Reading is a generally silent and solitary ritual. On the contrary, the children’s album brings together several people and is read, most of the time, out loud. Christiane Duchesne, in the preface to the anthology In the footsteps of the album Quebecois, rejoices. “The children have fun, the children are moved, their parents too: this is the great success of our literature through the illustrated album, the most universal, the most playful, the most extraordinary means of communication . »
This anthology, a first on the Quebec youth album, is the result of the work of Marie Fradette, also a literary critic at Duty. We met her in a café in Plateau-Mont-Royal, while autumn was clinging to its most beautiful colors, adding to those of the magnificent cover of the anthology, placed between us.
We are offered a real dive into the world of children’s albums, recalling 80 years of history through 140 titles listed, 82 of which are presented and commented on. You would think the author, having just overcome such a challenge, was at least out of breath. However, it does not seem in the least, nourished as it is by the generosity of the creators. “It’s a gift of self, making an album. You have to do this with a lot of lightness and love, like me for this anthology. »
Anthological mission
From the outset, when it comes to an anthology, we ask ourselves “how many?” How many albums did she have to read to arrive at this selection? The answer doesn’t come right away. Could she be counting? Instead, she lets the sum of her work fade away with a big laugh, before blurting out: “A lot. But how much? I don’t know. »
It must be said that Marie Fradette has been around the album for a long time. Contributor to the magazine Lurelu — specializing in children’s literature — since 1998, she has completed a master’s degree and a doctorate whose research, even if it mainly focused on children’s novels, allowed her to indirectly come into contact with the album. “I often saw it appear in reference works. Because, often, everything that is children’s literature is put together in a single block. »
It should also be added that she gives lectures at Laval University and the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières, where she approaches children’s literature through, in particular, the novel, the story, the cinematographic adaptation and the album. And then, perhaps, we will be able to understand how, taking advantage of all her accumulated knowledge, she took only one year, “on top of everything else”, to write this reference work. “I went into it a little candidly, it’s true, but I was so excited about it. »
A protocol approach
Each decade — eight in total — is the subject of a chapter, with the exception of the 1950s and 1960s, grouped together because the corpus was less abundant. Proof that the increase in production is spectacular, only four titles from the 1940s have been commented on while there are 22 for the 2010s.
The hardest part, according to her, was choosing the titles. Scouring the BAnQ archives and the libraries of UQTR and Laval University, she based herself on three criteria, defined with Nadine Robert, her editor. “Only Quebecois authors-illustrators. For what ? To take the pulse of what is happening here and try to understand how they think, create and speak to children. Then, we wanted books that had marked their era, bearing witness to its transformations. Finally, we wanted the link between the texts and the illustrations to be strong and for the two to coexist without overshadowing each other. »
Crowned with illustrations of the selected titles, Marie Fradette’s commentary is crafted and highlights, through the evolution of the album, the strong points of a Quebec which is emancipating itself. “I think we paint a historical portrait of Quebec through the album. Because it is intimately linked. The album is the education that we are ready to offer to our children. It seems to me that it is a good barometer of our society in general. »
Faced with heartbreaking choices, Marie Fradette admits that the absence of certain titles from the anthology could create certain disappointments. The one who “wanted to highlight the richness of the creation of the album in Quebec” however hopes for a good reception from the community. “I prefer to receive flowers, but if they are tomatoes, at least they should be whole, so that I can eat them. »
The album in the present
During the interview, Marie Fradette opens the anthology, highlighting a few surprises that brightened her research work. The illustrations of Christiane Duchesne, for example, made with a wax pencil, then pressed with an iron, testifying to the burst explorations of the 1970s, or this album written by Pierre Foglia in 1982, the provocation of which, according to her, “would not go away not today “.
Would we be more stuck than in 1982? His opinion is more nuanced. “The album has freed itself from moral imperatives and is very confident in tackling all kinds of subjects. Creators and publishers are not cautious. Rather, it is a few librarians, teachers and school administrators, with all due respect, who strangely filter what enters the schools. And that’s without counting the case of François Blais, where the Ministry of Health got involved! »
The one who is also literary director of the novel collection at D’eux believes that the album is the ideal place to approach a plurality of subjects with children, provided that it frames and supports their reading. “When we read a story, we receive it and we talk about it together. The album is a space for discussion between parent and child. So it seems like an ideal place to address all possible topics. »
While celebrating the quality of many albums released, she regrets that they are swallowed up by numbers. “For at least 10-15 years, we have been in overabundance. And the result is a loss. There are so many great albums that fly under the radar and have a lifespan of just a few months, swallowed up by a bombardment of new releases. »
Fortunately, Marie Fradette is already planning to resume the exercise in ten years and to combine the anniversary of the Comme des Géants house – which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year – with an update of the anthology. At the rate we publish albums, she would have to sort through more than a thousand new titles. A projection which, it should come as no surprise, makes her laugh.
But before looking further, it is important to salute the achievements of a vibrant, thriving and internationally recognized community. An environment supported for more than 80 years by creators who “finally have a work telling their story, their talent, their creativity”. An anthology.