‘Visually sophisticated, quirky, funny and daring’: Mike Shuttleworth reports from the Paris children’s book festival
‘France is producing some of the finest books for children in the world,’ writes Mike Shuttleworth, reporting from the Paris children’s book festival Salon du livre et de presse jeunesse for the Wheeler Centre.
From vengeful rabbits to playing with guns, the picture books given to French children have a reputation for being uncompromisingly scary—further proof that the French do not coddle les enfants, even at story time.
While it’s true that the French embrace topics and styles that more timid Anglophone picture book publishers would reject, right now, France is producing some of the finest books for children in the world. The best—and there are many too choose from—are visually sophisticated, quirky, funny and daring. And at the Salon du livre et de presse jeunesse in Montreuil, which I was fortunate to visit in November 2014, you can see it all.
When it comes to promoting of books and reading there is nothing in Australia like the SLPJ. This bustling six-day program of book market, exhibitions, author appearances, panels, debates, projections and more attracted 160,000 visitors, most of them children and teenagers. Celebrating its thirtieth year, the Salon brings plenty of attention to children’s books at exactly the right time of year and does so with a mighty bang.
Every publisher worthy of their colophon exhibits here: the big like Flammarion, Gallimard and Casterman (yes, publishers of Tintin); the edgy independents like Editions Thiery Magnier and Editions Fourmis Rouges; and icons like les ecoles des loisirs (celebrating 50 years in 2015) and Albin Michel Jeunesse. There are specialist art book publishers (yes, for children) and specialist human rights publishers (yes, also for children); and the national library promotes its programs for professionals. This is the epicenter of French book publishing for children and teenagers.
Authors appearing included Quentin Blake (also featured in a large and beautiful exhibition), Meg Rosoff, Cathy Cassidy and local heroes including Pénélope Bagieu and Timothee de Fombelle, author of the brilliant Toby Alone. Hundreds of authors appear, and even more illustrators, since having your book ‘signed’ with original artwork, une dedicace is de rigeur.
But there is something just as important as the commercial and cultural side to the Salon, and which gives the event its soul: that is the connection to community. The strong relationship between the Salon du livre et de la presse jeunesse, the local government, the national government and the publishing industry that helps to make the event so successful.
This is an extract from Mike Shuttleworth’s ‘Picturing Paris’, posted on the Wheeler Centre website on 19 January. To read the full article, visit the website here.
Category: Features
