|
 
| RUOI Home | Continue with theme (page 2 of 5) |
Noteworthy Books on the Family
French Titles
 Denotes that the book is either a translation or is available in translation.
Les Amours de ma mère: contes et mensonges de mon
enfance
Stéphane Poulin
Illustrations: Stéphane Poulin
Toronto: Annick Press, 1990
31 p. ISBN 1550371517 (bound), 1550371509 (paperback)
 Ages 5 to 8.
This story is an original Canadian tall tale that has a happy
blend of humour and exaggeration. Supposedly based on Poulin's
childhood, he and his family, that is, his mother and her nine
children all lived together in a tiny house; so tiny, in fact,
that it was impossible to fit all the furniture and the family in
the house at the same time (the unused furniture was stacked in
the yard!).
One eventful day, his mother met a garbage collector when he
picked up the furniture left in the yard. They fell in love,
married, and all (including the garbage collector's five
children) lived happily ever after in the tiny house.
The pictures are wonderful and are the outstanding feature of the
book. They exude humour, warmth and a delicious joie de vivre.
Courtesy of: Annick Press
Les Amours d'Hubert
Josée Plourde
Illustrations: Doris Barrette
Waterloo, Quebec: Michel Quintin, 1992
94 p. ISBN 2894350023
Ages 8 to 12.
Hubert lives with his parents on the second floor of his
grandmother's house; his grandmother lives on the ground floor.
The house sits at the foot of Mount Royal, very close to the
starting line for the Tour de l'Ile, a major cycling race held in
Montreal. Hubert is a keen amateur photographer, and spends the
weekend camping with his friend François, taking pictures of bugs
in order to impress a little Italian girl in his class. Thanks
to his grandmother, he is asked to be a photographer for the Tour
de l'Ile. During the race, he becomes an instant hero by saving
a dog from an accident. The dog is then adopted by his
grandmother and becomes a faithful friend.
The illustrations by Doris Barrette complement the story nicely.
Courtesy of: Éditions Michel Quintin
Au cinéma avec papa
Dominique Jolin
Illustrations: Dominique Jolin
Saint Hubert, Quebec: Éditions du Raton Laveur, 1991
24 p. ISBN 2920660187
Ages 3 to 8.
One fine Sunday, a little girl takes her father to the movies.
As the father watches impassively, one thing after another goes
wrong: the girl drops her mitten so that she can take the
escalator twice; her popcorn falls on the floor during the film,
as do her candy and her drink. She ends up falling asleep, and
Dad takes her home. The daughter is pleased with their outing
and is already hoping to go back to the movies the following
week.
A funny story, with illustrations that will make you chuckle!
Courtesy of: Éditions du Raton laveur
Barbotte et Léopold
Pierre Roy
Illustrations: Philippe Germain
Montreal: Éditions Héritage, 1993
63 p. ISBN 2762540399
Ages 6 to 10.
This is the story of a young boy who is very fond of his
grandfather, Léopold. The grandfather is moving into a
retirement home, and gives the boy his cat, Barbotte. Although
he is happy to take care of his grandfather's cat, the boy has a
hard time understanding and accepting that Léopold had to leave
his home and part with his cat. In the end, he comes to terms
with it, and this brings him even closer to his grandfather.
A beautiful, sad story accompanied by richly humorous drawings.
Courtey of: Éditions Héritage
Des Bleuets dans mes lunettes
Lucie Papineau
Illustrations: Daniel Dumont
Montreal: Boréal, 1992
94 p. ISBN 2890524760
Ages 9 to 12.
This novel is about an island, the sea, the sky, summer, a little
girl with glasses and her cousins. Filled with teasing,
sensitiveness, emotion, imagination and dreams, the story really
asks the big question "Does anyone love me?". The narrator
decides that the answer is yes: Mathieu, Carl, Jérémie, François
and Simon, her aunt Lili and her grandmother, Sabine and Jean
Marc, the cyclops and the ghost of her old worn-out doll,
perhaps.
Courtesy of: Éditions du Boréal 1992
|
