Madame Saqui: Revolutionary Rope Dancer

(Hardback)

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A stunning picture book biography about the tightrope walker who dazzled Paris as she danced across the sky with impeccable balance and unparalleled skill during the French Revolution. A stunning picture book biography about the tightrope walker who dazzled Paris as she danced across the sky with impeccable balance and unparalleled skill during the French Revolution. In revolutionary France, a girl named Marguerite Lalanne longed to perform above large crowds on a tightrope, just like her acrobatic parents. Sneaking off to the fairgrounds for secret tightrope walking lessons, Marguerite finessed her performance skills, ultimately performing for crowds as a young rope dancer. And eventually, Marguerite would perform as Madame Saqui, waltzing and pirouetting across- and never falling off- countless ropes above adoring crowds. A nouvelle cherie de Paris, Madame Saqui cemented her place in circus history, winning the adoration of the French people and royalty alike, including Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. This remarkable biography unveils the inspiring story of a trailblazing woman who revolutionized the circus world-- without ever missing a step.

Reviews

An excursion into a long-ago era, but the iron determination of this storys hero feels very modern. Publishers Weekly

"This celebration of an astonishing artist will fill readers with wonder and, perhaps, the desire to join the circus."Booklist

"This riveting picture book biography shines both for Robinsons pitch-perfect readaloud text and Greens mural-like artwork, rendered in an age-muted palette of Revolutionary Frances red, white, and blue. Bulletin

Author Bio

LISA ROBINSON was born in Uganda to two Peace Corps volunteers who would eventually become world-traveling diplomats. She has lived all over the world, including Seattle, Dakar, London, and Moscow. She and her family now call Massachusetts home, where Lisa spends time at the local circus gym, flying through the air with aerial silks. She is also the author of Pippa's Night Parade. Visit her at author-lisa-robinson.com. REBECCA GREEN is the illustrator of The Unicorn in the Barn and How to Make Friends With a Ghost (which she also authored) which Booklist called "a heartfelt lesson in kindness and caring." In addition to working as an illustrator for children's books, magazines and galleries, she also helps run The Warren, a studio in Nashville that houses five working artists and hosts a variety of community events. Some of her clients include HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, The Wall Street Journal and Flow Magazine. Visit her at myblankpaper.com.