Daring to be who you are when you feel out of step with the norm takes courage. But what lovely surprises await us!
All in nuances
It’s the story of a multicolored teddy bear, who lives happily among other monochrome teddy bears, until the day when his peers point out his difference. These remarks make him a little sad and, on a whim, he decides, for the first time in his life, to go out and see what the outside world is like. What’s great about this album is the sense of nuance, which is often lacking in children’s books: the subtle text describes a hero who is neither oppressed nor desperate; those around him are not evil, just clumsy. The walk in the fresh air does him good, especially when he discovers that, outside, life is rather multi-colored.
“A bear like no other”, by Grégoire Solotareff (L’Ecole des Loisirs, 40 p., €14). From 4 years old.
Keeping to himself
Little text here, but cute illustrations in which the youngest can get absorbed and which allow them to follow the procrastination of a mole invited to a party by his rabbit friend. The mole wants to please its friend, but it lives alone in its comfortable burrow, and has no desire to socialize. Throughout the pages, we follow her work of self-persuasion and her journey through the underground galleries to get to the party, where she discovers, to her great relief, a skunk as unsociable as herself, with whom she can make keeping to himself. A good lesson to understand that taking responsibility for oneself does not mean denying one’s deep nature.
“You are not alone, little mole”, by Maya Tatsukawa (Albin Michel Jeunesse, 40 p., €14.90). From 3 years old.
From antihero to movie star
The young François Truffaut constitutes the perfect antihero: unhappy within his family, lost in books and his thoughts, he skips school to sneak into cinemas without paying, runs away, commits petty theft, is sent to imprisoned by his father-in-law. For the young reader with Manichean tendencies, Truffaut is the example not to follow. And, yet, these singular and graceful illustrations instill the feeling that we must be wary of appearances, that this little boy unsuited to the world around him has potential… “Film after film, he became a great master of cinema, recognized and honored throughout the world”soberly concludes this album which received two awards, in Italy and Korea.
“François Truffaut, the child who loved cinema”, by Luca Tortolini and Victoria Semykina (Passe Partout, 48 p., €18). From 6 years old.
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