A troll and goats
“Once upon a time there was a wooden bridge”, a hungry troll and a family of goats. Sitting in the mud and waste, the troll will take turns welcoming the three cattle hoping to cook them au gratin, poach them or even smoke them. Continually renewing his art, Mac Barnett skilfully manipulates the codes of facetious tales into a earthy fable. The presence of few characters, the opposition between stupidity and cunning, the simplicity of the text – translated here by Kévin Viala – which combines rhymes and repetitive formulas ensure a crossing of the most effective. Of course, Barnett joins forces with his indispensable sidekick, Jon Klassen. In a style recognizable among all, favoring dark colors, he combines candor and a touch of horror playing with different perspectives that add to the desired dramatic effect. With The three goats and the troll, the duo once again testifies to an infinite respect for the child and a concern to address his intelligence. To be discovered in mid-April.
Marie Fradette
The three goats and the troll
★★★★
Mac Barnett and Jon Klasse, translated by Kévin Viala, Scholastic, Toronto, 2023, 42 pages. From 4 years old.
sweet friendship
From the height of his 11 years, soon to be 12, Romain discovers the world of adults, that of suffering, in particular that of his teacher, Mademoiselle Sophie. Since returning from vacation, she has gained a lot of weight and seems sad. Determined to understand what is bothering her, he calls on his sister, an attentive ear and a gentle adviser in this universe populated by beings centered on themselves. With Mademoiselle Sophie or the fable lion and hippopotamus, Zabus gently recounts the difficulty of asserting oneself in adolescence, of going beyond oneself to better reach out to others. The illustrator Hippolyte provides a warm and metaphorical visual alternating between ocher hues and the coldness of moments of solitude. The fine line is enough to define the outline of the characters, to give them an expressive look and supple gestures, all in poetic settings. This movement is doubled by an alternation between the boxes and the full pages, moments of breaks necessary in this sensitive crossing.
Marie Fradette
Mademoiselle Sophie or the fable of the lion and the hippopotamus
★★★★
Zabus and Hippolyte, Dargaud, Paris, 2023, 168 pages. From the age of 8.
Stories to stand on
rebel planet is launching a new collection, “Perdre le nord”, which “invites us into the teeming imagination and territories, real or invented, of storytellers. » Sam’s Adventuresby Philippe Garon and Enzo, and O’ the crossingby Nadine Walsh and Julie Rocheleau, get the ball rolling. O’ la crossing invites us to the story of Fiona, a young girl who, without a family, leaves her native Ireland, decimated by famine, to join Canada. Inspired by the numerous Irish migrations of the 19e century, this tale sails in the capricious waters of the ocean, in the hold of an overcrowded boat where passengers tell stories to pass the time and distract themselves from the pitfalls that await them. Without ignoring the ordeals of the crossing, Nadine Walsh, in a lively language, plays with the codes of the tale to offer the most beautiful of refuges to her protagonist: stories nourished by colorful characters. A collection that arrives at its destination.
Yannick Marcoux
O’ the crossing
★★★
Nadine Walsh and Julie Rocheleau, Rebellious Planet “Losing the North”, Montreal, 2023, 102 pages. Starting from 7 years old.
baroque beauty
Francis Desharnais, to whom we owe in particular Little Russia (Pow Pow, 2018), attempts a first foray into the world of children’s literature. For the occasion, he takes the bull by the horns and invites the youngest to meet Claude Gauvreau, “the kind of poet who does not laugh with the freedom to do everything in art”. The cartoonist is betting that young people will be able to understand this often misunderstood and unloved artist: “You know what it’s like, han, when you have something important to say and adults don’t listen to you? Stopping at nothing, he quotes passages in Exploréan language and leans tenderly on the épormyable moose. Magnificent, the album alternates abundance of bright colors and white stripping where the words reign. With just enough humor and levity, but also with astonishing rigor, Francis Desharnais accomplishes nothing less than a tour de force, breaking down walls to “show how far art can go. »
Yannick Marcoux
Claude Gauvreau: The really bizarre art explained to children
★★★★
Francis Desharnais, La car, “Mini punk”, Montreal, 2023, 24 pages. From 4 years old.