Free hair
“One day, Dad’s hair had enough of the comb and brush. Tired of sitting still on his head. They were hungry for adventure and wanted to see the world. And hop ! They ran away. » Faced with such an inevitability, the father, stunned and panicked, decides to take the road to find his hair. An epic as zany as it is amusing, Dad’s hair is narrated backwards by the son who, sensitive to this bond which united the father and his hair, strives in detail to detail each of the stages until the reunion. Jörg Mühle’s writing allows us to grasp both the empathy of the little one for his father and the excitement contained in the pleasure of telling this fantastic story to readers. The frantic pace of the story, caused by the tenacity and energy of the father, continues in Mühle’s expressive and colorful illustrations. The characters, carried by an unusual energy, sail here and there in settings as free as hair carried by the wind. A story to read as a family, between a self-conscious father and an amused child.
Marie Fradette
Dad’s hair
★★★ 1/2
Jörg Mühle, translated by Svea Winkler-Irigoin, Pastel, Paris, 2024, 70 pages. 6 years and over.
Rewilding
The Cat King lives fat and happy days, well fed by his human masters. So, while enjoying the mild days, dozing on the fresh grass, he teases mice and birds at his leisure. But one day, deprived of kibble, the feline, trembling, has no other choice but to go hunting. However, with an empty stomach, the mission turns out to be much more difficult. In this animal tale, Jérémie Moreau skillfully recounts this cohabitation between the domestic and wild worlds, the domination of one over the other. But above all, he puts forward reflections on the loss of instinct. Reminiscent in some ways The fables de La Fontaine — at the head of which The Wolf and the Dog —, The Cat King is an ode to freedom and rewilding, to this desire to let nature take its course. Korean illustrator Selynn Lee enriches everything with watercolors full of lush vegetation and animals with eloquent looks – she particularly excels in the piercing one of the Cat King. His realistic style is coupled with a mysterious aura which supports Moreau’s words with refinement and intelligence.
Marie Fradette
The Cat King
★★★ 1/2
Jérémie Moreau and Selynn Lee, Albin Michel Jeunesse, Paris, 2024, 48 pages. 4 years and over.
Ode to Loujain AlHathloul
Every night, Loujain dreams of only one thing. She dreams that she is flying to the field where a million sunflowers grow, which her Baba has now only shown her in photos. But Loujain is a girl, and where she lives, girls are forbidden to steal. With Loujain dreams of sunflowers, a story of determination and solidarity, Lina AlHathloul and Uma Mishra-Newbery pay tribute to Loujain AlHathloul, who successfully campaigned for women to be able to get behind the wheel of their cars in Saudi Arabia. The story, accessible, inspiring and magical, is suitable for both the youngest readers and young people of school age, who will be made aware of issues of equality and privilege. Rebecca Green’s bright and dynamic illustrations, a vibrant mix of acrylic and colored pencils, capture the hues and amplitude of nature to wonderfully reflect the little girl’s ambition, perseverance and imagination. Gorgeous !
Anne-Frédérique Hébert-Dolbec
Loujain dreams of sunflowers
★★★ 1/2
Lina AlHathloul, Uma Mishra-Newbery and Rebecca Green, The 400 Blows, Montreal, 2024, 44 pages. 6 years and over.
Fight to the top
After the sublime and original Trèfle (Comme des jardins, 2022), which earned her the Governor General’s Award, Nadine Robert is back with La marche du moulot, an evocative illustrated album with philosophical leanings. In this fable interpretation of the myth of Sisyphus, the writer tells the story of a small rodent who, one morning, discovers at the foot of an immense rock a blackbird’s egg that had fallen from its nest. Determined to bring it back to the summit, the field mouse ignores the mockery of the other animals, who believe it incapable of such a feat, and begins its long and tumultuous ascent. Valerio Vidali’s ample and refined line, dominated by velvety and rich tones of blue, leaves plenty of room for the story, as well as the emotions and ideas that emanate from it, in addition to establishing a space of calm and reflection . A story whose apparent simplicity is only a driving force to question the obstacles that each person puts in their path. Candy.
Anne-Frédérique Hébert-Dolbec
The march of the field mouse
★★★★
Nadine Robert and Valerio Vidali, Like Giants, Montreal, 2024, 64 pages. 4 years and over.