Thérèse is a fictional member of a real family of artisans who lived in France in the mid–17th century, working at the Gobelins Manufactury. Through her eyes, we see all the stages necessary for the creation of a tapestry, beginning with the painting of a scene and the sketching of a cartoon copy, and then the stages of spinning and dying the wool and weaving the tapestry itself, using the cartoon as a guide. All of this is done in preparation for a visit from King Louis XIV, who had commissioned a series of tapestries about his life achievements. Both the text and illustrations give a strong sense of the daily lives of ordinary people living in a specific time and place, as we see Thérèse interacting with other artisans in her community. The endpages show a detailed birds-eye map of the manufactory and all the places Thérèse visited as she gathered the necessary materials for her project. (Ages 7–11)

Step back in time to seventeenth-century Paris with Thérèse, a talented young girl who lives and works at the Gobelins Manufactory, where Europe’s greatest artisans make tapestries and luxury objects for King Louis XIV. Even though girls are not trained on the great looms there, Thérèse practices on a small one at home and dreams of becoming a royal weaver someday.

 
This charming story follows Thérèse as she carries out an ambitious plan with the help of family, friends, and the artisans of the Gobelins. The intricate craft of tapestry weaving is illuminated, and surprises await Thérèse, her parents and brothers, and even the king himself. Children’s book author Alexandra S. D. Hinrichs here breathes vivid life into a delightful tale full of fun twists and an appealing cast of characters.
 
Original paintings by award-winning artist Renée Graef playfully illustrate the book, as well as the many steps involved in the creation of the famous Gobelins tapestries, from dyeing wool and making silver thread, to painting and copying the elaborate designs, to the delicate art of weaving.
 
Thérèse’s fictional adventures are inspired by real people, the actual Gobelins Manufactory, and a beautiful tapestry that hangs today in the J. Paul Getty Museum.