The silent world
“When he leaves his house, Archibald often bumps into his neighbours. There is Abel, the musician, Anouk, who waters her garden, and then Olga, who is already cooking. Archibald knows them well. But, in this 11e opus of the series written by Astrid Desbordes, the little guy, always accompanied by his mother, discovers with wonder the extent of his neighborhood. Beneath its silent airs, nature teems with life and is populated by different species that swarm all day long, each inhabiting the Earth in their own way. Ode to nature, its calm and its riches, Our silent neighbors takes a candid and admiring look at this verdant expanse, but above all, invites readers to open their eyes and listen to the world around them. Noble message, however, already well acquired by children who are used to nothing being missed. A statement that is aimed this time much more at adults in a hurry. Pauline Martin, for her part, offers clear and uncluttered tableaux, playing with different planes which ensure the movement of the characters and energize the crossing undertaken by the hero.
Marie Fradette
Our silent neighbors
★★★
Astrid Desbordes and Pauline Martin, Albin Michel Youth, 2022, 48 pages. 3 years and over.
Initiatory journey
Very busy reading large books in order to become more learned, Little Wolf who knows everything does not have time to answer the thousand questions of his friends. One day, the royal raven hands him a missive which summons him to go to the castle to heal the king. Faced with the imperative, but not without hesitation, he takes to the road. A long initiatory journey begins during which he gains confidence and discovers the richness of friendship. Fable by Dutchman Gijs van der Hammen and translated by Emmanuelle Tardif, Little wolf who knows everything is narrated in the present and enriched with dialogues and monologues that ensure the rhythm of the journey. The strength of this timeless story is echoed in Hanneke Siemensma’s illustrations, both mysterious and bewitching paintings that extend the story. Crossing ocher mountains and dark forests, the wolf, as black as night, is quickly spotted in the image thanks to his little red boots. Color that refers to this courage and this crossing that will make it stronger. A visually sublime album that will stimulate the eye. Famous.
Marie Fradette
Little wolf who knows everything
★★★★
Gijs van der Hammen and Hanneke Siemensma, translated from Dutch by Emmanuelle Tardif, Albin Michel Jeunesse, 2022, 40 pages. 3 years and over.
Alfred Pellan, wacky and quirky
Did you discover Jean Paul Riopelle through the amused eye of Marie Barguirdjian (Edito, 2017)? With Alfred’s secret, the author does it again, this time inviting us to Alfred Pellan’s studio. This great artist, born in 1906 in Quebec, reveals himself here as a “joke”, a “big child”, honoring his nickname: “the waking dreamer”. It is with humor as a guide that Barguirdjian invites us to discover Pellan’s work, revealing an overflowing imagination and a universe freed from constraints. “Everything is to be expected,” she writes. In this wacky approach to art where everything is a game, everything exists, “because Alfred draws it”. “Flowers that look like xylophones — xyloflowers? » to the « cat become king who gives gymnastics lessons to his subjects », the lesson is big, funny and inviting, so much so that we close the book shouting: « Again! Still ! »
Yannick Marcoux
Alfred’s secret
★★★★
Marie Barguirdjian (with works by Alfred Pellan), Editorial, Montreal, 2022, 32 pages. From 6 years old.
The well-kept secret of words
It is through words that stories are told. But what about the history of these words? For Nicolas Lauzon and Marijo Denis, poet and linguist behind the creation ofOnce upon a time there was a word, “words are true heroes / before reaching us / they have lived a thousand and one adventures / through time and cultures”. Tireless workers in the shadows, the words have served many causes and their meaning has changed along the way, creating so many captivating stories. This book offers us the story of 25 words, revealed in the freedom of the poem, then brought to light by a linguistic explanation. Thus do we meet this “wise mother [qui] made glasses so that her short-sighted little boy could finally see the moon”, as well as “the little finger, the finger that goes into the ear”. Carried by a language as colorful as it is accessible and adopting a resolutely playful tone, the proposal is educational, creative and fascinating.
Yannick Marcoux
Once upon a time there was a word
★★★★ 1/2
Nicolas Lauzon and Marijo Denis, Éditions du Passage, Montreal, 72 pages. From the age of 8.