THE MORNING LIST
For this month of November, the columnists of “Le Monde” have selected fifteen books for you to put in the hands of your children, between an initiation journey, an intergenerational transmission or a story of emancipation.
“The Odyssey of the Seeds”: a herbarium treasure
At best, we crush them with a blow of tatane, at worst, they make us sneeze. Suffice it to say that it was time to rehabilitate these nuisances, which turn out to be, in reality, marvels of inventiveness and geometry: seeds. This new type of herbarium is a treasure for children, who are often the only ones who notice these wind-blown beauties. The seeds of the sugar maple (commonly known in playgrounds as “helicopters”) or those of caged love are splendid, and not just because of their names. CG
De Cruschiform, Gallimard, 152 p., 27 euros. From 8 years old.
“El Canto del Zorzal”: harassed and stalker
The problem of bullying is often dealt with in a clumsy way, but not here: we follow the days of a schoolboy overshadowed by the hurtful comments of “the great Jules”. Each character has nuances, including, on the one hand, the abused narrator who knows the name of all the constellations and knows how to imitate the singing of birds, but does not shine in class or in the gym. And, on the other, the stalker, who behind his big mouth reveals a certain discomfort. A non-Manichean story feels good. Ev-B.
By Martine Arpin and Josée Bisaillon. Of them, 44 p., 18 euros. From 4 years.
“La Estrella de Mo”: initiation journey
Setting out in search of a mysterious star that seems to have smiled at him in the middle of the night, the cat Mo ventures, from encounter to encounter, along the path of an initiatory journey placed under the sign of sharing. Each step gives rise to its share of learning and advice. The chickadee teaches him the soothing properties of plants in case of a scratch, the squirrel teaches him the art of greeting politely, the raccoon introduces him to the kitchen. Mo will take advantage of this stimulus until his face-to-face encounter with the infamous bear, but as benevolent, in short, as the tone of this rather pointillist style story. FP
By Yeonju Choi, translated from Korean by Elvire Beaule, Hélium, 176 p., €15.90. From 8 years old.
“Suzie’s Smile”: poetic ode
The cover of this little album sets the tone. We see Suzie, a girl with melancholy eyes, her face large and… no mouth. The magnificent collage and drawing work of the Belgian author and illustrator Anne Crahay is condensed in this striking image, awarded at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 2010. Why doesn’t it have a mouth? Because one day the girl lost her smile, like “Sometimes we lose our swimsuits because we don’t like pool Wednesdays.”. She puts on smiles for the occasion, which deceive us, until the day everything goes wrong. A poetic ode to parents who know how to swim in an ocean of tears. CG
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