Great children's book and very informative. I'm recommending we order this one!

My daughter studied Medieval and early modern history recently, and then last year my kindergartner and I studied places around the world. I so enjoy finding amazing picture books about the things we’re learning about, so I really enjoyed finding the historical fiction picture book Therese Makes a Tapestry by Alexandra S.D. Hinrichs, illustrated by Renee Graef (J. Paul Getty Museum, 2013). In this picture book, a young girl in 1600s France works on a tapestry in secret from her father, with which she hopes to wow King Louis XIV.


Girls in her time were not expected to develop a trade, but with her father’s business, Therese had become an artist. She’d assisted in her father’s factory, so she knew the steps required. In the following pages, before the King’s visit, Theresa gathers thread from the dye works in the correct colors, convinces her brother to help paint a “cartoon” framework (unpolished, but to be used as a guide), and then begins the difficult task of weaving the tapestry. As a finishing touch, she adds silver threads to the frame, and, of course, when the King visits the tapestry factory, he is amazed by her artisanship. Her father likewise is impressed.

I love the gorgeous illustrations, and the scroll-work frames around some images helped give a “tapestry” and Medieval feel to the whole book. The front-end paper even features an illustration of the map of the factory in Paris, so my youngest and I enjoyed finding the places discussed, even though some of the pages had a bit too much text for me to read in full. The feminist take on the artisan at work was also a wonderful modern surprise (I love when girls surprise their parents/friends like this.

As a book published by a museum, I loved the factual details in the end matter, including facts about the actual tapestries made at the time. Therese Makes a Tapestry is a great book to add to your Medieval/Early Modern studies.

The illustrations and the color make it such a great snapshot of a historical time. You can see the hustle bustle of another century life.

The pictures in Thérèse Makes a Tapestry are beautiful! Rich, warm paintings make the story come to life in the gorgeous picture book.
Thérèse's family works in the Gobelins Manufactory, creating beautiful tapestries for King Louis XIV of France and other rich people in the late 1600s and early 1700s. Thérèse is excited about Papa coming home, and overjoyed when Papa gives her a beautiful picture he painted of the king's palace. When he tells the family he will be home again in a few months, when the king comes to visit the factory, she has an idea for the perfect gift to express her love for her father. Will she finish it in time?
Even if you are not interested in history, the description and pictures of the art of weaving tapestries is fascinating. Thérèse, though she was not permitted to weave in the factory, because she was a girl, knew how to perform each step, from spinning the yarn and dying it to finishing the border of a tapestry. Young children will enjoy this beautiful picture book.

“Therese Makes a Tapestry” was intricately written and illustrated.

A beautifully illustrated book - perfect for grades 3-6!
Readers learn about Therese, a young French girl who works in a tapestry factory, and how she dreams of becoming a Royal Weaver. A fictional story, inspired by real people - perfect for those that love history and art.

The cover is what caught my attention. I have always loved the painted look, (The Story of the Candy Cane was my favorite as a child!) This book didn't disappoint. Transporting the reader into a different time and place with beautiful pictures, and a master of words. Both a history lesson, and a charming story. I loved seeing Thérèse as she poured her heart into her gift, and the surprise at the end! A beautiful story that is sure to please!

Wow! This book is just gorgeous! I have been a big fan of Renee Graef's illustrations since she did the picture books of the Little House series, so when I saw this book, I wanted to read it before I even knew what it was about! The story itself is also excellent! It was so fun to get to see what it was like in the artists' quarters of Henri XIV's France. I learned so much about weaving, and I can't wait to share this book with my children!

Cute, but a bit boring. Illustrations were pretty, but the text layout was too dense and arranged on the page in a strange way.

This is a delightful story of a young girl with ambition and drive. Thérèse is a fictional character though the Gobelins Manufactory is real, as is King Louis XIV of France.

Thérèse isn't trained to weave but wanting to make something special for her father she undertakes a huge project. I loved her drive and the way she worked out how to make it happen. The book does a great job of explaining what is involved in weaving and the process of making a tapestry.

Though I read this on my iPad to appreciate the illustrations the hardcover would be the way to go. The full page vivid pictures really brings this story to life.

The historical notes and glossary are a nice finishing touch, not just entertaining but educational as well. Thank you to Getty Publications for an arc for review purposes.

This is a lovely book. I love that it’s about the Gobelins factory, a subject that will be completely new to the kids. I thought that the illustrations were beautiful, and are sure to draw the kids into the story. I like the story of the girl working toward a surprise for her father, and getting rewarded in a way she didn’t expect. It’s also good that the kids will recognize the weaving as similar to the Navajo weaving that they would be familiar with.

A beautiful picture book about a young girl in the Middle Ages who weaves a tapestry. Filled with lovely illustrations and interesting details, it makes a great intro to the topic for adults and kids alike.

Despite the fact that women are not trained to weave on the looms in the Gobelins Manufactory, Thérèse begins an ambitious project as a surprise to her father. She enlists the assistance of various friends and family members, giving us a detailed look at the different jobs held by tapestry workers at Gobelins. This is a great introduction to the fascinating history of Louis XIV's reign. The vibrant illustrations make the story shine. A glossary and historical notes at the back of the book will be helpful for older readers.

