“Cow”, “calf”, “hen”, “chick”, “car”, “plate”, “bottle”, “pot”, “sheep”, “plane”, “helicopter”… Like many parents or adults who have children around them, we spent (really!) long hours leafing through illustrated books of all kinds, meticulously pointing to each illustration to associate it with a word that would enrich our children’s vocabulary and imagination.
Browsing the plethoric editorial production of this youth segment, we have often been disappointed by catalogs that are as flat as they are unattractive. But we also dived treasures as The colors are like that(Gallimard jeunesse) by Agnès Rosenstiehl – the creator of Mimi Cracra – , the different Ernest and Celestine picture books (Casterman) based on the timeless work of Gabrielle Vincent, The inventory from earth to sky (Junior South Acts) by Guillaume Reynard or, with the same publisher, so many things by Anna Kovecses whose tender graphics make us melt.
An illustrated book of the “shared world”
And then we found out The illustrated booksigned by the duo Emilie Chazerand/Anna Wanda Gogusey and published last March by the superb Montreuil publishing house La ville brule. From the cover we fell totally in love with this little book that reinvents the genre by making children hear, with finesse and poetry, the noise of the world as it is..
A world where bodies are a millefeuille of organs, skin and emotions that can take on all shapes and colors “. Where feminist collages bloom on the walls like flowers in spring. Where families, loves and friends are not the same. A world made of beauty, anger, aperitifs and snacks, effort, tattoos, imperfections, dreams, rain, smiles or pizzas.
In short, a picture book of the shared world “, in the words of the co-founder of The city burns, Marianne Zuzula: “ Looking closely at the illustrated books that exist in bookstores, I realized that they either described a perfect world, above ground or that they were exclusively interested in the world of children. As if there were no porosity between the world of adults and that of children, while they walk the same streets as us, they see cool things, but also people who argue, are tired or situations that question them like a protest or feminist collages” explains. From this observation came the idea of a real-world picture book that goes beyond the narrow field of childhood.
Tenderness and biting humor
To do this, the house called illustrator Anna Wanda Gogusey, each drawing is a real delight. We already knew her colorful and contemporary line that we came across in the press (Neon, Publication, The world) but above all to the illustration of Herstory – History(s) of feminisms (The city is burning).
His talent for mixing reality and fantasy explodes in this album. She unfolds a cheerful universe, in perpetual movement, where animals mix with humans in tables teeming with details.
These drawings are answered by short texts by children’s author Emilie Chazerand who recently signed with the publisher Perfectexciting poster to be yourself.
His words resonate with precision and succeed in a few signs to awaken and sharpen the eyes of young and old. For example, we love his definition of “Love(s): feeling-ribbon that binds us to each other”, of the ” Pride: the happiness of being oneself and the happiness that the other is other”. or a ” Concert: magical moment during which people who don’t know each other are happy together”.
Never silly, this album is full of tenderness, mischief and humour. We smile sincerely when we discover the pages dedicated to ” Smartphone: tool that replaces the adult brain », to the ” Pause: when tired adults discuss the reasons for their tiredness over coffee “oa” Cartoon: book chosen when parents are too tired to read “.
Inclusive, biting, realistic, fair, beautiful and poetic, this picture book is also an interesting tool for discussing with children the world we share, but also their worries or infatuations. We also tested it at home with a 3.5-year-old guinea pig who immediately wore it, spending long minutes digging up the details of the illustrations and asking endless – and sometimes unanswered – questions! – particularly in the adult world. Her verdict: “It puts me in a good mood! “. ( AND : “I would like to invite a baby elephant to play at home” ). We totally agree.
An album with an evident taste to offer without moderation, especially since the house that publishes it, The city is burning, it’s an indie publisher damn worth the detour. Based in Montreuil, the establishment has been deploying for fifteen years a committed, (really) accessible and generalist editorial line (non-fiction, literature, youth, comics, etc.).
In particular, we find in their catalog a feminist dystopia for teenagers (and adults, for that matter) by Louise Mey, The coming storm (2022), the very beautiful Herstory: history(s) of feminism by Marie Kirschen and Anna Wanda Gogusey or the youth album We are not that different by Sarah Kollender and Claire Cantais who manages to talk to children about disabilities while avoiding the many usual pitfalls.
In short, a publishing house that produces little but well, which imposes itself as a won bet and whose catalog appears as a vast forge of gifts to offer.
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
