Before the pandemic put a brake on some of their projects, Edith Cochrane and Isabelle Brouillette, friends for 20 years, had embarked on an adventure for which they certainly had the skills, but no relevant experience. Or almost… Both seasoned improvisers, they have the art of creating stories from scratch. And that’s kind of what it says behind my chairyouth album with timeless charm where the actresses and directors invite the reader to discover small universes from the point of view of a child with an overflowing imagination.
Thus, observing ants behind the huge “soft-olive” armchair—which really sits in the living room of Isabelle Brouillette, who photographed it from all angles—the child says to himself that they are going to summer camp. Further on, we meet Sourisous from the Oka-Zou bank, we celebrate the birthday of a grain of corn named Jean-Pop, we come across spiders fond of contemporary art and we listen to the lament of a sock lonely revisiting Félix Leclerc’s repertoire.
“At the beginning, it was embryonic, recalls Édith Cochrane, met at the library of the Nouvelle-Querbes school, in Outremont. I had all the structure, all the objects that the child finds, all the things that he imagines. I had roughly drawn all of this, then I gave it to Isabelle with no other text than “I’m discovering this, I’m imagining this”, asking her if she was tempted to write a book. »
It’s rare in our profession that we do something so concrete, which will last, which will pass from family to family, end up in a library
“When Edith suggested that to me, I replied: ‘ah yes, do you think I’m capable?’ Tempted by the experience, I didn’t show my insecurity too much, ”continues Isabelle Brouillette, who took advantage of the pandemic to take illustration courses for children online (in Spanish with English subtitles!) and d ‘watercolor.
Having developed a passion for illustration thanks to a travel watercolor box offered by a friend several years ago, Isabelle Brouillette had filled many notebooks, both abroad and in Montreal, before accepting the invitation. of Edith Cochrane: “With Edith, we spent many weekends together. In the morning, she could see me settling outside to draw a tree with no desire for results, only the happiness of the gesture. But there, I had to find my style, my color palette, to create a world…”
“My initial idea was simple, it was Where is Charlie ? with lots of business, but no dialogue. It was Isabelle who said that it would take dialogue, who helped the story unfold, that there was a staging, ”says the author, who also cites as sources of inspiration albums Ernest and Celestine (Casterman), by Gabrielle Vincent.
Like in the theater
While the first asked the second to add dialogue and jokes, the second complied and then came back with ideas for moving characters around the page. And so on. Until each sequence comes to life. Besides, there are so many amusing sequences and endearing characters in behind my chair that Emmanuel Bilodeau (Édith Cochrane’s spouse) asked them why they had put it all in one book.
I feel humbled and deeply admired by the exceptional work being done in children’s literature in Quebec.
“What we did is close to the theater,” says the illustrator. When Edith proposed a birthday scene, that scene had to be brought to life. It was like a theatrical set. Then Edith left on a number to make delicious puns; so they had to be staged, and there, she gave me ideas for drawings. It was very enriching and so funny. We laughed a lot ! »
Despite the giggles, there was also a lot of seriousness and work, because the two creators had the firm intention of delivering an album of which they would be proud. To do this, they took their time to master each stage of the production of a children’s book.
“It’s rare in our profession that we do something so concrete, which will last, which will pass from family to family, end up in a library. We arrived to La Bagnole editions with humility and the desire to bring our color to it. It’s really touching to find yourself in a very concrete sphere of creation,” says Édith Cochrane.
“I feel humbled and deeply admired by the exceptional work being done in children’s literature in Quebec. I find that this book represents us well in our natures as women. We were in learning mode and I hope we will stay that way, ”says the illustrator.
Having fun finding material for poetry in what is most banal in a home, the two friends and mothers wanted to offer a refuge of sweetness, humor and fantasy to children and their parents. . And prevent, during reading time, that everyone finds themselves glued to their screen.
“Regardless of his age, we wanted a bond with the reader. Even if the child does not laugh at the same things as the parent, they come together in laughter. I imagined my 14-year-old reading it to my 4-year-old and that he had to fun as much as her. To transmit something, playfulness is more effective than anything. I feel like the kids are going to get something out of it. If only to learn words and to trust each other in their imagination. I believe that volume 2 will be better”, lets out the author.
Well, would they have had the sting? “Oh yes! » they answer in chorus by revealing that the next album, which should be camped under the bed of the child, is already well advanced. “I just have to stop cleaning! promises Isabelle Brouillette.