France
106
Bondoux, Anne-Laure
Les larmes de l’assassin (The killer’s tears)
Paris : Bayard Jeunesse, 2003. – 226 p.
(Millé Zime)
ISBN 2-747-00775-8
Murderer – Boy – Loneliness – Affection
Somewhere in Chile, the wanted murderer Angel Allegria discovers a modest
farmhouse, kills the owners (little Paolo’s parents) and moves in. The
strange companionship between the boy and his parents’ murderer starts to
grow into something like affection when suddenly the educated traveller Luis
Secunda turns up. In this exciting parable, set apart from reality in a
spaceless and timeless universe, a number of antagonisms are discussed: life
versus death, love versus violence, good versus bad, nature versus culture,
etc. The narration releases the readers without solving these ambiguities and
without providing a moral. Still, it makes them see that supposedly
established axioms and preconceived judgements have to be questioned. (14+)
107
Causse, Rolande / Rohard, Valérie
Destins de femmes : filles et femmes afghanes (Women’s fates : Afghan girls and women)
Paris : Syros Jeunesse, 2003. – 95 p.
(Collection J’accuse ...)
ISBN 2-7485-0129-2
Afghanistan – War – Taliban – Woman From various points of view and with different literary
genres, this book calls to mind the fate of Afghan girls and women. At the
beginning, a short tale relates the fate of young Nahib and her family whose
carefree life ends abruptly after the Taliban’s rise to power. This is
followed by the touching stories of three women interviewed in Afghanistan in
2002. They highlight not only the suppression of women by the Taliban but also
their influence on the life of wives and daughters after the regime’s
collapse. The book ends with some moving poems, followed by a useful appendix
containing a glossary, important names, and the declaration of the basic
rights of Afghan women, which was signed in Tajikistan in 2000. (12+) <>
108
Dumortier, David (text)
Mellinette, Martine (illus.)
Ces gens qui sont des arbres (Those people who are trees)
Chambon-sur-Lignon : Cheyne, 2003. – 44 p.
(Poèmes pour grandir)
ISBN 2-84116-077-7
Man – Tree
This small collection of short, easy-to-read prose poems focuses on the topic
of ‘trees’. Nevertheless, it is ‘humankind’ that the poems really
reflect on. They are the result of a humorous discourse about people and
trees, of how they are connected or may grow closer to each other. At the
bottom of all this, you may often become aware of sensitively portrayed human
and social phenomena, such as vanity, superficiality, poverty, or migration.
The short poems, which may be interpreted in different ways depending on the
readers’ backgrounds, are pleasantly embedded in collages of
rainbow-coloured illustrations and scraps of copied telephone books. In
accordance with the content of the texts, the illustrator again manages to
underline the connection between man and nature. (10+)
109
Friot, Bernard
Un autre que moi (Somebody else, not me)
Paris : De La Martinière, 2003. – 155 p.
(Confessions)
ISBN 2-7324-3019-6
Teenager – Boarding school – Indifference – Loneliness
Seven days in the life of a 15-year-old boy. A life between the coldness of
the loathed boarding school and the weekends at home which usually only last
about twenty hours. Since the adolescent’s questions and worries are met
with his family’s indifference and inability to communicate, and with the
cold atmosphere of a school routine, the first-person-narrator wants to become
‘invisible’. »Somebody else, not he« lives this life away from warmth,
security, sympathy, and explanations. Bernard Friot’s memories deeply touch
the reader’s soul with their simple and poetic language. They are part of a
new series called »Confessions«, in which four popular authors of teenage
fiction have so far offered a personal glimpse into their own past. (13+)
110
Grandin, Aurélia (text/illus.)
Raymond, pêcheur d’amour de sardines
(Ramond, fishing for love and sardines)
[Paris] : Rue du Monde, 2003. – [36] p.
