Creighton University

"Des albums aux illustrations drôles et modernes pour décourvrir toute la saveur des textes de La Fontaine."  "Drôles" characterizes well what we find here in Boyer's illustrations: highly stylized and dramatic.  This cicada actually grabs the ant's leg to plead with her.  In the next image, she is on the ground weeping and pleading.  Changes in the color and size of the typeface add to the effect.  A lively introduction to La Fontaine for smaller children.  16 pages.  About 5½" x 7½".

"Des albums aux illustrations drôles et modernes pour décourvrir toute la saveur des textes de La Fontaine."  In this pamphlet the two rodents are contrasted in attitude, color, and shape.  The best image shows the pudgy brown disgruntled country fellow in his coveralls ready to leave after the first attack.  The artistry exaggerates gesture and expression well to express the story to children.  Now I need to find the missing four booklets in this series.  From my first attempts, I would say that it will not be easy.  16 pages.  About 5½" x 7½".

"Des albums aux illustrations drôles et modernes pour décourvrir toute la saveur des textes de La Fontaine."  In this pamphlet two visualizations stand out particularly.  The first is repeated three times, including the illustration on the front cover: the menacing wolf threatens a cuddly little lamb.  The second is the last illustration on 14-15: the shepherd picks up the empty boots that the little lamb had been wearing.  I still need to find the missing four booklets in this series.  From my first attempts, I would say that it will not be easy.  16 pages.  About 5½" x 7½".

"Des albums aux illustrations drôles et modernes pour décourvrir toute la saveur des textes de La Fontaine."  In this pamphlet, Bossrez's animals are highly stylized, almost Picassoesque or cubist.  The frog, for example, that appears on the title-page has the elements of a frog put together quite creatively.  Both the frogs and the ox wear swimming suits or shorts.  The double-page 6-7 shows the frog working out in gymnastics adapted to life on a creek.  The inflated frog on 10 is wonderful.  This artist resists showing the explosion itself.  I still need to find the missing four booklets in this series.  From my first attempts, I would say that it will not be easy.  16 pages.  About 5½" x 7½".

"Des albums aux illustrations drôles et modernes pour décourvrir toute la saveur des textes de La Fontaine."  This hare has headphones connected to a smart phone, and he wears blue running shorts.  As the two contestants converse, a porcupine sitting at a table off to the side sharpens his quills.  This hare not only sleeps, but he plays on his phone before getting his shoes on and going.  The bespectacled tortoise "se hâte avec lenteur."  "Drôles" characterizes well what we find here in Millet's illustrations: highly stylized and dramatic.  Among these good illustrations is the back cover's oval glimpse of the hare eating carrots and reading a book.  Changes in the color and size of the typeface add to the effect.  A lively introduction to La Fontaine for smaller children.  16 pages.  About 5½" x 7½".  I am surprised at how much I had to pay for this pamphlet to complete this set of eight.

"Des albums aux illustrations drôles et modernes pour décourvrir toute la saveur des textes de La Fontaine."  Le Tandé here has us fascinated with the large halo-like mane of the lion.  Perhaps the best two-page illustration here has the lion magnanimously freeing the mouse, who scampers away on a tree-branch.  The very next picture has the lion similarly scampering, only this time not into freedom.  In this story's last image, the mouse basks in the lion's mane, while the lion basks on a tree-branch.  Changes in the color and size of the typeface add to the effect.  A lively introduction to La Fontaine for smaller children.  16 pages.  About 5½" x 7½".

"Des albums aux illustrations drôles et modernes pour décourvrir toute la saveur des textes de La Fontaine."  The short text of La Fontaine's fable allows for two large visual developments of a short text.  One example is the fox's following of the aroma of the cheese.  Le Tandé lets the aroma swirl across two pages leading the fox along.  On the next pair of pages, Le Tandé offers a creative conception of the crow singing.  What follows is a wordless pair of pages in which the cheese floats down near the waiting fox.  Jubilant fox and regretful crow are both well depicted on the next pair.  Changes in the color and size of the typeface add to the effect.  A lively introduction to La Fontaine for smaller children.  16 pages.  About 5½" x 7½".

Here is the last of these delightful pamphlets.  Guyard frequently uses the same basic design: farmer on the left-hand page and hen on the right.  The first two pairs of pages correspond almost exactly to each other except that the first pair are done n shadowed silhouette.  The hen somehow becomes more endearing as we see her little legs sit on the edge of the nest with boots on.  The nest, by the way, is decorated with euro signs!  The next two repetitions of the pattern have, first, a putative gold mine inside the hen and, second, a dead hen on her back with legs sticking up in the air.  Well done!  Changes in the color and size of the typeface add to the effect.  A lively introduction to La Fontaine for smaller children.  16 pages.  About 5½" x 7½".