The King's Day: Louis XIV of France

Life at the court of Versailles boggles the mind: Louis XIV had, among other things, a garden containing four million tulips, and an everyday supper consisted of some 40 dishes! Tidbits like this abound in Aliki's new book, in which she chronicles a day in the life of this 17th-century monarch. Her thorough research never overwhelms the seamless telling, although some details won't suit every reader: an entire page is devoted to the monarch's mistresses and the many offspring they bore him. Some of the pages seem crowded; perhaps a more generous design, allowing for more white space, would have been more effective. Nevertheless, the book presents an intriguing glimpse of the splendor and extravagance of the Sun King's court. Ages 7-11. (Sept.)