Albums collection Albums collection - La Joie de Lire

Bologna 2010 

editions la joie de lire sa • 5, chemin neuf • ch-1207 geneva • switzerland • t. +41 22 807 33 99 • f. +41 22 807 33 92 

Illustration da chiara carrer, tirée de Le Lutin de l’Univers

MOVING WORDS Swiss Translation Programme 2009-2011 

Pro Helvetia is launching a new programme in the field of the literary translation 

and its promotion abroad, entitled MOVING WORDS. 

In cooperation with the «Schweizerischen Kinder-und Jugendmedieninstitut» 

Pro Helvetia has compiled a list of recommended books whose translations 

they would particularly like to promote. These titles recommended have been 

selected above all from the long- and shortlists for the Swiss children’s and 

youth media awards. 

Pro Helvetia is prepared to assume the following costs in connection with the translation 

of these books: 

1. Full translation costs (based on local rates). 

2. Licence fees for the text and illustrations (based on going local rates for such 

fees for publishers in countries with lower price levels.) 

We are very proud of having five books recommended. These are: 

- Quelques années de moins que la lune, G. Zullo. (p. 12) 

- Jules en Amérique, D. de Roulet (p.18) 

- Le Temps des mots à voix basse (p.19) 

- Le Tigre bleu, N. Robel (p.24) 

- Reine, J. Delaunay (p.35) 

For more informations please contact Carina.solari@lajoiedelire.ch 

Bologna 2010 

New TiTles 4 

Albums collection 4 

les VeRsATiles collection 6 

le luTiN collection 7 

de Ville eN Ville collection 8 

les GesTes de lA FeRme collection 10 

sOmNAmbule collection 12 

sOmNAmbule collection 12 

HORs-COlleCTiON collection 18 

eNTRe Tes dOiGTs collection 19 

milTON collection 20 

A TAble ! collection 21 

imAGieR collection 22 

Albums collection 24 

les VeRsATiles collection 38 

RéTROViseuR collection 42 

RéCiTs collection 46 

Our stand in bologna is 30 d 47 

if you want an appointment contact: 

carina.solari@lajoiedelire.ch 

looking forward to meeting you. 

2 3

Albums collection New TiTles 

Type: Album 

Cover: hardback 

Author : Florence Ducatteau 

Illustrator : Chantal Peten 

Format: 25 x 19 cm 

Number of pages: 32 

Age: from 2 years old on 

Price: 12.50 € 

Florence Ducatteau is French but was born and lives in Brussels. 

She has a degree in theater from the Institute of Diffusion Arts and is part of the creative teams of the Théâtre des Quatre 

Mains and of the Théâtre Loyal du Trac. She also has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the Catholic University 

of Louvain-la-Neuve and works as a psychologist with a psychoanalytical orientation. She writes and publishes picture 

books and novels for young readers since 2002 (Milan, Hatier, Averbode, Erpi.) She also works for various youth magazines. 

Chantal Peten was born in 1974 in Belgium. She studied illustration and comic book art at the Fine Arts Academy in 

Brussels. She now works as an illustrator, graphic artist and computer graphics designer. She has produced several 

picture books for a number of publishing houses including Pastel, Alice and La Rennaissance du Livre. For the Petit- 

Ours and Léontine series, she used mixed techniques : color pencil, felt-tip pencil and ink. 

NEW TITLE 

La Rencontre 

The Encounter 

Blurb 

Petit-Ours (Little-Bear) lives in an out-of-the way place 

by the river in the forest. There, all is quiet and he likes 

it that way. But Léontine, his new neighbour, wants to 

get to know him. Petit-Ours doesn’t want to make any 

friends, and least of all a she-friend. At first hesitant, he 

soon discovers how sweet friendship can be. 

In this series with very fresh illustrations, the very young 

will discover characters with a sturdy character and 

subtle situations easy to understand. 

NEW TITLE 

La Dispute 

The Quarrel 

Blurb 

The two friends play many games together, but then 

Léontine annoys Petit-Ours when she suggests they 

play at having a tea party. There’s no way he is going 

to play this girl’s game ! Their conversation degenerates 

into a quarrel and it will take a dangerous incident 

for them to patch things up. 

Type: Album 


Author : Germano Zullo 

Illustrator : Albertine 




Price: 14.90 € 

4 5 

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NEW TITLE 

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Les Oiseaux 

The Birds 

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oiseaux_COUV.indd 1 8.3.2010 11:16:14 

Blurb 

Upon arriving at the end of a road, a lorry driver opens the 

door of his trailer. A cloud of birds fly out of the lorry and 

disappear over the horizon. In the back of the truck, he finds 

a small, shy bird. It looks like it has no intention of following 

its companions. The man then suggests they share his 

sandwich. They exchange a few words on life and the small 

bird takes fresh heart and ends up by also flying away. The 

lorry driver goes back to his cab, but all the birds return and 

take himoff into the sky. 

A poetic text with warm-colored gouache paintings. Germano 

Zullo and Albertine take the reader into their sweet 

and generous fantasy world.

VeRsATiles collection New TiTles 

Type: Album 

Lucia Sforza was born in 1967 and has lived in Rome all her life. After 

completing a degree in engraving and printing at the Fine Arts Academy 

in Rome, she got several scholarships to study in Spain, Bulgaria 

and Luxemburg. She now works as an engraving teacher and 

as a children’s books illustrator. The techniques used in Très chic are 

monotype and mixed techniques. 

Blurb 

The Lyrebird, so sure of its good taste, looks down on other animals 

who revel in their failings : the dull elephant, the plump hippopotamus, 

the shaggy-haired hyena could all use some advice in matters of style 

and the refined bird is happy to give it to them. With a little imagination 

and good taste, they could all finally look decent ! 

The animals’ metamorphosis consists of three phases performed 

under the bird’s supervision : the first one shows them sketched on 

the pages of a naturalist’s sketchbook; other black and white drawings 

then underline the failings of each of them ; and the last part shows 

them dressed in eccentric dresses imagined by the bird. 

A beautiful picture book which broaches with humour the issue of 

appearance. Are sophistication and happiness related ? Not everybody 

is so convinced of that! 

NEW TITLE 

C’est moi le meilleur ! 

I’m the best ! 

Sold to Korea 

Author : Constanze v. Kitzing 



Price: 9.80 € 

NEW TITLE 

Très chic 

So Chic 

Author : Lucia Sforza 



Price: 10.90 € 



Born in 1980, Constanze v. Kitzing studied at the Bauhaus University in 

Weimar, in the Visual Communication department. She lives in Hamburg 

where she is working both as a painter and illustrator for children’s 

books. She also conducts painting workshops. 

