To the rhythm of the forest
From this spring morning when she finds an abandoned egg to this blizzard which will cause her some trouble, Hazel the little witch takes the time to enjoy the sweetness of summer and, once autumn arrives, to console a lonely troll . In this brand new opus, Phoebe Wahl recreates with magic and warmth the atmosphere of a cottage in the middle of the forest, illuminating everyday life and the small tasks necessary for this self-sufficient life. The Lilliputian universe takes shape with this witch beloved by all the furry, feathered and other inhabitants of the forest. And the story, very simple, divided into four parts like so many precious moments, is decorated with Wahl’s illustrations which are full of details revealing all the charm of this animated life. Whether it is a basket filled with balls of wool, a fire lit in the fireplace, small boots neatly aligned on the ground, or even and above all this omnipresent red hat, symbol of this parallel world, everything contributes to complete and to us make us adhere to this wonderful microcosm.
Marie Fradette
Hazel the Little Witch
★★★★ 1/2
Phoebe Wahl, translated by Ilona Meyer and Caroline Drouault, Éditions des Éléphants, Paris, 2023, 96 pages. From 5 years old.
Pretext for fun
Like her colorful, astonishing characters, straight out of a dream, her joyful worlds where everything seems permitted, Albertine’s new album is a celebration in itself. After having broken away in The birthday, Séraphine enters class. But, despite the seriousness associated with this daily life, everything is an excuse for fun. In double pages without text, the little girl, surrounded by a motley fauna, goes about different school activities. From the playground to the cafeteria, including the drawing class, each painting is teeming with moving characters, each taking part in a festive fresco. Like the first title, Séraphine at school is presented in a large cardboard format giving the image reader the impression of entering and even participating in this day as inviting as a day of celebration. And to add to this pleasure, the discerning eye is called upon to search the setting and find the heroine and her friends among the numerous details which adorn each of the scenes. To discover.
Marie Fradette
Séraphine at school
★★★★
Albertine, The joy of reading, Geneva, 2023, 16 pages. From 3 years old.
Rise differently
We know Roseline, protagonist of Roselion, a novel by Nancy B.-Pilon selected in the preliminary list of the Booksellers’ Youth Prize, but her sister, Éloïse, is still unknown to us. It is to meet him that we are invited Stay seated, Eloise, in which we discover a dynamic and resourceful young girl who uses a wheelchair. We find her changing schools, where she has to join ordinary classes. Added to the grief of having to leave precious friendships behind are many challenges, many of them unexpected. We want to help her so much that we deprive her of her freedom and her desires, while marginalizing her. Éloïse uses her creativity to regain her independence and affirm her desire to participate in social life. A delicate and inspiring initiation into the daily life of people with disabilities, a state of being that is too little addressed that it is good to discover, especially since the treatment reserves any self-pity or moralism, instead being embodied with lightness and humor.
Yannick Marcoux
Stay seated, Eloise
★★★
Text by Nancy B.-Pilon, illustrations by Marish Papaya, Quebec America, Montreal, 2023, 112 pages. From 7 years old.
Do your classes
We never create completely alone. Even holed up in the woods, in the depths of a workshop, we dialogue with the works that have moved us. Thus, Caroline Merola dedicates her most recent album “to the great artists who have inspired her for so many years”, including Chris Van Allsburg and his Mysteries of Harris Burdick. The author-illustrator claims to offer us the absurd stories given to her by young students. Each of the paintings in the album embodies a story, accompanied by a brief notice, imbued with humor based on a simple discordant, mysterious or fantastic detail. Each image requires a little work where, by delving into its causal links, we reveal all the irony it conceals. This presumption of reader intelligence is a strength, reiterated by certain scenes which respond to each other, complicating the puzzle and accentuating the pleasure of reading. A delicious gift from Caroline Merola which will undoubtedly inspire the artists of the future.
Yannick Marcoux
Fantastic (and maybe true) stories
★★★★
Caroline Merola, The short scale, Montreal, 2023, 48 pages. From 5 years old.