For a short picture book (albeit with quite a bit of text per page) this was a wonderful history lesson about a topic I knew very little about! It gives an introduction to the Gobelin Manufactory in France during the reign of Kin Louis XIV. Through the story of Therese, we get to see the inner workings of the tapestry factory and all of the different jobs entailed, as well as how the workers lived there. I do hope it piques the interest of children to admire the extensive work that went into tapestries, as well as perhaps inspire them to delve into textile artwork themselves!

This is a historical picture book. It is the story of a girl who cannot weave tapestries in the factory because she is female. In this book, she weaves her vision with her mother's help and proves them all wrong. I liked the determination of the main character. It seemed odd to consider that master weavers were men when we think of weavers as women. I enjoyed the story and the change of heart that her brother had once she proved that she could do it. It might be hard for children today to be able to understand the purpose and skill necessary to weave, but I think the story of her determination will prevail.

Thérèse Makes a Tapestry weaves art-history as colorfully as the tapestry that inspired its writing--one that hangs in the J. Paul Getty Museum today. This well-researched picture-book is gorgeously illustrated by Renée Graef, and is deftly-written by Alexandra S. D. Hinrichs. The fictional yarn takes the young reader back to 7th Century Paris to the bustling Gobelins Manufactory where they will find our young female heroine, Thérèse, who lives and works with her family of weavers.

When Thérèse's father returns home with a painting for Thérèse, she gets an idea to create a gift for him, a tapestry that looks like Papa's painting. Papa will be leaving again, only this time when he returns, he will have King Louis XIV with him! And Thérèse hopes to have Papa's gift woven by then! Even though girls like her at the Gobelins Manufactory were not trained as weavers, she is determined to make her gift as beautiful as Papa's painting before he returns home.

​Thérèse's family and friends help her along the way. The dye-makers allow her to collect colorful leftover yarns. Her older brother, Henri, creates a copy or outline of Papa's painting that she could place behind the loom's frame to pattern her tapestry after. Her mother helps, too. But it would be Thérèse's hands that would warp the loom, trace the pattern of Papa's painting on threads, and organize her yarns by color. She would weave Papa's gift all by herself! And soon, after hours of tireless work behind her, it is finished!

But when Papa returns home with King Louis XIV, what has become of her gift? Thérèse runs into the courtyard to find out. Sure enough, there is her tapestry, and there is Papa and the king staring at it! Her brother Mathieu had placed her tapestry there, along with all the others that the king would inspect for use in his palace.
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Thérèse held her breath as the king stared. What would the king think of her work? What would he say if he found out a girl had woven it? What would Papa say? And would Papa ever know that this tapestry was her gift to him? Readers will just have to get a copy of Thérèse Makes a Tapestry to find out.

It's the 17th century and young Therese can be found making things for the king. This is a good book, but more appropriate for older children. There are far too many words on each page to keep the attention of younger kids. I would hope to find this in the juvenile fiction area or picture books for mature readers. It's a beautiful story, but may be over the head of some kids.

This is a beautiful book. The illustrations are superb. I was transported into a world that seemed very kind. I wonder how close to reality that is? Life in organizations producing fine art for the King of France was probably not so good. The housing of the workforce close to the factory with vegetable gardens as well seems enlightened. As an introduction in how tapestries were made though it is very good.

A sweet book, although a bit on the slow side. There is a lot of interesting information, but many young readers will probably fiind it a little boring.

I thought this was a gorgeous picture book with a very interesting story with a nice "girl power" message. The only thing I didn't like about it was the amount of text on a page. I think this is the worst kind of picture book. It has too many words to be appealing to a little kid and the big kids won't pick it up because it's a picture book.

Has no one proofed this book on a Kindle? Pictures are incomplete, text is misaligned, spaces and weird artifacts litter what would otherwise be a five star book. Excellent story.

Love this! The text is a little advanced for early readers, but I love the historic quality of Therese's story and my daughter adores the illustrations. Really appreciate how the story explains the tapestry making process and allows children a window to the past. Definitely something I'll be buying my children when it is released.

This is a wonderful story about a young girl who dreams of weaving a tapestry for the king.. Girls are allowed to make the yarn, but can not do the actual weaving. Therese practises weaving napkins and small items on a loom at home. When her father, a painter for the king, gives her a small painting of the king at one of his homes, she decides she will weave a small tapestry to give to her father as a gift. No one believes she will be able to make a beautiful tapestry from this picture, but her powers of persuasion enable her to get a larger drawing or cartoon to trace on her yarn, extra yarn in wonderful colours and even some silver thread for the border. When it is complete it is beautiful. She rolls it up and prepares to give it to her father that evening. When her sceptical brother sees the gorgeous tapestry, he hangs it up in the courtyard for the visiting king to see. He wants the tapestry for his palace. Therese is happy yet heartbroken that her father will not receive the gift. It all works out in the end. It is a great story to learn about the history and making of tapestries as well as to see that dreams do come true and that females can do more than they were given credit for in the past. The illustrations are vivid, colourful and very lifelike. They add a special dimension to the story.

We loved Marguerite Makes a Book, and this next book in the series was no exception! Fabulous series covering the middle ages through everyday children, and we look forward to seeing more!