Blurb 

A lion cub thinks he is the best at everything... until he compares himself 

to the other animals around him : «I am the tallest !», says he, 

before meeting the elephant. «I am the most beautiful !», but then a 

multicolored butterfly comes along. «I am the loudest at shouting !» 

however, the fully-grown lion roars louder... Finding one’s place is not 

easy ! Along with this game of comparisons, Constanze Kitzing offers 

us beautiful warm-colored paintings. Young readers will recognize the 

curious and endearing lion of Cache-cache. 

le luTiN collection New TiTle 

Type : Album 

Cover : hardback 

Format : 24 x 20 cm 

Number of pages : 50 


Price: 16 € 

Le Lutin de l’univers / The Universal Pixie 

Blurb 

In this collection with artistic and playful tones, a character who is 

curious about everything travels through the world of knowledge. 

After exploring the worlds of letters, numbers, colors and art, he is 

now dealing with « universal » elements. Stone, rain, feathers, houses 

give so many opportunities for the illustrator to play on situations and 

forms. Unexpected and poetic links develop with ingenuousness. 

Thus, a ball can become a nest for the sleeping elf, a hole, a wool ball 

or a meteorite, whereas the rain strokes follow the lines of jail bars. 

Chiara Carrer, author & illustrator, was born in Venice. She graduated from the Academy of Fine 

Arts and the School of Decorative Arts in Rome and has received numerous prizes including the “Pomme d’Or” from 

Bratislava in 2003. As well as being an illustrator, she works as an animator in workshops for children between the ages 

of 6 and 12. Her work on Alice in Wonderland was turned into an exhibition by La Joie de Lire. 

Le Lutin des chiffres / The Number Pixie 

Sold to Korea and Italy 

Blurb 

An amusing way to learn how to 

count with funny animals and strange 

objects guided by the imaginative 

drawing of Chiara Carrer. It is an invitation 

to a reading and counting exercise, 

where learning and playing are 

joined. 

Le Lutin des arts / The Art Pixie 

Blurb 

Here is the longed-for return of our nosy imp! In this new art adventure, our 

mischievous little guide leads us into the world of contemporary art: Basquiat, 

Klein, Tapiès, Brancusi, Tinguely, Fontana… Chiara Carrer puts together her 

ideal gallery. Continuing her work with colour and collage, combining diverse 

materials fabric, paper, wood…), she revisits celebrated works with audacity 

and talent. A magnificent and playful entrée into the world of contemporary art. 

Le Lutin des lettres / The Letter Pixie 

Sold to Korea and Italy 

Blurb 

Here comes Le Lutin des lettres with 

the imagination of Chiara Carrer to 

tame these funny forms, which are 

our source to read the world. 

Le Lutin des couleurs / The Color Pixie 

Sold to Italy 

Blurb 

After letters and numbers, Chiara’s 

little imp is back to give us a “ lesson in 

colors ”. He jumps and flutters from page 

to page to give young readers a range 

of shades going from black to white 

through all the colors of the rainbow. She 

invites us to discover the composition of 

colors in a live and playful manner. 

6 7 

NEW TITLE

24,00 

elire.ch 

D e V i l l e e n V i l l e - Te l - A v i v 

de Ville eN Ville collection New TiTle 

Type: Album 

Orith Kolodny is born in Tel Aviv in 1965. She studied during 3 years graphics in the Israeli Institut of Technology of Tel 

Aviv. In 1989 she set up in Italy and in 1991 is graduated of the faculty of architecture of the polytechnic school of Milan. 

She works on her account and since 2003 realizes for the Olivares editions in Milan art catalogues and books. Anecdotic 

detail, she was Israeli champion of the 200m and the 400m from 1987 to 1997 and arrived semi-finalist of the 200m 

at the world athletics of Tokyo in 1991. 

Francesca Bazzurro is born in Livorna in 1961 studied in the Academy des Beaux-Arts of Brera, specializing in engravings 

and lithography. Her work as illustrator has been recognized by many reviews in Italy. Her books are published at 

Fabbri and Mondadori. She works and lives in Milano. 

Tel Aviv 

Orith Kolodny 

Francesca Bazzurro 

Blurb 

In Tel Aviv lives a small mischievous 

girl who adores to eat falafels and to 

make shopping. On the other hand, she 

hates to make her duties, to arrange her 

room or to go to the concerts of classical 

music. Accompanied by Threedé 

(3d), her cat, she will be our guide in the 

streets of Tel Aviv. Together, we discover 

the white city, classified with the inheritance 

of UNESCO, the place of Disenghof, 

the memorial for Shoa by Yigal 

Tormarkin, or the Azrieli towers. But 

especially she makes us discover her 

intimates Tel-Aviv, her plays in the gardens, 

the delicious desserts of Purim 

(Easter Jewish), the play of the 5 stones 

(kind of Israeli Knucklebones) and the 

market with the thousand scents... but 

fortunately, after all this tumult, there is 

the beach. In this book, we culturally discover 

a new city and not less culturally 

rich one which will celebrate its hundred 

years in 2009. 

Berlin Sold to Germany 

Blurb 

Emil is a young Berliner who eats bio, 

but which likes also the traditional curry 

wurtz. We follow him in the streets of 

Berlin. Together, we discover the vestiges 

of the Wall, Charlie Check Point, the 

corridors of the subway, the animals of 

the zoo, the Berliner Hauptbahnhof, the 

memorial of Shoa, Tiergarten, the door 

of Brandbourg, the Parliament and a lot 

of others emblematic monuments of the 

city. The matter of the book is to make 

discover to the reader one of the most 

important European capitals, but it’s 

also the day to day of our young guide 

which we discover with his plays and his 

friends. This guided tour is been used for 

wonder by freshness of the lines of Francesca 

Bazzuro and removed making-up 

of Orith Kolodny. 

Author: Orith Kolodny 

Illustrator: Francesca Bazzuro 

MENTION 

BOLOGNA 

RAGAZZI 

AWARD 

2 0 0 8 

In this documentary collection, 

the reader follows a child, 

who makes him discover his 

city as he sees it, love it or 

undergoes it. This process 

makes it possible to pass 

without transition from a field 

to another, from the everyday 

life to the town planning, from 

the history to the architecture 

or the ecology. Even if these 

books are not intended a priori 

for pedagogy, they provide 

very many tracks to all the 

mediators. 

Genève / Geneva 

Blurb 

Daniel lives in Geneva. He takes us for a 

stroll in his home town. The giant chess 

game in Bastions Park, the Reformers 

wall or Rousseau island hold no secrets 

for him and his friends. 

In this collection, the reader follows a 

child, who acquaints him with his home 

town through the ordinary places he frequents 

and enjoys. Combining daily life, 

urbanism, ecology and heritage, these 

books let us see and experience a town 

through a kaleidoscope of images, information 

and sensations. 





