Princesse Camcam

Two sisters look out on a wintry landscape at the beginning of this wordless picture-book by Camille Garoche, who, as Princesse Camcam, also produced Fox's Garden. While one ventures out, discovering a little white snow rabbit, the other continues to watch, something that is explained when the more venturesome girl brings the rabbit indoors, and her sister is revealed in a wheelchair. Eventually, both sisters venture out into the snow, following the rabbit when it escapes. When the show more wheelchair-bound girl becomes stuck, and darkness begins to fall, the rabbit, who has grown magically larger, helps her to get home...

Every bit as lovely as Fox's Garden, with the same contrasting of indoor warmth and light with cool winter vistas, The Snow Rabbit is graced with the same cut-paper style artwork, which somehow manages both to appear flat, and yet also to give a sense of depth. There is a great enchantment to Garoche's illustrations, which, with their white-papered elements, seem to work especially well with winter settings. As someone who finds wintry landscapes particularly appealing to begin with, this style was practically guaranteed to speak to me, although I would be curious to see what the artist does with a spring or summer-time tale. The story depicted in the artwork is an intriguing one, with the same ambiguity - is it a journey of the imagination, in which the wheelchair-bound girl gets to experience freedom of movement, on the back of the snow rabbit; or perhaps some sort of meditation on the healing powers of nature? - that gave Garoche's earlier title such power. I was reminded a bit of Astrid Lindgren's story, In the Land of Twilight, which sees a young boy, confined to his bed by an unspecified illness, perhaps never to walk again, being taken on a magical journey through the night. My initial impulse to wonder, in such cases, whether there is something cruel about the idea of 'rescuing' a disabled child from the constraints of their disability, is tempered by the knowledge that we all dream of escaping the confines of our bodies, whether disabled or not. Isn't that what the ubiquitous fantasy of flying reveals…? However that may be, this is a beautiful tale, one which is admirably conveyed by the artwork alone - always an achievement! - and one that I would recommend to readers looking for stories which capture the beauty and mystery of winter evenings. show less

In this beautiful wordless picture-book, originally published in France as Une rencontre, and then 'translated' for the American market by the fabulous Brooklyn-based Enchanted Lion Books, a fox wanders into a small village one snowy night. Chased off by the adult residents, he (she?) seeks shelter in a greenhouse, where a little boy, having observed his retreat, brings him an offering of food. The boy is rewarded in turn when the fox and a group of fox kits find their way into his room show more while he sleeps, creating a delightful and magical garden - in his dreams? in reality?: it isn't clear.

Part of Enchanted Lion's Stories Without Words series, Fox's Garden is both beautiful and intriguing, depicting the mystery and enchantment of a winter's night, and the brief encounter between boy and fox. The artwork by Princess Camcam - born Camille Garoche - has a flat quality that somehow still manages to capture the murky magic of a night-time world, one in which the rich red of the fox, and the warm gold of light, is contrasted with the cool paleness of the snow. As someone with an interest in the depiction of foxes in children's books, I was particularly intrigued to see that the vulpine visitor here is depicted as a bringer of mystery and magic - something that seems increasingly to be the case, with foxes in children's stories of late. Recommended to any picture-book lover who appreciates beautiful art, as well as to fairy-tale fans, and fox-lovers. show less

I hadn't associated Camille Garoche with Princess CamCam, author of the beautiful Fox's Garden, but the lovely paper cuttings immediately gave me a clue.

Two sisters are watching the snow in a wonderful, moonlit world. One goes outside and creates a snow rabbit, which she brings inside. Only then do we see her sister is in a wheelchair. They both venture out to explore the snowy world, but the second sister's wheelchair gets stuck in the snow. Alone and frightened, they think they are lost in show more the woods but the snow rabbit they set free returns, more magical than ever, to rescue them.

Garoche's delicate, three-dimensional cut paper illustrations are so, so magical. The reader feels like they have drifted into a silent, snowy world of moonlight and magic, where anything can, and will happen. The sweet, wordless interaction of the sisters is beautifully conveyed in their gentle care for each other and their delicate movements.

Verdict: So, so lovely. If you buy only one wordless book this year, make it this one.

ISBN: 9781592701810; Published 2015 by Enchanted Lion Books; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

Ever since I first saw some of the art from this book, I've been wanting to see the whole thing. I love foxes and it looks very magical. In general, I've really liked most of the titles in Enchanted Lion's Stories without words series. As you can see, they're all small, rectangular books and, of course, wordless.

This book tells the story of a fox seeking shelter on a winter's night, but turned away everywhere. When she takes shelter in an abandoned greenhouse, a small boy sees her and sneaks show more out a basket of food to her and her newly born kits. Later that night, she and her kits leave a magical surprise for the boy in his room before going back to the forest.

Of course, as a wordless book, the main thing is the art. And what lovely, lovely art it is! It reminded me of some of the Russian animation I love, or perhaps Isabelle Arsenault's work. However, it's quite unique. The opening scenes have a theatrical look, as though one is looking through a scenery of trees. As the story progresses, you can see that much of the art is actually paper cut-outs, like the boy and the magical garden. This adds to the fairy tale feeling, as though at any moment paper could come to life and move off the page. The fox is a sharp burst of color against the silent, snowy paper background.

Verdict: This is one of those magical books that may not appeal to a wide section of children, but will become a special treasure for a few. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781592701674; Published 2014 by Enchanted Lion; Review copy provided for Cybils show less