The elf in question is Taquin. And the children’s work that features him is, in a way, a manual for catching trick players of his kind.
A (real) cookie recipe to attract him. A trap to surprise him. Games to keep him busy – as well as young readers.
So many activities that Emma got into the habit of doing with her mother, when the holidays came, in real life, and which inspired Steffy Giganon to create her very first book in her career.
A book that did not necessarily have to be one at the start, explains the main interested party with a laugh.
“Every winter I have a project. A year ago for example, I sold my jewelry at Twist. There, at the beginning, I just made illustrations, pages of activities that we could do together as a family on the weekend. I accumulated them, then at one point, during a Christmas dinner, I said: I think I’m making a book,” says Steffy Giganon in an interview with The Daily.
The book features Taquin the elf, but also Doudou, Emma’s dog. (Tom Core/The Daily)
From then on, the graphic designer was excited by the idea of a project without constraints, without limits other than those of her imagination. She who does not always enjoy such freedom in her work at Ubisoft in Saguenay.
“At Ubisoft, you want, you don’t want, we have to adapt to the style of the project, to the artistic direction. We adapt, even if it doesn’t always suit us. And what I liked was being able to do my own project. Free my artistic creativity, express my style.”
This is a very first publication for someone who is a graphic designer at Ubisoft. (Tom Core/The Daily)
In all and everywhere, the Frenchwoman of origin took only one year to create her work called My elf and the magic of Christmas. His initial version, the result of several shortened nights, was immediately very well received by the former general director of the Book Fair Sylvie Marcoux – who served as his mentor -, then quickly accepted by the publishing house Dominique et company.
On the way to an official publication this fall. And the realization of a little dream for Steffy Giganon.
“A dream that I thought was unattainable. But the stars aligned well, at the right time. I was really lucky, because I wouldn’t have been able to do it all through self-publishing.”
Emma is the protagonist of the book. (Steffy Giganon)
Emma is also delighted with the publication of the book, she confirms with a broad smile. Especially since it’s “his elf” – the same one who accompanies us in the flesh and plush for the interview – that we find throughout the pages.
We come to understand him better, this Taquin, thanks to the misadventures recounted by the little girl. Then we learn how to make him a hat, prepare him hot chocolate, or even offer him honey taffy on snow – yes, yes!
“At Ubisoft, we have a beehive, and someone came to give us a tasting with honey taffy. So now, every time we go into the woods for a snowshoe hike, we bring some. You don’t even need to heat it,” shares Steffy Giganon.
Being a mother herself above all, the author wanted to come up with a proposal that could keep the children busy during the busy holiday season. While sharing a bit of its own Christmas magic with the rest of the cottages!
“We love Christmas. It seems a bit, there is a nine-foot tree in the house. It’s practically the tree in the shopping center,” she laughs, pointing towards her living room. “Then me, the legend of the elves, the bad tricks, I really like. It was easy to invent a story and activities around that.”
This is perhaps not the last time, moreover, that Emma’s adventures are told in a book. La Saguenéenne is already considering a continuation of the youth project.
By then you can find My elf and the magic of Christmas in most bookstores, including Marie-Laura, Renaud-Bray and Archambault.