8 9 

NEW TITLE 

Paris 

Price: 12.50 € 

Blurb 

Paris, the fourth book of a collection in which one explores 

the town with the help of a young guide, marks an evolution 

in the concept : this time, animals punctuate the tour of 

the famous capital city with unconventional commentaries, 

alongside quotes from great French authors. Besides Apollinaire’s 

calligrammes and Rimbaud’s vowels, we find quotes 

from Baudelaire, Flaubert or Fromentin. Notre-Dame, the 

Louvre, the Wallace fountains and the Seine are fitted into a 

clever and dynamic combination of colors and forms. 

Mixing daily life, urbanism, ecology and heritage, this collection 

lets us see a city through a kaleidoscope of images, 

information and sensations. It received a special award 

in Bologna in 2008. Each book «brings the stimulation that 

every guide wanting to make a city accessible to others 

should provide. In this respect, it offers a new way of depicting 

the city as a joyous container of sounds, fragments, 

secrets and surprises. » (the Jury of the Bologna International 

Book Fair)

les GesTes de lA FeRme collection New TiTle 

Type : Photographic album 

NiCOleTTe HumbeRT, author & photographer 

She speaks of herself: “I spent my youth in a little village on the river Meuse. There was a baker’s, cows in the fields and 

a photo lab in the townhall. I discovered the magic of black and white prints. After a short stay at university I went tothe 

School of Fine Arts in Nancy. I was looking for a way to express myself and photography was the obvious solution. At 

the moment I take photographs for a communications agency and I am a correspondent for Sipa Press.” 

A la ferme 

At the Farmhouse 

Blurb 

This book offers a stroll at the farm. 

There, one discovers the animals 

belonging to agricultural life through 

sober portraits captured on the 

spur of the moment. 

From the barnyard to the fields, the 

reader is immersed in an animal 

book where chickens, pigs, goats 

and cows become, through the 

photographer’s eye, the actors of a 

comedy close to the earth. 

A la ferme de tout près 

The farm in details 

Blurb 

Nicolette Humbert accurates the lens 

of her camera to reveal all the amazing 

details of the farm animals. She manages 

to create a strange proximity which stirs all 

our senses up. Will you recognize which 

part of the animal is represented ? 

Au jardin fruitier 

The Orchard 

Blurb 

After animals of the farm, Nicolette 

Humbert take us along in a pastoral 

walk in her orchard. Her eyes of 

advised photographer reveals us odorous 

and mature fruits in a generous 

and estival nature. 

Au Jardin Fruitier de tout près 

The Orchard in details 

Blurb 

This is the fourth title in the collection 

concentrating on farmyard photographs 

with magnificent close-ups of 

produce from the kitchen garden. 

Les Gestes de la ferme 

Farm Activities 

Blurb 

Les Gestes de la ferme, the fifth book in a 

beautiful series of picture-photo books dedicated 

to agricultural life, shows the activity and 

daily care given to the animals and the garden: 

feeding the rabbits, burning weeds and 

bringing in the hay all take on a timeless and 

universal dimension, thanks to the distinctive 

photo processing by Nicolette Humbert. 

Les Gestes de la ferme de tout près 

Farm Activities From Up Close 



Age: from 18 months old on 


Price : 13 € 

Blurb 

The picture books in this collection dedicated to agricultural 

life work in duo. The second book to concentrate on the 

details, Les Gestes de la ferme de tout près, strives to show 

in detail some aspects of daily life on the farm : land being 

ploughed, sheep being sheared, cheese being molded... 

Nicolette Humbert renders with accuracy and generosity the 

textures of her subjects as well as the care people give to the 

elements that surround them. A great way to train one’s eye. 

10 11 

NEW TITLE

sOmNAmbule collection New TiTles 

Type : Comics 





Price: 9.80 € 

Guillaume Long was born in Geneva in 1977 and works and lives in the Jura. Having graduated in Fine Arts at the St 

Etienne College of Art, he spends his time between comic books (Casterman, Vertige Graphic) and the press (Phosphore, 

J’aime lire, Le matin, Moi je lis, Bilan...). He received the Töpffer Price in 2003 for his book Les Sardines sont cuites. 

Le Grand Méchant huit 

The Great Bad Roller Coaster 

Blurb 

Robin is the happiest boy of the 

world : for his birthday his parents 

offered to him and his friend Rémi 

one complete day to Youpiland 

where he will be totally free to 

do whatever he wants. And here 

they are gone for adventure in this 

so cool amusement park where 

flowers can talk, where hamburgers 

are crispy and where smiling 

is a duty. 

But can you really keep smiling 

when two girls from the school 

come to tease you, when the activities 

are a bit disappointing compared 

to your expectations, or 

when the fear of the great mean 

oller-coaster is hanging over all 

day and that you know you’ll have 

to face it soon ? And what to think 

about this strange white-haired 

guy with this 8 printed on his shirt 

who seems to be following them 

since the beginning of the day… 

Swimming Poule mouillée 

Blurb 

Robin is a small boy who loves 

to talk about stories in which he 

always is the winner. Every Tuesday, 

he goes to his swimming 

class. That day, he will have to 

pass a terrible test called “ the 

golden sardine ”. Will Robin 

manage to face the events that 

he will have to pass and show the 

terrible swimming teacher that 

he isn’t a coward ? A tender and 

comical story in which children 

and adults will recognize themselves. 

Plâtatras! 

Crash! 

Blurb 

A few months after their fairground 

adventure, Robin and Vincent play 

tightrope walkers on a tree climbing 

site. With a lot of recklessness and 

an element of the unexpected, Robin 

ends up in hospital, a leg in a splint, 

waiting for surgery. The visits he 

receives do not make up for the injections, 

the tray meals and the doctors. 

Robin gets to know his roommate, a 

teenager who is familiar with the surgical 

unit and who will convince him 

to escape with him and so avoid the 

fatal operation. Nothing will go as 

planned and Robin will have to face 

the ordeal of the operating room 

alone. And this will earn him, a few 

days later, quite a bit of success 

among the girls at school... 

What makes the strength and charm 

of Guillaume Long’s albums is that 

he knows how to depict childhood 

fears with a sense of humour which 

defuses the drama, while maintaining 

some tension. 

La chèvre de M. Seguin 

The Tale of Mr. Seguin’s Goat 

Author : Alphonse Daudet 

Illustrator: Adrienne Barman 

Adrienne Barman spent her childhood in 

the high plains of Italian Switzerland 

between a briard dog and canaries. 

Blurb 

French writer and playwright, 

Alphonse Daudet was born in Nîmes 

in 1840 and died in Paris in 1897. La 

Chèvre de monsieur Seguin is one 

of the short stories included in Les 

Lettres de mon Moulin (Letters from 

my Windmill). According to Claude 

Gagnière, it is now clearly attributed 

to his ghostwriter, Paul Arène. 

A friend of the author, Pierre Gringoire, 

does not want to become a 

columnist. Daudet sends him, in the 

form of a letter, this friendly warning, 

inspired by a popular Provençal story: 

the tale of Mr. Seguin’s goat. 