ISBN 2-912084-82-2
Fisherman – Sea – Underwater world – Mermaid – Love
The pages of this picture book, which takes readers into a colourful
underwater world, are brightly coloured and designed like a poster. Raymond, a
fisherman, discovers a message in a bottle written by lovely mermaid Undine
who desperately seeks help. To free her from tyrant Zéidon, the young man
dives into the world of sea-creatures. After having survived a number of
adventures as tuna-man, love triumphs in the end. Imaginative collages with
scraps of (land- and sea-) maps, playing cards, and postcards, scattered among
the humorous and partly grotesque illustrations, plus the love-sick
Raymond’s lament, or a recipe for magic powder that paralyses huge
octopuses, leave no room for boredom. (5+)
111
Grégoire, Fabian (text/illus.)
Les enfants de la mine (The children in the coal mines)
Paris : École des Loisirs, 2003. – 45 p.
(Archimède)
ISBN 2-211-06928-2
Mining – Coal – Child labour – Mining accident
Luis and Tounet say goodbye to their teacher. As the two boys have turned ten,
they will have to work in the coal mines from now on. The next day, their new
life underground amongst clouds of coal dust starts, where they suffer under
unbearable heat and a tyrannical foreman. While Luis is lucky enough to work
for the mining engineer, Tounet is sent into a dangerous old part of the mine
called »hell« from where he will not return. Based on a true incident, this
story is set in the French town of Sainte-Etienne in the middle of the 19th
century. Similar to a photo documentary but with a lot of empathy, the book
describes how the two children are exploited. An appendix adds clear
information about coal mining and child labour. (8+)
112
Helft, Claude (text)
Jiang Hong, Chen (illus.)
Hatchiko, chien de Tokyo
(Hatchiko, a dog from Tokyo)
Paris : Desclée de Brouwer, 2003. – 20 p.
(Petite collection clé)
ISBN 2-220-05000-9
Tokyo/1925 – Train station – Dog – Owner – Death – Loyalty
Tokyo 1925: Every day, Hatchiko the dog accompanies his owner to the railway
station and waits for his return from work in the evening. When the old man
suddenly dies of heart failure and does not return, Hatchiko waits in vain.
Nonetheless, the dog sits at exactly the same spot every day until he, too,
dies. The simple unobtrusive text and the illustrations, rendered in
pen-and-ink drawings in subdued colours that play with light and shadows,
paint an authentic picture of the time and place of the action and create a
touching atmosphere. The story is a true story. After the dog’s death,
people erected a life-size statue in front of the station. In today’s hectic
city life, Hatchiko still awaits all those travellers whom nobody waits for as
a symbol of loyalty. (5+)
¤
113
Houblon, Marie
Et si on comptait ... (Let’s count)
Paris : Tourbillon, 2003. – [44] p.
ISBN 2-84801-044-4
Numbers – Counting – Mathematics
1 child dressed as Santa Claus, 2 giraffes in the savanna, 2 happy parents
with their child (2+1=3), 4 chairs in a snow-covered park, 5 differently
shaped cucumbers, 3 pairs of dancing girls (2+2+2=6), ... This masterly
arranged selection of photographs from the archives of the famous Magnum
agency inspires toddlers to start counting and, on every other page, offers an
easy sum that comments on the respective picture. 45 photographs in all, some
black-and-white, others full of bright colours, encourage children to play
with numbers and take a first step into mathematics. Moreover, this
aesthetically appealing photographic picture book may introduce the youngest
readers to the art of photography and the interpretation of pictures. (3+)¤
114
Jordi, Jean-Jacques
L’Algérie : des origines à nos jours (Algeria. From the beginning to the present day)
Paris : Éd. Autrement, 2003. – 63 p.
(Autrement junior : Série Histoire ; 11)
ISBN 2-7467-0302-5
Algeria – History – Society
The Algeria-Year in France (2003) has inspired many children’s book
publishers to take a closer look at this country which maintains a difficult
relationship with France since the 1830s. Jean-Jacques Jordi takes on the task
of analysing the »rich country, inhabited by poor people« from its early
beginnings, reaching back to the Numid era, the Roman and later the Turkish
occupation, all the way to the present. Using explanatory photographs and
maps, as well as old and new pictures, the author relates more than mere
facts; he also provides background information that helps readers understand,
among other things, the increase of a radical Islamic movement. That is what
makes this non-fiction book for children such a successful first introduction
to the Algerian society. (10+) <>
115
Lenain, Thierry (text)
Balez, Olivier (illus.)
