The big blue
In threes, a child dives underwater with the polar bear, plays at holding the goatee of the walruses, races with the penguins and makes the jellyfish dance, when a voice from beyond asks him ‘he soaped himself. A “last somersault” and he prepares to go back up. Like Alice who leaves the burrow, the little one’s return to reality is akin to a real journey through the looking glass. In Encore un splash!, Isabelle Ricq actually manages to think outside the box and replay with fantasy the eternal theme of bath time. In a hardback book as blue as the ocean where his character rocks, Ricq elegantly combines photographs of the marine world and illustrations until the finale, where the visual takes us out of the dream while respecting the little one’s imagination. Through its proposed form and graphics, the album also invites the reader to physically turn the book to find out the rest of the story, plays on the calligraphy and color of the dialogues and thus ensures a delicious moment of exchange with the toddlers.
Marie Fradette
Another splash!
★★★★
Isabelle Ricq, Seuil jeunesse, Paris, 2024, 24 pages. 0-3 years old.
Dissecting Charles Perrault
While Maxime must prepare an oral presentation on Puss in Boots, his cat, Minus, listens and discovers the extraordinary life of this feline gifted in particular with speech. He likes to dream of a life where his master would honor and respect him. However, just as he shares his wishes with his gang, a black cat offers to follow her on a journey embroidered with mystery and magic. As mentioned on the cover of the novel, Sophie Dieuaide is inspired here by Perrault, “but not too much”, in a hilarious and refreshing adventure. Thanks to the kid’s presentation, it allows the reader to discover the author of the tales while taking a critical look at the astonishing and prodigious possibilities that this universe allows. Like the famous storyteller, Dieuaide gives voice to the animal, Minus here, who becomes the narrator. Everything is interspersed with dialogues marked by spontaneity and expressiveness as well as engravings by Gustave Doré, who, in the 19th century, knew how to capture all the wonder of tales with class.
Marie Fradette
Call me Master Cat
★★★1/2
Sophie Dieuaide, Élan vert, Paris, 2024, 124 pages. 8 years and over.
Direct object
Things or trinkets, accessories or trinkets, most of the objects that surround us are part of an act of consumption. Gilles’ cup rather invites us to consider these objects whose history is intertwined with ours and which, through their particular construction or the memories they contain, take on symbolic importance. Thus, it is through the ceramic of her cup, made by her deceased uncle, a potter, that the young narrator traces the thread of forty years of life. When the teapot that adorned the cup breaks, she loses much more than a simple object, and begins a mourning process that reminds her of the members of her family and the rituals that knit them together. With economical, calm and personable writing, Catherine Trudeau summons a flood of emotions, so many “drops of love” which testify to a simple and nevertheless full life. The marriage with Qin Leng’s imagination is perfect. His line invites us into the intimacy of everyday life, where the familiar unfolds a pulsating life, through which a sepia nostalgia intrudes.
Yannick Marcoux
Gilles’ cup
★★★★
Text by Catherine Trudeau illustrated by Qin Leng, La Pastèque, Montreal, 2024, 48 pages. From 4 years old.
Charity among the Things
We will never be able to remember each of their first names, but we now know the thousand children of the Thing family. For the fifth title in this series, we are invited to spend Halloween with the family. A thousand children requisitioning sweets, that’s the terror of the neighborhood. This is why the Thing’s home is transformed into a haunted house for the occasion, where the children are invited to go from door to door… room. The proposal is in line with previous titles, where we rely on increased realism, sacrificing a little of the creative potential that such a scenario nevertheless offers. However, Valérie Fontaine’s language, nimble, inspired and rhythmic, offers great reading pleasure (especially if you read aloud). A happiness increased tenfold by the abundant illustrations of Yves Dumont, where the numerous characters multiply the funny scenes, spreading the laughter of a young audience. To devour with a handful of sweets at hand.
Yannick Marcoux
Halloween among the 1000 children
★★★1/2
Text by Valérie Fontaine illustrated by Yves Dumont, Quebec America, Montreal, 2024, 24 pages. From 3 years old.