The famous story of Blanquette, a 

little goat with a great love of liberty, 

has for once been adapted to comic 

book form. A scenario that has been 

edited in a clever and varied manner. 

Hérold & Pissenlit 

Herold & Dandelion 

Author : Matthieu Maudet 

Matthieu Maudet was born in Nantes 

and spent many years illustrating the 

margins of his notebooks. Since then, 

he has grown up and settled down 

in Rennes, where he devotes himself 

to comic books and picture books 

illustration. He has already published 

a dozen of books, notably for the École 

des Loisirs and Frimousse publishing 

houses. 

Blurb 

Hérold is a nice, rather solitary child, 

the kind of boy who gets his game 

console stolen by stronger kids. As 

with every year, he is spending the 

summer in the countryside, at his 

grand-parents’, who surround him 

with love while he endures the sarcastic 

remarks of older kids. But then 

Hérold meets... a flying pink cow! 

Fear gives way to friendship. 

With bright colors and a fresh style 

the author astutely broaches the 

need for children to resort to imaginary 

friends in order to overcome 

their shyness. 

L’enfant sans visage 

The Faceless Boy 

Author : Mickaël Roux 

Mickaël Roux is 29 and lives in Chinon. 

He is an autodidact influenced by 

the worlds of Tim Burton, Tarantino 

and Rodriguez, alternately funny 

and poetic, absurd and cruel, just 

like the childhood world which he is 

particularly fond of. 

Blurb 

Tim sneezes and looses his face. 

Helped by his friends, he embarks on 

a chase throughout the house to collect 

the missing pieces. 

An unpretentious story in which the 

characters, coming straight out of the 

world of Japanese drawings and that 

of Tim Burton, manage to get themselves 

out of a rather embarrassing 

situation with good humour. 

12 13 

NEW TITLE 

NEW TITLE 

NEW TITLE

sOmNAmbule collection sOmNAmbule collection 

Type : Comics 





Fourmi ? 

Ant? 

Author : Isabelle Pralong 

Price: 9 € 

Isabelle Pralong has graduated from 

the Instituto Europeo di Design in 

Milano. She currently lives in Geneva. 

She has participated about fifteen 

magnificient exhibitions. Her work 

with colour is absolutely remarkable. 

Blurb 

A little girl, a dog, a cat and a robot 

are setting out to face their own 

fears, outside, during the night. The 

culprit is a monster… but he’s not so 

monstrous… How can we face our 

imaginaries fears ? A classical story 

about the unknown, with really originals 

illustrations. This is the fist children 

book of this artist well-known by 

comics’ lovers. (Bülb Editions, Comix 

and Atrabile). 

Vacances sur Vénus 

Holidays on Venus 



Price: 9 € 

Le Génie de la boîte de raviolis 

The Ravioli Can Genius 



Price: 9 € 

Sold to Korea 

Germano Zullo, writer, was born in Geneva in 1968. He collaborates regularly to 

the publications of Albertine. 

Albertine, genevan artist, has already published many books. She has taken 

part in many shows in Switzerland and elsewhere. She also is a press illustrator. 

She teaches screen print at the superior school of visual arts in Geneva. 

Blurb 

Mister Labas and his best friend, 

Georges the cat, leave on holiday to 

Lavandou. So as to avoid queues, 

they use a secondary road. Very 

quickly, however, they loose their way, 

and in an extraordinary manner. The 

beach they end by reaching doesn’t 

look anything like the Côte d’Azur. An 

astonishing encounter will give their 

destiny a new twist. 

Blurb 

Armand works in a ravioli factory, 

lives in a suburban dormitory town 

and loves flowers. Of course, when 

he is hungry, he opens a ravioli can. 

One evening something bursts out of 

the can… How to transform everyday 

life and make it acceptable ! 

Adapted for a cartoon film 

and winner of 

le Prix du Festival d’Annecy 2003 

& le Prix Canal Plus 2003. 

Nominated 

Prix des incorruptibles 2004 

Bonnes vacances Salbette 

Good Holidays Salbette 

Author : Noyau 

Price: 9 € 

Noyau was born in 1963 

and currantly lives in Zurich 

(Switzerland). He draws for 

the cultural, economical 

and children press. He has 

participated in numerous 

exhibitions in Switzerland 

and Europe. 

Blurb 

Salbette, the small polecat, 

must go to his father’s 

place, a very busy divorced 

business man, and 

go on holiday with him. To 

go there, Salbette takes 

the bus, but the journey is 

very complicated. Will the 

encounters arising from 

this journey be as exalting 

as a faraway trip ? 

Le Dessert 

The Dessert 

Author : Tom Tirabosco 

Price : 9 € 

Tom Tirabosco, Swiss illustrator 

born in Rome in 1966, is 

established in Geneva since 

1971. He graduated from the 

School of Superior Visual Arts 

of Geneva. Award-winner of 

numerous competitions of 

comic strip, he has received in 

1997 the Toepffer Price of the 

city of Geneva and in 2003 “ Le 

Grand Prix de la ville de Sierre ” 

(for L’Œil de la forêt, published 

by Casterman. Recently he has 

also signed five stamps for the 

swiss mail. 

Blurb 

Dessert time is always slow 

to appear for children. While 

the guests are finishing their 

meal, Mathieu is going to meat 

Bacamiel, a monster who only 

loves sugar and who will do 

anything to satisfy his passion. 

Mathieu will challenge him in a 

delicious duel before coming 

back home to taste the cake 

baked by his mother. 

Les Nouveaux Pirates! 

New Pirates! 

Author : Lionel Richerand 

After an education at the School of Graphic 

Arts (Met de Penninghen), then at the School of 

Decorative Arts in Paris, Lionel Richerand specializes 

in illustrating and directing animated films. 

To begin with, he created images for the Bayard 

press Internet site and enews. In October 2007 

he published, with Akiléos, the comic book Petit 

conte léguminesque, collaborating with Eric Sannier. 

Immersed in the world of animated film, he 

produced a 26-minute film La Peur du Loup, codirected 

the series Les Grabonautes and participated 

in the feature film Renaissance by Christian 

Volckman. At the moment he is working on his 

own feature film and several comic-strip projects. 

Blurb 

Thomas, aged 5, is a new pirate: he has not read 

Treasure Island, but he knows the story of Black 

Beard and his plastic hook so well that when 

Thomas curses like a sea-dog in the graveyard 

next to his holiday house in Brittany, he wakes 

up the furious ghost of the local pirate. Black 

Beard, urged on by Thomas, puts together his 

old crew for a fantastic voyage to never-never 

Island. During their journey, they meet a crocodile, 

inconsolable having lost his favourite pirate, 

as well as an island full of lice that turns out to be 

a whale. 

Plus point 

A quirky take on piracy. 

