Titre : Slowly…
Text : Christine Schneider
Drawing : Hervé Pinel
Editor: Youth threshold
Publication date: January 3, 2025
Genre : Illustrated book, Early childhood
Initially published in 2017 by Seuil, the youth album Slowly… is now available in pocket format. Intended for children aged 4 and up, it evokes the mysteries of the night in a funny and original way, through the adventures of a brother and his sister who spend the night with their grandparents.
A sneaky outing
Claire and her brother Louis, on vacation with their grandparents, cannot get to sleep. As hunger tickles them, they decide to sneak out of their room to get something to eat and drink from the kitchen. Then begins a fantastic epic encountering animals, each more exotic than the last…
Playing on children’s attraction to the night and its mysteries, Slowly… is a beautifully illustrated book, on the border between dream and reality. As the two friends walk on tiptoe in the darkness, strange noises resonate in the night which make the grandparents wonder. Are the children awake or are they the other “residents” of the house? The alternation between dark (the children’s journey) and bright double-page spreads (the grandparents who are still awake) creates a contrast that is both comical and aesthetic.
Humor down to the smallest details
If the humor comes mainly from the surprise effect of discovering the wild animals that inhabit the house (a toucan, a tigress… and even an elephant!), the illustrations are full of funny little details (for example, the striped pajamas of Louis “blends” into the decor, like a chameleon). The grandparents’ house is a real mansion, with African paintings and masks on the walls, chandeliers… a decor reminiscent of haunted castles. The grandmother, on the other hand, is dressed as a fairy, adding a touch of wonder. However, the children evolve in this mysterious universe without fear, and the story ends with a reassuring, touching and very funny image. An ideal album for sweet dreams!
