When I first discovered Paris in the Spring with Picasso this summer, it was definitely love at first sight. The title alone conjured up blissful images of a city bursting with creative energy, teeming with artists and bohemian types meeting at sidewalk cafés and salons, everyone in love with life and each other. Add to that dreamy vision Majorie Priceman’s wildly exuberant, free-spirited art, and I was a goner before alighting on the first page. I’m so pleased debut author Joan Yolleck is here today to discuss how she created this enchanting children’s story about an imaginary soirée at Gertrude and Leo Stein’s home at 27 rue de Fleurus. It’s a charming portrait of several real members of Stein’s coterie, glimpses of what they might have been doing in the hours prior to the party. Guillaume Apollinaire writes a poem after seeing a street acrobat, Max Jacob composes comical rhyming couplets about his father’s tailor shop, and Picasso is, of course, busy painting. Ooh-la-la! But this is a book to kiss and marry! I love Joan’s impressionistic storytelling; the conversational narrative sparkles with juicy asides and delicious details (extraordinary artists doing ordinary things). Priceman’s gouache and ink illos spill over with unbridled beauty, electrifying élan and panache, ravishing colors, intense energy, and joyous movement (across, over, under, beside, between, hither and yon). This book captures the joie de vivre of Paris in the early twentieth century, allowing children to “meet” these party guests in the most delightful way, enticing them to learn more about Stein and her incredible salon. But, pardonnez-moi. Now, it is time to meet Joan, who is visiting today from Toronto, where she lives with her two Siamese cats and reviews children's books:
Alice and Gertrude, 27 rue de Fleurus, Paris 1922 (tellmewhat2/flickr).
Guillaume and Pablo are joined by their girlfriends, Marie and Fernande, and at dusk, along with Max, they all head over to Gertrude’s house, strolling through Paris (dazzling by street light), past a circus, across a river, by a cabaret (Lapin Agile). Meanwhile, Gertrude’s been reading in her favorite chair, while her companion, Alice B. Toklas, is setting out cakes. Our charming feline narrator asks us to imagine what all these famous guests might talk about once the party is underway.
Lapin Agile was a restaurant frequented by many artists.
The food was hearty and inexpensive (lemonfig[Johanna]. 
Add a Comment
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: french books, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 4 of 4
.jpg?picon=910)
By: Jama Rattigan,
on 9/9/2010
Blog: jama rattigan's alphabet soup (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: french books, joan yolleck, summer soup 2010, book reviews, Add a tag
By: Jama Rattigan,
on 8/12/2010
Blog: jama rattigan's alphabet soup (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: french books, summer soup 2010, Add a tag
And you thought you had a lot of books!
Speaking of Paris and books, here are some titles I'll be feasting on next. If you know of any other Frenchie must-reads, please let me know!
Bonne Journée!
By: Jama Rattigan,
on 8/5/2010
Blog: jama rattigan's alphabet soup (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: thematic book lists, french books, summer soup 2010, Add a tag
"Paris" © 2009 Lizzy Stewart. All rights reserved.
Bonjour! Comment ça va?
J'ai faim -- quelle surprise!
Picture Books about France, Part One, with a few punitions, satisfied my hunger for a leetle while. But now, I am in the mood for my morning cup of Darjeeling, a warm croissant, and more stories set in the land of pâtisseries, artistes and les animaux!
photo by timmertaugh.
C'est vrai. In my quest to find the best picture books with a French setting, many included dogs and cats. Remember Bonaparte, Metro Cat and Zaza the dachshund? In this second batch, we have three cats as main characters. Does this mean the French have an inordinate love for les chats -- or is there something innately "French" about cats that make them ideal for these particular types of stories? Perhaps authors who like writing about France just happen to also be cat lovers. I haven't been to Paris in years, but I sense there are a lot of stray cats wandering around the city. Oh well, Marie Antoinette has her loyal pug, Sébastien, so that evens things up a bit. ☺
On this lazy summer day, I'm quite happy to share my croissant with you. I'll break it in two (see those crisp brown flakes scattering?). Lovely how the dough pulls apart just so, and when you bite into it, there's that gentle crunch before the divine butter rush. Have fun sharing these books with the short people in your life (you can keep your half of the croissant all to yourself). Bonne Journée!
PARIS CAT by Leslie Baker (Little, Brown, 1999). If you ask Alice the calico cat, Paris is full of dogs. On her first visit to the splendid city, she spots a mouse, and can't resist chasing after it, despite Annie trying to call her back. So, it's dart this way and that, scamper and scurry down one street after another, past shops, through an outdoor market ("Mmmmmm . . . cheese . . . sausages . . . fish"), down the banks of the Seine. The mouse is soon forgotten when Alice's fun is foiled by dogs dogs dogs everywhere. To escape, it's in and out of the Louvre, off a bridge!, tumbling onto a bateau-mouche. Now Alice is exhausted. How will she ever find Annie? Such a lively tail, accompanied by lovely soft-edge watercolor illos. A catnap completes this purry fine cat's eye view of Paree. ☺
PASTRY SCHOOL IN PARIS: An Adventure in Capacity by Cindy Neuschwander, pictures by Bryan Langdo (Henry Holt, 2009). What better way to learn about math than by whipping up something delicious? Because twins Matt and Bibi show real baking talent with their brownies, their parents d
By: Jama Rattigan,
on 7/20/2010
Blog: jama rattigan's alphabet soup (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: thematic book lists, french books, summer soup 2010, Add a tag
from Chansons de France Pour Les Petits Français by M.B. de Monvel (1979), source: moonflygirl.
Bonjour, mes enfants!
Have you been good or bad this summer? Pretending to be good, but maybe a little naughty on the side?
C'est d'accord. You will probably like your punishment:
photo by roboppy.
Oui, a handful of la punitions, those famous butter cookies from the Poilâne Bakery in Paris! Pierre Poilâne's grandmother used to play a game with her grandchildren. She called them over to seemingly punish them, but offered a handful of these cookies instead. Today, if you visit any of the Poilâne bakeries, you will find a basket of free punitions by the register. Trés délicieux!
To go with your cookies today, how about a few picture books set in Paris? It's the best way to visit from the comfort of your window seat, hammock, or porch swing. There are funny animals, rollicking adventures, a few artistes, even some crêpes. If you've never been to Paris, you will experience the joie de vivre of this great city and see some of its most famous landmarks. And if you've already visited La Ville-Lumière ("The City of Light"), these stories will touch your heart and make you yearn to go back again. 
Paris panorama by Benh Lieu Song (click to enlarge).
Today, we are all honorary Parisiens -- so let's put on our bérets and striped shirts. It's a lovely day on the Left Bank!
LA LA ROSE by Satomi Ichikawa (Philomel, 2004). Our first stop, Luxembourg Gardens. La La Rose the pink rabbit tells about the time she went there with her little girl, Clementine, and got lost. Things were fine at first. Clementine and her brother Pierre had a lot of fun at the playground and carousel. But when Grandma rushes them over to see the puppet show, La La Rose falls out of Clementine's backpack. Oh no!
She has some rather unpleasant "adventures" as a result: tossed into a trash can, tumbling down stairs, thrown high into the air and dragged from the fountain by a dog. Will she ever be reunited with her beloved Clementine? With a simple narrative and dreamy watercolor spreads, Ichikawa captures the special bond between a child and her favorite stuffed animal, while giving us a peek at the beautiful gardens she clearly loves (layout of LG on the endpapers).
<