14 15

sOmNAmbule collection sOmNAmbule collection 

Type : Comics 





Le Tigre bleu 

The Blue Tiger 

Author : Nicolas Robel 

Price: 9 € 

Nicolas Robel was born in 1974 in Quebec 

City, Canada. He has graduated 

from the “ Ecole d’arts appliqués ” in 

Geneva where he obtained a diploma 

in visual communication. He regularly 

takes part in collective exhibitions 

and in collective comics for the 

Drozophile Atrabile, modern editions 

Switzerland, and Drawn & Quarterly 

Montreal. He produced posters, 

advertisements and programs for 

various cultural associations. 

Blurb 

Cut off from the adult’s world, Paul’s 

world is made of Marionettes. Thanks 

to Katia, his little neighbor, he will 

get out of his own reality and enter 

the real world. Here, a dynamic 

and tender drawing illustrates the 

difficulty of being. 

Prix Jeunesse et médias 2003 

Selected by Pro Helvetia for the program 

MOVING WORDS (Promotion of the 

translation of swiss children’s and youth 

literature) 

For details see p.1 

Chocottes au sous-sol ! 

Heebie-jeebies in the basement ! 

Author : Stéphane Blanquet 

Price: 9.80 € 

Stéphane Blanquet was born in 1973. 

He is the author of many comic books 

published by independant authors 

such as “ L’association ”. His graphic 

universe has seduced many French 

newspapers and magazines such as 

“ Libération ”, “ Télérama ” and “ Les 

Inrockuptibles ”. Since June 1997 he 

dedicated himself more and more to 

animation theatre and is one of the 

only French draughtsmen to work in 

the same environment as comics US. 

Blurb 

The story starts at a children’s costume 

party. A 7 year old boy, disguised 

as a pink rabbit in spite of 

himself is chosen to go and fetch a 

girl who went down to fetch soda 

bottles in the dark and damp cellar. 

He finds his playmate is worried. She 

has seen the biggest stuffed toy, all 

dusty and broken, move... The two 

kids will have to answer about the 

bad treatment they inflicted to the old 

toys. 

La Colline 

The Hill 

Author : Sophie Clermont 

Illustrator : Simon Kroug 

Price: 9 € 

Sophie Clermont was born in 1966 in 

Nice, France. She has studied painting 

in “ L’Ecole des beaux-arts ” in 

Annecy and in 1994, she has obtained 

a post-graduate diploma in 

knowledge of art and painting from 

the “ Ecole supérieure d’arts visuels ” 

in Geneva. 

Simon Kroug was born in Geneva in 

1977. He has graduated from the 

Ecole cantonale d’art in Lausanne 

and teaches visual arts to young students. 

He finds his inspiration in all 

his travels and in his big family circle. 

Blurb 

It is time for Johan and his sister 

Roma to recover the treasure buried 

under hearth of the hill. Johan, who 

belongs to the clan of the “ Plumes 

Noires ”, takes us with him to go in 

search of the hill and its secrets. 

Le Pingouin volant 

The Flying Pinguin 

Author : Wazem 

Price: 9.80 € 

Wazem is born in Geneva in 1970. He holds 

a diploma of the school of Decorative Arts 

of Geneva. Illustrator for the press Wazem 

is nevertheless an established comic book 

author. He has published about twenty 

albums (Casterman, Les Humanoïdes Associés, 

Atrabile, Papier Gras...) 

He has also achieved various exhibitions 

in Switzerland, France and in Japan. He 

received numerous prizes, the Rodolphe 

Töpffer Prize, the Journal de Québec Prize, 

as well as the International Prize of the 

town of Geneva in 2005 amongst others. 

Wazem has been selected at the Alph-arts 

of Angoulême in 2000 and 2002. 

Blurb 

The flight of the Emperor. 

As the hero of this story states: “if penguins 

have wings, they are meant to fly ! ” And 

whatever his fellow creatures say, our reckless 

Spheniscidae (family of sea birds) will 

brave the group’s mockeries, get his rump 

off the ice shelf and become the first flying 

penguin. 

By leaning on his great mastery of drawing 

and coloring, Wazem offers us a funny and 

swinging album, where situation comedy 

prevails. 

16 17 

Lala 

Author : Malika Fouchier 

Price: 9.80 € 

Sold to Germany 

Malika Fouchier lives in 

Angouleme. 

She has published Arthur 

et le secret de Mamie with 

the scenario of M. Sevestre, 

at Editions Delacourt. 

Blurb 

Lala narrates the hazards 

of the life of a little girl. 

In the form of images with 

subtitles, we follow the 

main thread of her existence 

: Friendship, holidays 

at the sea, visits to 

go see grandma, Lala 

speaks of childhood and 

speaks to the younger as 

well as the older. 

La Balade de l’enfant-chat 

The Journey of the Cat Child 

Author : Willy Ze Cat 

Price: 9.80 € 

Born in 1976, Willy Ze Cat lives in 

Paris. Graphic artist and cartoonist, 

he is the author of a series of comic 

books for children, Hugo, published 

by Dupuis. 

Blurb 

Mathieu wakes up during the night 

of his birthday, half-child, half-cat. 

Panic all around! What is his mum 

going to say? There is only one solution: 

to flee. His cat advises him to 

go and see a witch who could help 

him regain his initial shape thanks 

to magic potions. His journey will be 

fraught with unexpected encounters: 

two witches, a Russian cat and 

a gang of batty bats, who will teach 

Mathieu to accept his difference. 

Pen and ink drawings give a feline 

charm to this pretty, fantastic journey 

on the theme of metamorphosis.

HORs-COlleCTiON collection eNTRe Tes dOiGTs collection 

101 bonnes raisons de se réjouir de lire 

101 good reasons to enjoy reading 

Author : collective 

Foreword by Beatrice Masini 

Illustrator: Guillaume Long 



Age : from 5 years old on 

Price: 10 € 

Guillaume Long was born in Geneva in 1977 and works and lives in the Jura. 

Having graduated in Fine Arts at the St Etienne College of Art, he spends his time 

between comic books (Casterman, Vertige Graphic) and the press (Phosphore, 

J’aime lire, Le matin, Moi je lis, Bilan...). He received the Töpffer Price in 2003 for 

his book Les Sardines sont cuites. Guillaume Long is the director of the collection 

« Somnambule » at La Joie de lire publishing house, a post held since the beginning 

of 2008. 

Blurb 

Once one knows how to read, many doors are open to us : 

• One can read scary stories... and then tell them to others. 

• One can see what it’s really like on the moon. 

• One can also know what one is going to eat, thanks to descriptions in the menu. 

And it is sometimes reassuring! 

By asking children, we found 101 good reasons to enjoy reading: escapism, 

knowledge, information, sociability, enjoying the language... There are certainly 

many more reasons, but Guillaume Long wouldn’t have had time to illustrate them 

all! 

This picture book makes it possible to broach in a new and funny way the stakes 

of reading in all its forms. 

Olivier Bardy was born in Paris in 1969. After studying economics, advertising and 

cinema, he directed several short-films and is currently preparing his first full-length 

film. 

