|
  
| RUOI Home | Back | Continue with theme (page 4 of 5) |
Noteworthy Books on the Family
French Titles - continued
 Denotes that the book is either a translation or is available in translation.
Le Cirque de Charlie Chou
Marie-Louise Gay
Illustrations: Marie-Louise Gay
Saint-Lambert, Quebec: Héritage, 1989
32 p. ISBN 2762563860
 Ages 4 to 7.
Red-headed, delightfully mischievous Charlie Chou dreams of working for a circus when he grows up. One day, he is sick of being scolded and decides to perform the "greatest circus act ever" -- climbing the highest tree. His family begs him to come down, but to no avail. Charlie Chou knows the real reason. He is terrified of climbing down! Finally, his clever grandmother
manages to climb the tree and talk him into helping her get back to the ground. The two slide smoothly down the trunk and return home.
The full-page watercolour illustrations are to Marie-Louise Gay's
usual high standard.
Courtesy of: Héritage
Coups durs pour une sorcière
Linda Brousseau
Illustrations: Claire Maigné
Montreal: Éditions Pierre Tisseyre, 1991
24 p. ISBN 2890514498
Ages 8 and up.
This book deals with a harsh and sad reality: physical abuse of
children. It is the story of a little girl whose mother beats
her and claims the girl is a witch. The child doesn't dare tell
anyone until her teacher notices that something is really amiss.
A social worker then takes things in hand. The little girl is
asked to testify before a judge. The mother is sent for therapy
and, by the end of the story, she is reunited with her daughter.
This story, complete with its simple, yet beautiful
illustrations, is intended to encourage children in abusive
situations to open up to someone so that their ordeal can be
stopped.
Courtesy of: Éditions Pierre Tisseyre 1991
Le Don
David Schinkel and Yves Beauchesne
Montreal: Éditions Pierre Tisseyre, 1987
234 p. ISBN 2890513335
Ages 12 to 16.
Joëlle Faribault, a 15-year-old with low self-esteem and a desire
to escape from her everyday problems, receives as a gift an old
diary which belonged to her great-aunt. This gift has an
unexpected trait: it seems that whoever possesses it obtains the
power to travel through time and space. Her gift allows her in a
way to overcome her frustrations with herself and to minimize her
personal failures, including her weight problem and her
relationships with her family and with boys. However, a
disturbing experience during a "trip" into the future shows her
that the gift has become like a powerful drug which is starting
to exercise a certain control over her, despite her good
intentions. Not until the last page do we discover that Joëlle
has attained the maturity necessary for her survival by
destroying her ill-omened gift.
Joëlle's physical and psychological blossoming is clearly
illustrated in her relationships with her psychiatrist and her
family.
Courtesy of: Éditions Pierre Tisseyre 1987
Et si papa se perd au zoo?
Ginette Lamont-Clarke and Florence Stevens
Illustrations: Isabelle Langevin
Montreal: Livres Toundra, 1991
24 p. ISBN 0887762662 (bound), 0887762735 (paperback)
Ages 5 to 8.
Carole and Paul explore how they would find their father if he
got lost in the jungle, the desert, the swamp, the savanna, the
North Pole or the zoo. They imagine their father lost among the
strange animals that inhabit these exotic places. Their father
finally takes the children to visit a real zoo.
Beautifully illustrated, this story reflects the lively
imagination of children.
© 1991 text: Ginette Lamont-Clarke et Florence Stevens, art: Isabelle Langevin, published by Livres Toundra
Les Fantaisies de l'oncle Henri
Bénédicte Froissart
Illustrations: Pierre Pratt
Toronto: Annick Press, 1990
32 p. ISBN 1550371436
Ages 4 to 8.
When Uncle Henry comes to dinner wearing a shirt with chickens
printed all over it, the children are in for quite an evening.
During dessert, the chickens jump from the shirt and wreak havoc,
much to the delight of the children, if not their parents.
Pierre Pratt's quirky illustrations suit the story perfectly.
Courtesy of: Annick Press
|
