• Welcome
  • Books
  • Industry
  • Bio
  • Contact
Menu

French picture books in English

French picture books in English
City, State, Zip
Phone Number
French picture, English word

Your Custom Text Here

French picture books in English

  • Welcome
  • Books
  • Industry
  • Bio
  • Contact

Who Done It?

November 3, 2015 Mike Shuttleworth
whodidit.jpg

Who Done It?

Olivier Tallec

Chronicle Books, 2015

Hardback, AUD $27.95, EAN 9781452141985

French edition: Quiquoiqui Actes Sud 2014

Visual literacy! the kinder teacher exclaimed as she leafed through the pages of Who Done It? in the bookshop where I work. Who Did It? provokes a series a series of questions, and answers are not always easily found. Questions include: whose arm hurts, who’s shy about dancing, who is in love, who forgot a swimsuit, who played with that mean cat, and who couldn’t hold it? The book is to some extent a study in motive. Why, the reader asks, is the character doing what they do?

 The poker-faced characters suggest the world Charlie Brown in silent form.

The poker-faced characters suggest the world Charlie Brown in silent form.

Who didn’t get enough sleep? is the opening question. Ten characters including a small bird stare more or less directly at the reader, challenging us to work out just where they are in this moment. A wide smile on the boy in blue suggests he slept well, but what of the bleary-eyed bear leaning on the lounge? Or the boy in the Zorro outfit – perhaps his activities are nocturnal? The pleasure of the pages is that while the reader can usually confirm one certain figure, there are several others that could fit the frame.

 Why is the boy smiling? Did he eat all the jam? French jam will do that to a boy.

Why is the boy smiling? Did he eat all the jam? French jam will do that to a boy.

In this way Who Done It? is more than a beginner’s game of Where’s Wally? In the panels Who ate all the jam? we observe a range of contented and oblique behaviours. Is someone hiding something from us? That orange furred bear lying flat on his tummy, for instance? Or is it the last boy in the panel strolling nonchalantly out of the frame, a fringe of hair masking his eyes?

 Awkward

Awkward

There’s a gentle pleasure in the spaces between, too. Illustrator/author Olivier Tallec, working in pencil and acrylic paint, establishes enough movement with subtle addition of shading that ground and animates each figure. The white space separates and harmonises the gallery. The book's flip-up format suggests an artist's sketchbook, or detective's notebook, as each character takes their place in the line-up.

solo.jpg

In finding an answer to the questions, readers will ask questions about motive, what is revealed and perhaps what is concealed or hinted at. Questions such as ‘Who is in love?’ might lead to questions about how we behave when we are in love, and what it is we can love. Can we love our toys, or skateboarding, or wearing a Superman costume, or going on a picnic?

The scenarios reflect a range of situations and challenges that a young child might meet. Children aged from four and up delight in Who Done It? So too will adults as this elegant parlour game defies age categories. The last page of the book provides an answer key, though I’m not sure that was absolutely necessary. I suppose it might settle any disputes, but it’s in the nature of the book that one answer may not exclude other possible readings.

double.jpg

Who Done It? will most certainly enhance visual literacy and also develop language and critical thinking skills. The text only poses the question, so readers will have to talk about the possible answers and alternatives. You might say that for the reading child, philosophy begins in the kinder. 

About Olivier Tallec

Olivier Tallec was born in Brittany in 1970. He graduated from the École Supérieure des Arts Appliqués Duperré in Paris. His work has appeared in many newspapers and magazines, and he has illustrated more than 60 books for children. He lives in Paris. Tallec came to children's books by chance at the invitation of a publisher. 

"The most important thing for me is to tell a story within the story", Tallec says.


Tags Olivier Tallec, Chronicle Books, Actes Sud
← Wake Up, SpringTickle Monster & I Am the Wolf...and Here I Come →
Books RSS
  • December 2016
    • Dec 31, 2016 Audubon: On the wings of the world Dec 31, 2016
  • November 2016
    • Nov 20, 2016 Mother Fox and Her Cubs Nov 20, 2016
  • October 2016
    • Oct 30, 2016 Almost French Oct 30, 2016
  • March 2016
    • Mar 13, 2016 This is Not a Book Mar 13, 2016
  • February 2016
    • Feb 22, 2016 Scritch Scratch Scraww Plop! Feb 22, 2016
  • November 2015
    • Nov 25, 2015 Rufus Nov 25, 2015
    • Nov 10, 2015 Wake Up, Spring Nov 10, 2015
    • Nov 3, 2015 Who Done It? Nov 3, 2015
  • September 2015
    • Sep 21, 2015 Tickle Monster & I Am the Wolf...and Here I Come Sep 21, 2015
  • August 2015
    • Aug 10, 2015 The Marvellous Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty Aug 10, 2015
  • July 2015
    • Jul 14, 2015 My First Touch-and-Feel Words Book Jul 14, 2015
    • Jul 9, 2015 Travels of an Extraordinary Hamster Jul 9, 2015
  • June 2015
    • Jun 28, 2015 Poka and Mia - Football Jun 28, 2015
    • Jun 22, 2015 At the Same Moment, Around the World Jun 22, 2015
    • Jun 15, 2015 Mix It Up Jun 15, 2015
    • Jun 11, 2015 The Rabbit and the Shadow Jun 11, 2015
    • Jun 9, 2015 Rhymoceros Jun 9, 2015
  • May 2015
    • May 29, 2015 A Lion in Paris May 29, 2015
    • May 28, 2015 In This Book May 28, 2015
    • May 27, 2015 Before/After May 27, 2015
Summary Block
This is example content. Double-click here and select a page to feature its content. Learn more
Featured
Latest Article