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Award-Winning Titles 2004French Awards (continued)PRIX DU LIVRE M. CHRISTIE 2002
L'empire couleur sang is divided into nine sections, which include the stories of Joseph Balsamo, an imprisoned heretic, and Marguerite Corriveau, a female member of the Fils de la liberté -- but Alexandre Dumas, Jules Verne and the Patriots of 1837 are also part of the plot! What possible link can there be between these 19th-century authors and Louis-Joseph Papineau, or between French literature and Canada's Rebellion of 1837? The answer: the struggle for freedom, democracy and national independence. According to Joseph Balsamo, defender of cosmic harmony, the only way to avert the end of the world is to travel back in time. He entrusts the mission to Dumas and Verne. Their goal is to vanquish Sekhmet-the-Terrible, the Egyptian goddess of Evil, and thwart her plans to expand her blood-red empire. L'empire couleur sang is a fantastic blend of supernatural and humorous reality and fantasy -- a highly original book that enhances the reader's awareness of history and literature. Denis Côté, author of some 30 books for young people, has received many awards for his work, including the Grand Prix de la science-fiction et du fantastique. He has also won the Prix du livre M. Christie, in 1989 and 1994. -JMB PRIX ILLUSTRATIONS JEUNESSE GLV ET SALON DU LIVRE DE TROIS-RIVIÈRES 2003
Here is a fantastic tale from celebrated filmmaker, essayist and novelist Jacques Godbout, author of the children's book Une leçon de chasse (also illustrated by Pierre Pratt). Mes petites fesses is about a little girl with a magic bottom: as soon as her behind touches a chair or a stroller, it immediately transforms into something else -- an ostrich or a lion or maybe a flying carpet. Sitting still or going for a nice walk with her parents is out of the question, and life becomes really difficult for the whole family. The midwife and the Birth Fairy are called in to offer expert advice, but the midwife's only suggestion is to cover up the offending derrière. The little girl's parents try sending her to school, but this seat of learning does nothing to calm the morphing properties of her own seat! Pierre Pratt's warmly colourful illustrations give substance to the story -- and to the various characters, whose posteriors are highlighted: the little girl's semicircular backside in the cover image, the muscular haunches of a roaring lion, the Birth Fairy's generous rump. These cheeky renderings are sure to amuse young readers. -JP PRIX ILLUSTRATIONS JEUNESSE GLV ET SALON DU LIVRE DE TROIS-RIVIÈRES 2003
Zolfe is beginning to realize that her parents are secretly planning a major trip. And from the snatches of conversation she overhears, the little girl knows she'll only be able to take the bare essentials. In utter confusion, Zolfe, her family and their friends are obliged to leave their homes and join a flood of people forced into exile. But they have nowhere to go. Against all odds, Zolfe manages to take with her Émil, a fish that was a present from her grandmother. Zolfe entrusts him to her best friend Maiy, and the fish becomes the only link between them. The girls' friendship even survives the hostility that divides their fathers. In response to the harshness of war, Zolfe takes refuge in her "dream vase," an imaginary haven where she can forget all her unanswered questions and be free. The subtly toned, full-page water-colour pictures create a melancholy mood. Adopting a child's perspective, the illustrator has interpreted the text with flair. War is difficult to imagine, even for adults, but it is conjured convincingly in Janice Nadeau's images. -ST PRIX ILLUSTRATIONS JEUNESSE GLV ET SALON DU LIVRE DE TROIS-RIVIÈRES 2003
Clara knows exactly when she stopped being happy: when the piano went. The new apartment is small, and there's no way the huge grand piano would have fit. Once when she was little though, it was at the heart of the family's happiness. Clara would lie beneath the marvellous ebony instrument, bathed in the strains of its sweet music and her mother's melodious voice. One fateful day, her father leaves for good. Clara and her mother are overwhelmed by feelings of sadness and abandonment. The girl decides that whatever happens, she absolutely must find the piano. Wandering through the neighbourhood, she at last comes across the longed-for "happiness box." This sensitive tale invites readers to reflect on the nature of happiness. Stéphane Jorisch's imaginative black-and-white illustrations help to bring the story to life. -CM GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARDS-- CHILDREN'S LITERATURE 2003
Zoé, Noé's little sister, is a real pain. She roars like a baby elephant, blows her nose on other people's clothes, and always grabs the last cookie or the last piece of chocolate. The whole family is fed up -- which is why Noé's mom is always begging him to take his sister to the park. One day, at the playground, a man asks if he can buy Zoé. Noé can't believe his luck -- he gets sixty dollars for her! Back home, however, his parents are horrified at what he's done. Distraught, they call the police, already imagining the worst. They check with all the chocolate stores in the neighbourhood, but in vain. Then Noé tells the police that Zoé, who has terribly sharp teeth, has almost certainly taken a bite out of the person who's made off with her. They call the local hospitals, and sure enough discover a man whose been bitten on the end of the nose. Apparently, this nasty character makes a habit of stealing children and selling them to rich Americans. The police, who have been trying to nab him for years, are thrilled to find him. They discover Zoé, half asleep, in a nearby apartment. Very glad to see his sister again, Noé kisses her on the end of the nose. She wakes in an uproar and frightens the life out of everyone. So Noé offers to take her to the park … J'ai vendu ma sœur takes liberties with reality -- but haven't all big brothers and sisters dreamed at some time or another of selling an unbearable little sibling? The tone of the narrative is faithfully echoed in the comical black-and-white illustrations. -ANC GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD -- CHILDREN'S LITERATURE 2003
You may not realize it, but making an elephant is child's play! Of course, Mother Nature has already done a pretty good job, but this fanciful recipe book tells you how to create an elephant all your own. The result won't be the kind you would find in a zoo, but assembling its various ingredients will alter your perception of this magnificent animal forever. Recette d'éléphant à la sauce vieux pneu is a creative and original book. Carole Tremblay's text evokes the special world of cuisine, while Virginie Egger's extraordinary illustrations reveal all the stages in making (not cooking!) a most unusual elephant. With the help of this surreal creation, you will be transported to an unforgettable imaginary realm. -PB PRIX LITTÉRAIRE HENRIETTE-MAJOR 2003 NOT AWARDED PRIX LITTÉRAIRE JEUNESSE QUÉBEC 2003
The authors of tomorrow are already hard at work. And here's proof: eight short stories on the theme of love, all prizewinners in the third Prix littéraire jeunesse Québec contest. Love and the lack of it are part of daily life. These young writers, still in their teens, have invented stories about all kinds of love -- imaginary, lost, unrequited, secret … Employing a variety of forms and settings, including the folk tale, the fairy tale and science fiction, contemporary life and past epochs, they have allowed their fertile imaginations to roam free. Some stories excite our curiosity, while others thrill us with their unexpected ends. The goal of the Prix littéraire jeunesse Québec is to encourage reading and writing among young people. The two previous collections in this series, Évasions (2001) and Le défi (2002), were also edited by Michel Lavoie and published by Éditions Vents d'Ouest, in Gatineau. -ST PRIX LITTÉRAIRE LE DROIT - CATÉGORIE JEUNESSE 2003 NOT AWARDED PRIX QUÉBEC/WALLONIE-BRUXELLES DU LIVRE DE LA JEUNESSE KOULKOUL ET MOLOKOLOCH
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