Review by Diane Wilkes
Book by RC Ajuonuma
Illustrated by Beverly Young
Published by Silverwood Books
ISBN-13: 978-178132041
ISBN-10: 178132041
Retail U.S. $10.99
Released 2017
This charmingly illustrated little book is a rhyming tale of a young boy on a road to self-discovery. That particular avenue is the aforementioned "Royal Road," a term used in conjunction with the Tarot and, not coincidentally, the picaresque short story consists of Billy's encounters on that road with various Major Arcana types.
Billy himself begins as the Fool--and I'm not giving anything away that isn't already provided by the title--as he transitions into a King on the Royal Road. Mom keeps him close, but he escapes, meeting with a conniving traveling salesman (one aspect of the Magician) who divests Billy of his rucksack, a glass-eyed woman with a cat under the moon who won't answer his questions (much like the High Priestess) and pretty much goes through the ensuing Major Arcana cards sequentially. Some card characters are less overt than others, and a few (The Emperor, Strength, and Temperance) seem to have gone completely missing. (You may or may not guess which Tarot archetype Billy is meeting in the excerpt provided below.)
On the path, Billy finds and loses his soul mate Lover and later must choose between her and his mother, which is somewhat Freud-heavy if children are the intended audience of the story. While I enjoyed making the tarot connections (I always enjoy making tarot connections), I had to wonder for whom the book is intended. It's a little youthful for the average tarotist and a little mature for the average child who would enjoy the rhymes and grayscale illustrations of this slight and whimsical tale. It is hard for me to imagine this being a child's favorite, despite its emphasis on belly busting treats and the occasional monstrous beast. Too much looking for love in all the wrong places for the average five-year-old, I think.
However, parents who read tarot might enjoy sharing their interest with their littlest tykes (who have probably been begging to play with/drool on their cards). At 80 pages, the book is a bit long for a bedtime read, though. King Billy and the Royal Road could provide a youthful introduction to the archetypes that could eventually be a bridge to learning the tarot—but I can’t see it replacing Pat the Bunny any time soon.
I welcome every tarot-infused addition to the literary canon, but I suspect this book has a rather limited audience.
Excerpt:
“So he ran to the ride,
which lifted him high,
to twirl in the wisps of the clouds.
He rolled and spun,
and watched as the sun
shone out, with its rays flooding down
on deserts and seas,
oceans and trees,
and everything seemed to just glow.”