When the health crisis forced the government of Quebec to put in place containment measures, Justine Laberge-Vaugeois found herself – like all singer-songwriters in Quebec – juggling the uncertainties surrounding the future of her career. job. Could she ever come back on stage?
To calm her anxiety, the female half of Alfa Rococo has reconnected with her passion for drawing, creating works in ink and watercolor that she has put up for sale on the Etsy platform. She was far from suspecting that this project would lead her to the creation of her first illustrated youth album, A hedgehog in the belly.
“During confinement, my six-year-old daughter, Marine, had some health concerns,” says the artist, joined by The duty. She had to undergo rather intrusive examinations. Then she was hospitalized. When she left the hospital, she was transformed. She was extremely anxious, all her little ailments were taking dramatic proportions and she had severe stomach aches. I had to reassure her constantly. “
In search of solutions, Justine Laberge-Vaugeois had something like a flash of genius. “I told her that maybe she had a hedgehog in her stomach, which was sticking out its thorns and causing her all these little worries. She immediately bought into the idea. Together, we found lots of tips to soothe your hedgehog. It gave birth to several images in my head, and I decided to make a bedside book for Marine. “
After a few weeks of work, the writer and illustrator unveils a few images to her aunt, immediately thrilled by the project. “She was sure it could help other families, and wanted to share it with a writer friend. The following week, Justine received a call from Éditions Édito, expressing their desire to publish the book. Three days later, the contract was signed.
I feel that it speaks a lot to people, this feeling of unease and discomfort that we have difficulty silencing. I already receive several messages from parents who tell me that they would have needed a book like this, and who are happy to be able to tell their child about it and to practice tips for the whole family.
Everyone has a hedgehog
In A hedgehog in the belly, Marine, six years old, lover of roses, skipping rope and watermelon, understands that the little animal lodged in the pit of her belly is very active. With her childish words, she tells how she feels, and explains the situations that arouse her anxiety.
Take the time to breathe, enjoy the fresh air, try some yoga postures or even cuddle… The album is full of fun and easy-to-apply ideas to calm and put the hedgehog back to sleep for young and old, illustrated by soft evocative images in pastel tones.
The book, without a bad pun, is timely. Younger people have not been spared the uncertainties, fears and isolation associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2019 and 2020, nearly 1,700 preschool children suffered from anxiety-depressive disorders, according to the Observatory for Toddlers.
“I feel that it speaks to people a lot, this feeling of unease and discomfort that we have difficulty silencing. I already receive several messages from parents who tell me that they would have needed a book like this, and who are happy to be able to tell their child about it and to practice tips for the whole family. At the end of her book, Justine Laberge-Vaugeois invites readers to make a list of their own tips to tame their anxieties.
The work is also accompanied by a rhyme of the same title, interpreted by Marine, daughter of the artist and her spouse and sidekick of Alfa Rococo, David Bussières. “Music is so much a part of my life that it felt natural to include it in the book. When I started rehearsing the song at home, I often heard Marine singing along with me. He was offered to record a version for fun. She loved the experience and she was so proud. As she is the narrator of the book, it seemed like a natural fit to keep this arrangement. The project thus becomes more alive, more complete. “
Justine Laberge-Vaugeois had so much fun working on this project that she is already thinking about what to do next; a story for his second daughter, Nina. “I realized that, if music has thrilled me for so long, it’s because it has the potential to be good. During the lockdown, people really reconnected with Alfa Rococo’s words. They made them smile, gave them hope. I feel the same with literature. If my book can help children, parents, grandparents, it really makes me want to continue. “