François Aubin was born in 1969 in Basse-Normandie. Having graduated in Fine 

Arts and having trained as a graphic artist, he currently lives in Strasbourg. He 

published two books with the École des loisirs publishing house (Foot —Football— 

and La Pêche miraculeuse —The Miraculous Draught of Fishes) as an author and 

illustrator. 

Blurb 

“Not everyone can solve the world’s problems. It might take a child’s imagination to 

be able to do it...” 

What would the world look like if its creator was a child? 

For Bardy and Aubin, the answers are obvious and numerous: cats would be 

equipped with handles, Carambars (a French sweets brand) would be the national 

currency, cows would be train drivers... And, most of all, readers would never get 

bored! 

With a quirky humour, at times fresh and at times sardonic, the book broaches, 

without any fuss, topical issues like global warming, video games or consumption. 

Quand je referai le monde… 

The day I solve the world’s problems 

Author: Olivier Bardy 

Illustrator: François Aubin 

Format: 16 x 22 



Price: 11 € 

L’arbre / Le champ 

The Tree / The Meadow 

Author : Hervé Tullet 

Publication date : June 2009 


Hervé Tullet was born in Avranches in 1958. He studied illustration 

and advertising and then worked for ten years as an artistic 

director in the communication and advertising business. In 1990, 

he drew his first cartoons for the press and published his first 

children’s book in 1994 at the Seuil Jeunesse publishing house. 

Author-illustrator of about twenty books, notably published by 

Panama publishing house, he is also still a cartoonist for the 

press. 

Blurb 

Hervé Tullet’s effective lines, instantly recognizable, create, page 

after page, a black and white film made out of paper. 

The tree emerges from the soil, covers itself with fruits which end 

up by flying away. 

A field of flowers begins to blossom. Let the child colour it in and 

the book will become a unique funny and precious object. 

Let the child colour it in and the book will become a unique, 

funny and precious object. 

Type : Flipbook 

Cover : soft 



Price: 4.50 € 

18 19

milTON collection 

Milton chez le vétérinaire 

Milton at the Vet 

Sold to Japan, USA, Netherlands, Venezuela 

Blurb 

Milton’s new adventures : he now 

takes us along to the vet. You’ve 

probably guessed that he hates it, 

as any cat does… 

Mais où est passé Milton ? 

Where is Milton ? 

Sold to Portugal and Germany 

Blurb 

Like all cats, Milton likes to find some 

little places where he feels good. We 

believe that he hides himself but he 

is sometimes so funnily visible, that 

we laugh about it ! Haydé offers us 

an anthology of situations, brilliantly 

mixing graphic talent and poetic 

humour. 

Le Nöel de Milton 

Milton’s Christmas 

Sold to Japan, USA, Germany and Spain 

Blurb 

It is quite careless to leave a nozy cat 

with the Christmas tree... 

Moi, Milton 

Me, Milton 

Sold to Japan, USA, Netherlands, Spain, 

Venezuela, Portugal and Germany 

Blurb 

“ Moi, Milton ” tells the day by day 

adventures of a very special cat. The 

very loved one of the illustrator. 

Nominated 

Les plus beaux livres suisses 1997 

Milton et le corbeau 

Milton and the Crow 

Sold to Japan, Netherlands, Venezuela 

Blurb 

How Milton, taking many risks, pits 

himself against a crow family whose 

little ones he particularly appreciates. 

Les vacances de Milton 

Milton’s Holidays 

Type : Album 


Author: Haydé 



Age: all ages 

Price: 10 € 

Blurb 

This time, we will follow Milton during 

his holidays. As an urban cat, he 

likes to go on holidays in the south of 

France. Everything surprises him in 

the country. He discovers new smells, 

new shapes, new noises. Haydé has 

observed him and shows us, with her 

talent, a Milton fond of liberty. 

A TAble ! collection 

Au coin du fourneau / Beside the stove 

Blurb 

The culinary adventures of Adrienne Barman continue! 

Based on the stories, fairy tales and popular beliefs she 

continues to bring us the good pleasures in life. Her third 

Cookery book sends out new creations that sound as tasty 

as they are imaginative: an Indian rose flavoured lassi, prepared 

by Sleeping Beauty; crostini with grilled cheese for 

the Crow and the Fox; without forgetting the famous tuna 

pâté of the Little Mermaid… Forty recepies each from well 

loved characters, with plenty of humour and wonderful illustrations 

from the author. 

A vos fourneaux ! / Let’s start cooking ! 

Blurb 

Adrienne has the chance of having friends that are fond of 

good food. Since 2003, they play the game by revealing 

their best recipes to her. Every week, in the pages of the 

Courrier, Adrienne takes up the challenge to show in a little 

comic strip, how to cook Seb lemon chicken, a chocolate 

smoothie of Claude, Raoul’s cinnamon ice cream, or yet 

Marguerite’s carrot cake. 

“ Friends first ” pays a culinary tribute to friendship for the 

greatest satisfaction of our taste buds ! 

Le Fourneau voyageur / The traveler stove 


Format : 27 x 12.5cm 


Age: grown up, adults 

Price: 15.90 € 

Born in 1979, Adrienne Barman spent 

her childhood in the high plains of Italian 

Switzerland between a briard dog and 

her canaries. She received her degree 

in graphics from Lugano. After studying 

Decorative Arts, she left for Geneva to 

mingle with the locals, she got involved 

in the illustrations of the newspaper Le 

Courrier, and is now involved in graphic 

design in collaboration with the group 

so2design.ch. 

Since January 2007 she has concentrated 

on illustration (newspapers and 

children’s book). She cannot live without 

Japanese green tea, baroque music and 

her mum’s plum jam. 

Blurb 

After the success of A vos fourneaux, Adrienne Barman 

is back with a new book of receipts. This time, she proposes 

to the greedy readers a journey in thousand flavours 

around the world. She shows us a cartography of the gastronomy 

with original receipts stemming from all the cultures. 

Adrienne takes advantage to show the traditional clothes 

and the other characteristics of every visited country. 

An outline of this gastronomic tour operator: blinis of Elisa 

in Moscow, tacos of Alix in Mexico City, gilt-head bream 

in the oven of Mohamed in Tunis and far Breton of Béatrice 

from Quimper. 

20 21

imAGieR collection imAGieR collection 

Type : Imagier 





Price: 11 € 

L’Imagier de Tom 


Tom Tirabosco, Swiss illustrator born 

in Rome in 1966, is established in 

Geneva since 1971. He graduated 

from the School of Superior Visual 

Arts of Geneva. Award-winner of 

numerous competitions of comic 

strip, such as the Hebdo/Festival 

BD of Sierre in 1993. He regularly 

attends shows in Switzerland, signs 

several cultural and political posters, 

and works with the Swiss and French 

press. 

Blurb 

Some small porthole, a kind of small 

window is created for us to learn the 

names of all the details that inhabit 

the universe. A tender and comical 

book for the very young. 

