Therese Makes a Tapestry

More than a decade and a half after Bruce Robertson and Kathryn Hewitt%E2%80%99s Marguerite Makes a Book comes a companion title, which likewise offers a child-focused window into a time-honored artistic tradition. First-time author Hinrichs sets this story during the reign of King Louis XIV at Paris%E2%80%99s Gobelins Manufactory, where Th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se and her artistically talented family live while helping create tapestries. After Th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se receives a painting from her father, who %E2%80%9Cfollowed King Louis XIV throughout France, painting scenes of battles, palaces, and nature,%E2%80%9D she conspires to return the favor by making a tapestry based on the painting, even though girls weren%E2%80%99t trained as weavers. Graef (T Is for Time) places her warmly painted images within ornate borders (sometimes unfinished, like a tapestry in progress) that dovetail nicely with the artistic theme while providing detailed close-ups of the weaving process and the tools used. Th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se gets some welcome credit after her tapestry catches the eye of the king, and while her story is fictional, a closing note offers substantial information about the real-life people and tapestries that inspired the story. Ages 4%E2%80%938. (Mar.)