YOUNG READERS Atlantic Books Today
Young readers’ reviews
by Jo-Anne Elder and Lisa Doucet
MISSION PELOCHON
Audrey Borduas-Tremblay Bouton d’or Acadie (Ages 4-8)
Confetti and Frisotti are two sisters, likely anteaters, who love each other and love to play with their stuffed toys. Confetti’s favourite stuffed animal is
Pelochon, a little lamb with a bell. One day, Confetti can’t find Pelochon. The two sisters don detective uniforms and set off to solve the mystery of the animal’s disappearance. Their thorough investigation leads them on a search through jars of pickles in the cupboard, behind the couch and finally over a mountain of laundry into the bathroom. As we follow them on their mission, we leave the house, stuffed animals and cupboards and embark on a magical journey over the waves on an ice floe. The washing machine has been transformed into an aquarium filled with fish. The detectives look through the porthole and there they find Pelochon, held in the arms of an octopus. They carefully rescue their soaking friend. This picture book is in the Trottinette collection for children aged 4 to 8. Younger children will also enjoy the pastel illustrations of familiar toys and household objects: a sock that has strayed from its mate, small items of clothing hanging on the line, a ball that has rolled away… The language is creative, not overly simple, and there are a few novel words for French Immersion and probably francophone children to learn. The style is rhythmic and interesting, with short sentences, little repetition and a variable rhyme scheme. Text and illustrations are by Audrey Borduas-Tremblay, based in Quebec City. She has a certificate in visual arts and a broad and constantly evolving artistic practice. This is her first publication. I hope we’ll see more of her words and pictures.
C POUR CIRQUE
Elena Martinez, illustrations by Daniela Zekina Bouton d’or Acadie (Ages 0-4)
This is the third alphabet book published by Bouton d’or Acadie, following Ah! pour Atlantique and B pour Bayou. C pour Cirque presents the world of the circus, from acrobats to zoom. It has been placed in the Poussette collection, designed for very young children up to four. In fact, this book will charm children of all ages as well as adults with its sophisticated illustrations—many of which would make beautiful posters—and unusual words. Each letter is accompanied by one of Daniela Zekina’s colourful, detailed images, and presented in a heading and 15 words or more of Elena Martinez’s text, about half of which start with or feature the letter. The single-word headings—Attraction! Bravo! Champion!— set the enthusiastic, superlative tone of the entries, as though the circus master (Monsieur Loyal) is shouting through a megaphone to draw in spectators. The choice of words shows inventive creativity, more like the play of tongue-twisters than lessons in common read-aloud words. For instance, excerpts of the six-line P (Première!) text translate roughly as “On the platform, a pantomime Pierrot with a powdered face adopts a pose… and presents with poetry the prestigious cast…” S (Sensation!) starts with “a suddenly silent stage.” Of course, X is for Xylophone, but it also introduces the reader to a xerus, and the word adrenaline pops into the description of an admirable acrobat. Elena Martinez lives in Montréal. Her Spanish background and interest in multiculturalism is reflected in her diverse and resonant word choices. She also published Les Sept Amis with Bouton d’or Acadie in 2017. Daniela Zekina was born and raised in Bulgaria and graduated from a fine arts academy in Sofia before moving to Quebec more than 20 years ago. She has illustrated many children’s books and exhibited work in Europe and North America.
JO-ANNE ELDER has translated more than 20 works of poetry, theatre, film, fiction and non-fiction from French to English and has been shortlisted for a Governor General’s Literary Award for translation three times. NUMBER 95 | SPRING 2022
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