L’Imagier de Chiara 

Author : Chiara Carrer 

Chiara Carrer was born in Venice. She 

holds a degree from the Academie 

des Beaux-arts and from the School 

of decorative arts in Rome. She has 

published about a hundred books 

and has received many prizes. Besides 

her being an illustrator, she animates 

drawing workshops for children 

from 6 to 12 years old. 

Blurb 

The picture book is an exercise 

of sensitizing to written language. 

Through the pleasure of discovering 

pictures the child, not yet a reader 

becomes aware that a link exists 

between an object and the written 

sign. 

The picture book gives us a freehand, 

an invitation to a amateur illustrator 

to unfurl, according to his desire, the 

imaginary within him. 

Chiara Carrer provides a picture 

book softly chiseled in the shape of a 

secret garden. Therein she combines 

different techniques, collage, pencil 

and painting. 

L’Imagier de Chiara is a precious and 

secret book to tidy in one’s treasure 

chest. 

L’Imagier de Haydé 

Author : Haydé Ardalan 

Haydé Ardalan boasts a diploma from 

the Lausanne School of Visual Arts, 

in Graphic Arts section. She was the 

assistant and collaborator of Werner 

Jeker, graphic designer of international 

renown. Each week, she contributes 

to the magazine “ Hebdo ” illustrating 

a cooking recipe and the column 

“ Tentations ”. 

Blurb 

In this collection, “ La Joie de lire ” 

gives the illustrators the opportunity 

of creating there own “ Imagier ”. 

In this book, Haydé decided to use 

Indian Ink and pencil. Regarding the 

pictures, her choices are spontaneous 

: animals and insects are drawn 

with humour. 

L’Imagier de Guillaume 

Author : Guillaume Long 

Guillaume Long, born in Geneva in 

1977, lives and works in Saint Etienne. 

He publishes drawings in the press. 

He has published various comic 

books for adults (Editions Alice, Vertige 

Graphic). In 2004 he was awarded 

the Topffer Prize from the city of 

Geneva for his book : Les Sardines 

sont cuites, ed. Vertige Graphic. 

Blurb 

The picture book is an exercise 

of sensitizing to the written word. 

Through the pleasure of discovering 

pictures the child, not yet a reader 

becomes aware that a link exists 

between an object and the written 

sign. 

The picture book gives us a free 

hand, an invitation to a amateur 

illustrator to unfurl, according to his 

desire, the imaginary within him. 

Guillaume Long brings us, with the 

humor that characterizes him, to meet 

tiny thingies. 

The whole can be likened to a gallery 

of improbable portraits, populated 

by a greedy fly, a scared green pea, 

a forlorn electronic chip, a flying drop 

of water and other Lilliputian worm… 

L’Imagier d’Albertine 

Author : Albertine 

Genevan artist, Albertine, has already 

published many books. She has taken 

part in many shows in Switzerland 

and elsewhere. She also is a press 

illustrator. She teaches screen print 

at the superior school of visual arts 

in Geneva. Albertine is the first Swiss 

artist to have obtained the prestigious 

“ POMME D’OR ” of Bratislava. Germano 

Zullo and Albertine have received 

in 2003, at the international animation 

festival of Annecy, the special 

prize of SACD and the prize “ Canal 

+ ” for a short animation of the album 

Le Génie de la boîte de raviolis. 

Blurb 

A ravioli can, a cow, a balloon, an 

octopus, a radio, a robot… 

Here is all the world of Albertine 

finally get together in her “ imagier ” ! 

As much wink to her previous albums 

as new fantasy are leading this little 

book where everything seems alive, 

in motion. She asserts here her so 

particular style by the fineness of her 

stroke and the liveliness of the colors 

she uses. Humor and creativity are 

characteristics of Albertine. 

22 23

Albums collection AbeRTiNe & GeRmANO zullO 

Blanche et Marcel 




Price : 9.90 € 

Blurb 

Blanche and Marcel are in love 

for forty years. They dream to 

make the world tour. One day, 

they decide to discover the 

valley of the Salsarine. Miss 

Rougeard recommend them 

Peck’s travels : everything is 

organised, it’s easier ! The programme 

is very attractive. 

Hôtel Rimini 

Format : 21, 5 × 21, 5 cm 



Price : 16 € 

Blurb 

We all have dreamed of spending 

a holiday in the south to enjoy the 

“ Farniente ” of a seaside stay. Both 

children and adults can recognize 

themselves in this funny description 

of a typical hotel holiday, where from 

the reception to the souvenir shop, 

everyone participates in creating a 

successful vacation on his own way. 

La Java bleue 

Format : 20 × 20 cm 



Price : 15 € 

Sold to Germany and Taïwan 

Blurb 

As many families, the Sunday family is used to watch TV all day long. The 

TV is so much part of their life that when it breaks down, it’s a real disaster… 

until, thanks to an old song, life begins again. A book to sustain family 

discussions ! 

La Marelle 

The Hopscotch 


Number of pages: 40 pages 


Price: 14.90 € 

Blurb 

An homage to one of the oldest 

plays in Europe: the hopscotch. 

This chalk layout, still present 

today in many schoolyard, is not 

less one symbolic course which 

goes from the ground to the 

sky. While following the stone 

which Marie lance, the character 

of the album, we discover 

the stages of her life from her 

birth to her ten years. She has 

imagined a decoration in three 

dimensions for each stage of 

the life of the small girl, which 

gives a theatrical atmosphere to 

the album; an evolution which 

serves with brilliance the matter 

of the book. 

En ville / In Town 



Age : from 12 months old on 

Price: 14.50 € 

Sold to Netherlands 

Grand Couturier Raphaël 

Raphael the fashion designer 




A la mer / At the sea side 




24 25 

Price: 15.90 € 

Blurb 

Seeing a cute little yellow bag, a young lady is filled with admiration by the 

shop window of the fashion designer Raphaël. And, innocent as she is, she 

enters the Mecca of very-stylish-and-very-expensive fashion. Caught-up in 

the tentacles of a zealous saleswoman, a whirlwind of bags, hats, dresses and 

shoes pass before her eyes, each more beautiful than the next. 

This book looks with an amused eye at the seductive power of fashion and at 

the excessive choice offered to consumer society; it represents an additional 

step in Albertine’s artistic approach with her milliner’s drawings which outdo 

each other in elegance and originality. 

Price: 13.90 € 

Sold to Spain, Netherlands and England 

Blurb 

Who hasn’t dreamt of going on holiday to the seaside to spend lazy days 

there? Scenes of hotels and beaches portrayed with the customary humour of 

these two authors, this large scale picture book can be appreciated on many 

levels. 

