Who Was Henry VIII?

Who Was . . . ? Series

by Ellen Labrecque, Who H.Q., Jake Murray (Illustrator)

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Travel to the age of the Renaissance and learn why Henry VIII is one of the most famous kings in English history.

Mainly remembered for his six marriages and his self-appointment as the "Supreme Head of the Church of England," Henry VIII was also attractive, educated, and athletic. When Henry Tudor ascended to the English thrown at the age of 17, his reign looked promising. But by the time of his death in 1547, King Henry VIII was characterized as an extremely egotistical, harsh, and insecure king. Though Henry VIII's legacy isn't free from scandal, his monarchy thrived due to the achievements of his daughter Queen Elizabeth I.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Tudor Period, Middle Grade, Royalty

112 pages, Paperback

Published February 6, 2018

Reviews

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learning English through children's books. This book was very interesting and easy to understanding.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 An interesting tale that covers a larger than life personality whose real life would put the tabloids to shame today. It always makes me reflect on the fact that Henry's daughter is called Bloody Mary when he executed over 70,000 people and ran the country of England like a spoiled tyrant. It is a great reminder of historical perspective. This book is a great introduction into the life of Henry VIII.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Was Henry VIII? by Ellen Labrecque presents the history of one of the most well-known of the Kings of England. Although he later became known for having married six wives and establishing the Church of England by breaking away from the Catholic church (so that he could divorce one of his wives to marry someone else), he was well educated, athletic, and considered attractive. He was very popular early in his reign and seemed to be a very promising ruler. He later became very overweight, insecure, and impatient with those around him and often dealt with them harshly. The author shares a lot of facts about this monarch in a relatively short book that is part of the award-winning New York Times series.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. I enjoy these books very much.

[Dru · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always interested in the English kings and queens. Even though this was a kid's book it was very enjoyable.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry the VIII started his monarchy with good intentions, he was a happy man who enjoyed life. After having two female children from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, he became unhappy. He needed a male heir to succeed him as king. He eventually divorced her and started a new religion. He went through several wives beheading those that followed Catherine when they displeased him by not having sons. his daughter Elizabeth the first became his heir.

[Maya Macomber · Rating 5 out of 5]

manwhore

[alexis]

This was my "I'm gonna read a book in one sitting at the library" book. I did not complete this challenge... but I finished it in one day at least.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this edition of the series! Really interesting background.

[Jj · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid little biography and overview of the one and only Henry VIII. There's some of the basic info most everyone probably already knows in here, but plenty that is new to a young reader or an adult who hasn't read much about the life of the man himself here. I like how these books start out with a short chapter about the person and who they are/were famous for. The childhood of Henry VIII is often passed over or ignored entirely in exchange for focus on his many wives and intense drive to destroy his enemies. In this book, however, it is given some attention and it is interesting indeed. We learn how he was raised from birth in a kind of petri dish of luxury and indulgence as well as isolation and paranoia, especially following the death of his brother and mother in the same year. These events led Henry's father, Henry VII, to become overprotective of Henry in a way that indeed seems very close to suffocating his only remaining son. The serious injuries he incurred as an adult in a jousting accident are definitely discussed here, along with the possibility that it caused the sort of serious, life-altering brain injury (think football, concussions, and chronic traumatic brain injury) that redirected his personality and reign for the rest of his days. Overall, this is a very interesting and thought-provoking read which would serve as a good introduction--it definitely makes the reader want to learn and read more.

Thanks to Penguin Young Readers for the review copy.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been interested in Henry VIII because of his great impact on history by breaking with the Catholic church and his personal life with his six wives. Anne Boleyn's story in particular has me fascinated. However, Henry really turned out to be a pathetic man by the end of his life. He was obsessed with having a son and when he did he thought Edward VI would be his legacy. If only he could know now that Elizabeth I, his second daughter from his short-lived marriage to Anne Boleyn, would become one of the world's greatest rulers and his true legacy. I love the irony in this and how Queen Elizabeth was one of the first monarchs to show women can run a country!

I would highly recommend this series to not just kids but adults. I kept a notepad as I was reading of interesting tidbits I learned. There is also a bibliography and timelines you can use for quick references. I preferred this illustrator as well compared to some of the other books in this series I have read lately. Lastly, I think the author deserves credit for handling all of the scandals in Henry's life with tact and subtlety that children can understand without going too far in depth.