Wahid <proper name>
Paris : Albin Michel, 2003. – [28] p.
(Jeunesse)
ISBN 2-226-14058-1
France – Algeria – War – Love – Child
»Love is stronger than war.« Yet, before this becomes reality, Maurice from
France and Habib from Algeria take up their arms to defend their countries.
Their son and daughter, however, seize the opportunity provided by peace and
fall in love with each other. Wahid, their son, is evidence enough for the
fact that love can overcome differences and cross borders. His cheeky smile at
the end of the picture book optimistically hints at a future full of hope.
Both the illustrations painted in clear and vivid colours and the short,
simple text focus on the essential issues. Overall, they tell the story of two
nations’ tolerance, and in particular that of the love between two people. (6+) <>
116
Meunier, Henri (text)
Lejonc, Régis / Lejonc, Antoine (illus.)
La môme aux oiseaux (The bird girl)
Rodez : Éd. du Rouergue, 2003. – [42] p.
(Varia)
ISBN 2-84156-456-8
Boy – Secret – Girl – Bird
When questioned about why he is always late for school, a small boy resorts to
lies. What he really does is secretly watch a witch-like mystic girl who
conjures up a bird out of thin air, a different one each day, and lets it fly
off from her hands. Which kind of bird appears, seems to depend on the
girl’s mood, the respective »girl of the day«. The poetic, highly
metaphorical text almost seems to be floating on the dark, warmly coloured
illustrations. Interrupted by the young protagonist’s own drawings (actually
created by the illustrator’s son), the book’s pictures show the boy
sometimes as a tiny figure lost in a colossal environment and other times as a
huge being too large to fit on a full-page. Thus, the illustrations create a
melancholic and mysterious atmosphere. (6+)
117
Molla, Jean
Djamila <proper name>
[Paris] : Grasset-Jeunesse, 2003. – 221 p.
(Lampe de poche ; 70)
ISBN 2-246-64761-4
Sexual abuse – Violence – Vigilantism
The first meeting with his new classmate Djamila strikes Vincent as a bolt
from the blue. From now on, Djamila and the mystery that surrounds her become
an obsession for the 17-year-old who has been drifting through life without
aim since his sister’s death. At the end of his search, Vincent is
mercilessly confronted with the fact that desperate Djamila, who is the victim
of sexual abuse, takes the law into her own hands. Set in 2001, immediately
after September 11, and embedded in an authentic description of the daily
routine of French teenagers, this taboo-breaking story about two strong
protagonists, stands apart because of its psychologically sensitive treatment
of sexual abuse and the captivating elements of a crime novel. (14+)
118
Moncomble, Gérard (text)
Fortier, Natali (illus.)
Les voisins font un cirque le dimanche (On Sundays, the neighbours put on a circus performance)
[Paris] : Magnier, 2003. – [36] p.
ISBN 2-84420-222-5
Block of flats – Tenants – Sunday – Circus There is a colourful bunch of people living at Mimosa
Alley, Block 1, Staircase 1: a family with many children, a man lifting
weights, an African healer, and many more. During the week, they all pursue
their more or less enjoyable jobs, but on Sunday everything is different: The
tenants put on a circus performance for the whole neighbourhood and everybody
joins in: The multi-child family turns into a group of acrobats, the
weightlifter into the »strongest man on earth«, and the healer into a
magician. Their metamorphosis from normal suburban people into illustrious
circus artists is captured in the verses that play with words and levels of
language, and in the sometimes sketchy poetic pictures that do not idealise
anything despite the warm pastel shades. (5+)
Special
Mention
119
Nozière, Jean-Paul
Maboul à zéro (Crazy bald-head)
[Paris] : Gallimard, 2003. – 157 p.
