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Award-Winning Titles 2004French AwardsGRAND PRIX DU LIVRE DE LA MONTÉRÉGIE 2004
When two boys fall for the same girl, is it possible to make a joint declaration of love and still stay friends? This is the challenge facing Michaël and Julien. To let Gabrielle know of their feelings, they decide to write her a letter and buy her a huge chocolate rabbit for Easter. But there's a hitch: while Michaël's nickname is "Mr. Moneybags," Julien hasn't a penny. Eager to pay his share of the gift, Julien (at Michaël's suggestion) persuades his parents to give him a weekly allowance. But his introduction to the world of high finance doesn't go smoothly: he spends his first week's allowance on useless extravagances. Incapable of spending sensibly, he gets into debt and begins lying to his friends and family. Will losing his parents' trust and jeopardizing his friendship with Michaël be the price he must pay to win Gabrielle's affections? It took Danielle Simard two years to write the story and create the illustrations for this book. With her expressive, cartoon-like characters and amusing situations, she skilfully defuses the drama and high emotion that often characterize first love. -JMB GRAND PRIX DU LIVRE DE LA MONTÉRÉGIE 2004
Marilou, who loves the zoo, makes the acquaintance of a new arrival -- Camelot the camel. However, the disdainful expression on Camelot's face hints that he's far from happy. And he keeps getting splashed when the polar bears dive into their pool. After some thought, Marilou's father decides to build the camel a special enclosure to make him feel more at home. In the meantime, Camelot stays at Marilou's house, where she and her friends make valiant but unsuccessful efforts to cheer him up. The enclosure finished, Camelot moves in. But the pictures of camels that adorn his new dwelling seem to upset him. Clever Marilou comes up with a brilliant idea to restore Camelot's good humour … Zany black-and-white illustrations are the perfect complement to this fun story. -CM GRAND PRIX DU LIVRE DE LA MONTÉRÉGIE 2004
Le grand Antonio a le cœur gros is the second title in the "L'enfant parfait" series. Alice and Albert longed for the perfect child, but to their great surprise they had triplets -- Valentino, the paragon they'd dreamt of; Lilli, a tiny child; and Antonio, the giant baby. Alice devotes herself entirely to Valentino, caring nothing for her other offspring. Albert had hoped that Antonio would become a champion wrestler, but the gentle boy hasn't the soul of a fighter. Albert and Alice argue all the time, and Albert turns to drink. Rejected by both his parents and thoroughly miserable, Antonio falls into a deep, silent depression. Finally, thanks to a turtledove, he emerges from his melancholy and utters his first word: "Papa." This event brings new courage to Albert, and changes Lilli and Antonio's lives. The sensitive topic of this story -- a child who is different and rejected by his parents -- is treated with skill and subtlety. Emotional and thought-provoking, the narrative ends on a note of hope. The black-and-white illustrations are vividly expressive. -AC GRAND PRIX DU LIVRE DE LA MONTÉRÉGIE 2003
Poor Inspector! His beloved Élisabeth has been kidnapped by a masked and armed maniac, right in the middle of their wedding ceremony! Will he ever see her again? This is the question at the heart of Un cadavre stupéfiant, third in the "Cadavres" series begun in 1997. Fans of the series will be delighted to plunge once more into the hilarious and fantastic world of Robert Soulières and to get reacquainted with the Inspector and the beautiful Élisabeth. First-timers will love meeting all the madly endearing (or endearingly mad) characters -- masked and armed maniacs excepted, of course! Here again, dazzling wordplay -- the author's specialty -- enlivens every page. -NS GRAND PRIX DU LIVRE DE LA MONTÉRÉGIE 2003
Germain does something foolish in an attempt to impress his friends. As a punishment, he is obliged to spend time with Michel, a young boy who is paralysed from the waist down. But the two take to one another, and Germain is proud to count himself Michel's only friend. It seems that the sick boy's many toys might be the main attraction. But when Germain carelessly loses one of Michael's toys, he gets nervous and starts avoiding his friend. They eventually work things out, but Michel's health deteriorates. Germain tries to decipher what the adult say about his friend's condition: "he won't get better," "he won't come back," "he's in a coma." How will they be able to cope with the situation? Le seul ami can be read as a serious meditation on the meaning of life. For someone suffering from an incurable illness, death is a spectre faced every day. But how can it be confronted with serenity? The playful yet sober illustrations accurately reflect the emotions experienced by the story's characters and the gravity of the subject it explores. -JMB GRAND PRIX DU LIVRE DE LA MONTÉRÉGIE 2003
Kaboum! No, it's not thunder -- Kaboum is the most popular rock band among the kids at Saint-Marcellin high school. There's a concert coming up, and the tickets go on sale tomorrow morning! At last, Béatrice will have a chance to get closer to Lou, the love of her life. In fact, Lou doesn't even know she exists: he's the most popular boy in school, and she's very shy. Her plan is simple: make sure she gets tickets by spending the night in a sleeping bag on the sidewalk outside the box office of the Usine, where the group will be playing. But it seems that everyone had the same idea! Béatrice and Lou do finally talk, and Lou and his annoying Agathe also get to meet Béa's best friend, Berthelot, cruelly nicknamed "Ratface" by the school's losers. It turns into a night of strange encounters and intimate conversations, when masks are removed and true natures revealed -- in some cases, for the first time. Written in an easy, rhythmic style, Bec-de-Rat is a story about friendship. But it also deals with the importance of accepting ourselves, with all our strengths and weaknesses, and others, with all their differences and idiosyncrasies. -NS HACKMATACK CHILDREN'S CHOICE BOOK AWARD
Marika is beginning to think there's something odd about her new friend Jade. Several people seem unusually interested in her: Mr. Ming, the new English teacher; the man in the herbalist's shop; a woman with one brown eye and one green . . . Even complete strangers come up and speak to her! What's it all about? Does Jade have a twin? Enlisting the help of her friends Annie and Francis, Marika decides to investigate. Thanks to the trio's tenacity, they eventually solve the mystery. In a clear, accessible style, the author creates a cast of characters who are credible and appealing. The well-constructed plot unfolds against a realistic everyday backdrop, and suspense is maintained right to the end. The ins and outs of this amusing detective story will delight young readers and keep them on the edge of their seats. -AC PALMARÈS COMMUNICATION-JEUNESSE DES LIVRES PRÉFÉRÉS DES JEUNES DE L'IMPRIMERIE TRANSCONTINENTAL 2003-2004
Here is a fantastic tale from celebrated filmmaker, essayist and novelist Jacques Godbout, author of the children's book Une leçon de chasse (also illustrated by Pierre Pratt). Mes petites fesses is about a little girl with a magic bottom: as soon as her behind touches a chair or a stroller, it immediately transforms into something else -- an ostrich or a lion or maybe a flying carpet. Sitting still or going for a nice walk with her parents is out of the question, and life becomes really difficult for the whole family. The midwife and the Birth Fairy are called in to offer expert advice, but the midwife's only suggestion is to cover up the offending derrière. The little girl's parents try sending her to school, but this seat of learning does nothing to calm the morphing properties of her own seat! Pierre Pratt's warmly colourful illustrations give substance to the story -- and to the various characters, whose posteriors are highlighted: the little girl's semicircular backside in the cover image, the muscular haunches of a roaring lion, the Birth Fairy's generous rump. These cheeky renderings are sure to amuse young readers. -JP
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