Belgium
(French)
105
Dieuaide, Sophie (text)
Pagliaro, Alberto (illus.)
Préviens pas la police! (Don’t tell the police!)
Bruxelles, Paris : Casterman, 2006. – 107 p.
ISBN 2-203-12953-0
(Casterman Cadet) (Les enquêtes de Chloé)
Friendship – Dog – Thief – Criminal case
In
the first volume of this new series about two hobby detectives, Chloé and her
friend Baptiste investigate a series of mysterious incidents because their
neighbour, a journalist, is far too busy. Several dogs have disappeared from
their neighbourhood. The investigations lead into the scene of beauty contests
for dogs. Despite a few red herrings and dead ends, Chloé and Baptiste
don’t let the case rest. Apart from the two protagonists, several other
characters, who accompany the story in minor plots, are introduced in a
detailed and partly caricature-like style. The text is complemented by
newspaper clippings, letters, notes, and coded words, so that young readers
are drawn straight into the protagonists’ investigations. (8+)
106
Hennuy, Martine / Buyse, Sophie (text)
Renardy, Lisbeth (illus.)
Alice au pays du cancer (Alice in cancer-land)
Bruxelles : Alice Jeunesse, 2006. – [36] p.
(Histoires comme ça)
ISBN 2-87426-039-8
Daughter – Mother – Cancer – Fear – Confrontation
Alice lives in a peaceful children’s world with her parents and her dog. One day, however, her father explains that the mother had to leave their home and travel to a mysterious country called Cancer-land. To search for this land and learn to understand it, Alice, too, quits her wonderland. Both the text and the illustrations of this picture book intro-duce readers to the child’s point of view, to her worries, questions, and to her imagination. The girl’s painful experiences in this test of endurance are pictured very carefully but without holding back concrete information about the disease; thus, the taboo status of cancer is removed. Moreover, the book shows how important the continuous contact between mother and daughter is for the girl during the illness. (4+)