This text is part of the special Spring Break booklet
Marriage and poetry
In Japan, beyond the enchanted door begins the land of legends. Over there, in the silence of the night, a thousand will-o’-the-wisps light up the mountain. Fox, in love, is getting married. ” With Fox’s wedding, Éric Rolland Bellagamba invites young and old to witness the union of two canines. All the ritual, the gestures, the decorum surrounding the event are offered in a few short, poetic sentences which underline the importance of the animal in Japanese culture. Chiaki Miyamoto’s illustrations, his fine brushstrokes, his delicate, clean and expressive lines sincerely render the richness of Japanese art. Moreover, as a gift, the editor closes the album on a double page leaving room for Renard’s wedding procession, a painting by Utagawa Yoshitora made in 1860.
Through the eyes of the queen
You probably think you know the story of Snow White, but Béatrice Alemagna in Farewell Snow White manages to deliver the story in a very unique way. Departing from watered down versions and instead taking up the tale written down by the Grimm brothers in the 19th century, the author and illustrator goes even further in suffering by giving the floor to the queen. From her vision of things, her point of view, the story lifts the veil on jealousy and revenge. The force of the subject is echoed in the paintings of the artist who, with his grotesque line, highlights all the madness of this woman and creates a strange and cruel atmosphere. Famous.
Too much pressure
Madeleine has just turned 11 years old. A privileged child, surrounded by well-to-do, successful and protective parents, she did ballet under the watchful eye of Anne-Sophie, her gentle and loving teacher. But her father, as generous as he is rigid, hopes that she will become a star dancer and is ready to do anything to quench her thirst for success. In Touch the stars, Frédérick Wolfe delivers a touching story, held at arm’s length by this child, fragile in front of an authoritarian father. The fear of disappointing and the guilt are revealed little by little in front of the repeated impatience of the man to whom everything succeeds. Thanks to a fluid writing, a right tone, at the height of a little girl, the pressure undergone by Madeleine just as much as the awkwardness of the father are palpable. And despite the obvious outcome, Wolfe manages to keep the interest going until the last page.