(Scripto)
ISBN 2-07-055359-0
Immigration – School – Epilepsy – Racism
In his politically comitted teenage novel, inspired by the alarming shift to
the right during the first stage of the French presidential elections in April
2002, Jean-Paul Nozière gives names and faces to the victims of day-to-day
racism. His example shows the fate of immigrants whose escape from the
repressions of the radical Islamic politics in Algeria does not end happily in France. 14-year-old Aïcha,
highly intelligent, enjoys helping her mother with her work as caretaker of a
school. She was exempted from lessons because of her epilepsy. Without anyone
knowing it, she takes distance learning courses to prepare for her A-levels
and tries to keep her older mentally disabled brother’s fits under control.
All the while, she is acutely aware of both the open and the hidden attacks
against her family in this small French town. By weaving the mother’s
memories into the story, the author presents two women whose lives are
strongly determined by intolerance – religious fanaticism in Algeria on the
one hand, and racism in France on the other hand. (13+) <>
120
Ribeyron, Samuel
Philbert <proper name>
Paris : Didier Jeunesse, 2003. – [28] p.
ISBN 2-278-05140-7
Circus – Talent – Journey – Experience
Philbert’s mother is a circus rider, his father a tightrope acrobat, but the
poor boy himself doesn’t seem to have any special talent. Thus, the circus
director throws him out. Along his way, he encounters a street orchestra and
catches their notes with his suitcase. He walks past a school, hears children
recite poems, and ‘plucks’ some of their words. When, on top of all that,
he picks up some children’s laughter, his suitcase becomes very heavy –
but his heart is suddenly light and his head full of ideas. He returns to the
circus and gives an extra-ordinary performance. In the dynamic and cheerful
illustrations of this book, figures made from salt dough and plasticine act on
a dream stage and invite readers to join them for a quiet poetic journey. (4+)
121
Sazonoff, Zazie (text)
Chapotat, Fred (illus.)
L’album des contraires (The book of opposites)
[Paris] : Mila Éd., 2003. – [50] p.
ISBN 2-84006-378-6
Opposites – Toys
This large-format picture book of photographs about opposites is funky, fresh,
and full of colours. On double-spread pages, a surprising and humorous
collection of objects and materials unfolds. A figure created from potatoes
and one created from beans, for example, represent »big« and »small«,
while Olivia, wife of the famous cartoon hero Popeye, scrambling about on a
coat hanger, illustrates the meaning of »the right way around« and »upside
down«. Thus, conventional toys, figures, and objects made from rolls of
toilet paper, wool, cheese cartons, vegetables, fabric, or cardboard portray
adjectives, nouns, or verbs with opposite meanings. This picture book offers a
lot of fun both to the very young and to parents and children reading
together. (3+)
122
Séonnet, Michel (text)
Geiger, Cécile (illus.)
Madassa <proper name>
Paris : Éd. Sarbacane, 2003. – [28]
p.
ISBN 2-84865-008-7
Boy – War – Grief – Reading – Writing
The children’s face portrayed on the front cover already hints at the
book’s content: Madassa’s large sad eyes talk about the cruelties of war:
about hunger, the painful loss of his siblings, shootings, and death. Grief,
fear, and anger leave no room in his head for words. Thus, Madassa can neither
read nor write. Yet, when the teacher reads stories to him that describe
exactly these feelings but also tell him about the happiness of dancing, these
words stay in his head. And soon Madassa starts writing ... The large-format
illustrations are dominated by the boy’s omnipresent expressive face and the
symbolic descriptions that – thanks to the power of reading and writing –
turn from negative into positive ones. (7+) <>
123
Tullet, Hervé (text/illus.)
Les cinq sens (The five senses)
[Paris] : Seuil Jeunesse, 2003. – [156] p.
ISBN 2-02-052794-4
Senses
Seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, tasting. Already on the front cover of
this »picture book of the senses«, the readers do not only see the drawing
of a hand but can also feel it. With a great deal of imagination and humour,
Hervé Tullet offers a wide range of pictures that invite young readers to
explore the five senses. The colourful and imaginative illustrations,
interspersed with words and short texts, are playfully and elaborately
designed. They are full of puns, allusions, and picture puzzles, such as a »mirror«
that reflects the »fairest of them all« on one page, or a human profile with
a huge nose on another. The journey through the senses culminates in the »sixth
sense«, which puts everything into a nutshell and alludes to the child’s
power of imagination. (3+)