are real, yet not how they are in the real world. Such as huge snails you can ride. There is so much happening in each scene that you can spend a lot of time just looking and analysing the drawings. There is also a lot of text to read, so not a book for little children.

It is a complex book and one I was drawn to. I like unusual stories, ones that don’t follow the norm and this certainly is unusual. I just hope that children can appreciate the story too.