[Go · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a condensed version of the infamous King Henry VIII’s life. I was fascinated and repulsed at the same time finding out that on an average day, Henry and his guests could eat 6 oxen, 40 sheep, 12 pigs, and 240 pigeons. Yikes. He moved around to different palaces with his entire court of about 1000 people, the kitchen typically served dinner to 600 people each day…and I thought dinner for 7 is a lot. He was very rich and spent a sum equal to 6 million a year just on parties and celebrations. Some people are fortunate to afford shelter let alone parties. He was impulsive and lost his temper quickly. He had tens of thousands of his subjects put to death, sometimes simply because they disagreed with him. Living according to his own rules. His history is so colorful and volatile. The details are so “juicy”. He seemed very passionate. He lived large, both figuratively and later literally. Apparently, when Henry was put into his coffin he was too heavy and it burst open from the weight of his body, and had to be repaired.

[Madeline Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This children’s book about Henry the 8th was decent. It mainly tells the reader facts about Henry and a little synopsis of the reign of each of his six wives. It also includes stuff about how the places he went and what jousting and such are.


I enjoyed the book more then I originally thought I was going to. I wish however it didn’t side track so much. I got a frustrated a few times do to this. For example, the author would be talking about how Henry enjoyed doing many activities like jousting and studying in his time but then on the next page after the paragraph about jousting and such is over talk about jousting for two pages. These were contributing factors to why I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book.


I can’t says that I’ve read a book about Henry the 8th that was mainly about him and wasn’t all about his wives. Also one of the few children’s books about him I’ve found. It’s definitely very unique in that regard.


I however definitely wouldn’t read this aloud in your class (if your a teacher) as it does talk about mass amounts of executing and such.

[Marnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was never a history girl growing up, so I love these books for helping to refresh my memory and teach me new things. I remember Henry VIII for executing a couple of his six wives (off with their heads!), but didn't realize that he was responsible for the deaths of nearly 70,000 people during his reign. Nor did I know that he was once a beloved and generous man before he turned cruel and brash, executing people for not agreeing with him...or because he felt like it.He was declared the Supreme Head of England in order to divorce his first wife since the Pope wasn't allowing him to do so. The pressure of having a son to be heir to the throne really weighed on him and seemingly made him crazy.

[Kristi Clemow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting especially since I also happen to be listening to a biography about Martin Luther at the same time.
5 things I learned and found most interesting
- Henry experienced a brain injury which seems to have made him much more cruel and awful
- Henry had a law created so he could be head of the church for the sole reason of divorcing his 1st wife then later just started beheading them instead
- Estimated that he had 70,000 people executed ....crazy!
- His daughters ended up being queen even though he was obsessed with a male heir that died at 15, the first catholic the 2nd protestant
- he ate 13 times a day and weighed 350 lbs and his body broke the coffin and the body feel out

[Goddess of Chaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The king has a way of making every man feel that he is enjoying his special favor.”

Henry VIII may be one of the best known, or most talked about, kings of England. As this book goes through a quick introduction to his life, it offers a good understanding of why he believed not just that he needed a male heir, but two. Henry was not born as the expected future King after all -- he had an older brother.

Henry's 6 wives are briefly touched on, and his two daughters are not only introduced, but their contributions to the monarchy are shared.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned so much in this book. I first read about the Tower of London and wanted to know more about Henry VIII. One of the things I thought was interesting was that he was a nice person until he fell and hit his head in a jousting match. It seems that he became not nice after that. He had a lot of people executed in the Tower of London, including two of his own wives.

[Hana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry the VIII had 6 wife’s,there is a rhyme that goes like this:Divorced,Beheaded,died,Divorced,Beheaded,Survived.(the rhyme is only in:Where was/is the Tower of London). Henry the VIII had a son who died👼2 months later😢,a daughter named:Mary,and another daughter named:Elizabeth.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sad story. Sounds like Henry started well but sure ended badly. At least there may have been a physical reason why his personality and his life choices changed. Well written, as is usual for this series.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intro to Henry VII. I love this series. I always learn something and they peak my interest to learn more.

[Katie Solt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book I learned some new things and old things I I knew about.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting overview of Henry's life. I liked the information at the end about his two daughters.

[Mary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great one in the series!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Power corrupts.

[CL]

Fate of his six wives: Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived.

[Tam Newell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read. Not sure my students will be interested in this one much tho.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series of books - there is always something new to learn!!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to give this a low rating because I did not really like the person I read about. But it was still a nice, succinct description of his life and I felt like I got a good summary.

[Galion Public Library Teens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review by S.C. : "This is a great book on England's most unique and most cruel king."

[Tracy Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish these had been around when i was a kid.