Blurb 

According to the principle of “take a walk” books, through page after page, the 

very young will discover characters which they will find again in other books in 

the same collection. After At the sea, it is now the city which is portrayed in all 

its detail. The train station, the public square, the public garden or the airport, 

every urban space is the scene of small adventures for the characters who 

evolve page after page. In this tonic and colourful world, the children will find: 

the reader of the mystery of flight 747; Superman rescuing the skeleton of a 

dinosaur on the verge of collapsing ; a travelling mouse; the couple from At the 

sea expecting their first child... A boardbook which sharpens one’s sense of 

observation and of humour!

Albums collection AbeRTiNe & GeRmANO zullO 

La Rumeur de Venise 

The Venetian Rumour 




Price: 14.90 € 

Germano Zullo was born in 

Geneva on 16th May 1968. 

After a degree in business 

studies, he spent two years 

travelling around Europe. From 

1992 to 2002 he worked as an 

accountant. Since 1996 he has 

published numerous children’s 

books in collaboration with 

the illustrator Albertine for La 

Joie de Lire. He also writes 

Prix Jeunesse et 

erotic stories and poetry and 

médias 2009 

has published, still with La Joie 

de Lire, a novel for adolescents 

entitled Quelques années de moins que la Lune. 

Albertine has already several books to her name. She has 

taken part in numerous exhibitions in Switzerland and 

abroad. She also illustrates for newspapers. She teaches 

silk screen at the art school in Geneva. Albertine is the 

first Swiss artist to have been awarded the prestigious 

“Pomme d’Or” from Bratislava. 

Blurb 

A fisherman catches a fish in the Venetian lagoon. Is it 

really a fish? Or maybe a sea monster or a unicorn from 

the deep? What if it were a real mermaid ? The rumour 

grows, spread by buxom women, leaning on their balconies, 

dreaming gondoliers and giggly, curious children. 

Albertine expresses her work in three dimensions, which 

she started in La Marelle, and stages her imaginative 

world. The canals of Venice are a special setting for this 

story of images and allusions. 

Le Chat botté 

Puss in Boots 

Author: Charles Perrault 

Illustrator: Albertine 




Price: 13.50 € 

Blurb 

After his death, an old miller gives all his belongings 

to his three sons. The youngest one inherits a cat. 

Penniless and not knowing what to do with such a 

present, he considers eating it. But it turns out that 

the cat can talk. In exchange for a bag and a pair of 

boots, and with a lot of craftiness, the cat will transform 

the young man into a powerful gentleman, the 

Marquis of Carabas, and thus make it possible for 

him to marry the princess of the kingdom. 

Albertine’s fine and colourful gouaches delicately 

illustrate this classic tale. Playing with the suppleness 

of the bodies and the freshness of the slightly 

acid colours, her pictures give a sparkling and light 

sensuality to Perrault’s text. 

Germano Zullo was born on the 16th of may 1968 in Geneva and got the swiss nationality in 1985. In 1990, he passed 

his degree at the Superior Commercial School of Malagnou. Then, he travelled during two years across Europe and, from 

1992 up to 2002, he worked as an accountant. Since 1996 he and his wife Albertine (illustrator) have published many 

children books at La Joie de Lire editions. He has also published some poems and erotic stories. 

As a young artist from Geneva, Albertine already exhibited her works several times. Since 1992, she cooperates with 

many daily newspapers in French-speaking Switzerland. She teaches silkscreen printing at the Superior School of 

Visual Arts of Geneva. She has been the first Swiss artist to receive the Golden Apple in 1999. 

Type : Album 


Format : 19.5 x 19.5 cm 



Price: 14 € 

Marta et la bicyclette / Marta and the Bicycle 

Sold to Korea, USA, Japan, Israël and Thailand 

Blurb 

Marta isn’t a normal cow. She is orange and 

has peculiar ideas. One day, she feels like 

biking. Since she always gets what she decided 

she would, she puts her name down for 

a bike race, and she wins ! Her friends naturally 

feel like doing the same ; but Marta will 

soon dream of other activities... 

Golden Apple, biennale de bratislava 1999 

Nominated by the 

Prix des incorruptibles 

Le Retour de Marta 

Marta’s return 

Publication date : November 2008 

Sold to Thailand 

Blurb 

Here we find Marta again, the very beautiful orange cow, belonging 

to Mr. Pincho. Contrary to her fellow cows, Marta has no interest in 

watching the trains go by. Maintaining her independent spirit, she prefers 

to go cycling, to travel by hot air balloon or in a submarine. She 

reappears in this new book, and no doubt her return to the farm brings 

plenty of surprises! 

Marta et la pieuvre 

Marta and the Octopus 

Sold to Taiwan, Japan and Thailand 

Blurb 

Marta has travelled all around 

the world with her balloon. In 

this new adventure, she’s going 

to discover the Ocean on board 

of a submarine. When they see 

her, the fish are very anxious and 

the octopus is the only one who 

dares approach her… 

Marta au pays des montgolfières 

Marta in the land of Hot-air 

Balloons 

Sold to Netherlands, Japan 

Korea and Thailand 

Blurb 

If you don’t know Marta yet, 

she’s an unusual cow, well 

known for her peculiar ideas. 

Throughout this new adventure, 

she invites us to discover 

Baloon country. 

26 27 

2008-2009

Albums collection Albums collection 

D’un monde à l’autre 

From a world to another 

Author: Daria Michel Scotti 

Illustrator: Kalonji 

Format: 19.5 x 28.5 


Age: from 6 ears old on 

Price: 12.50 € 

Selected by Pro Helvetia for 

t h e p r o g r a m M O V I N G W O R D S 

(Promotion of the translation 

of swiss children’s and youth 

literature) 


After studying anthropology and psychology at the University of Neuchâtel, Daria 

Michel Scotti had the opportunity to work in various fields such as science communication, 

in the ethnopsychiatrie and social integration. She was especially interested in 

the issue of adoption in its cultural dimension and is currently working with the team 

Adoption Area where she runs a workshop of expression for children. 

Originally from Zaire, Jean-Philippe Kalonji was born and lives in Geneva since 1973. 

After a short passage at the School of Decorative Arts in Geneva, he turns to the 

comics. He has published a dozen books ( Editions Emmanuel Proust, Paquet). Along 

with his work as an illustrator, he practices skateboard and sings in a group of triphop, 

as many sources of inspiration for graphic design. 

Blurb 

One Sunday, Ben enters the office of his grandfather, a piece of magic. This is all the 

treasures that grandfather has brought back from his travels: African statues, gilded 

Buddhas, spears ... Ben looks fascination with these objects that have a history. He 

also has a story, he was born in another country, has had other parents before those of 

today. Grandfather then tells Ben that in many cultures children are adopted, the North 

Pole in Ghana through Malaysia, there is no fatality. 

Reine 

Queen 

Sold to United Arab Emirates 

Author: Jacqueline Delaunay 




Price: 14.90 € 

Jacqueline Delaunay was born in Chamonix. After studying drawing in Sèvres, she 

went to the School of Decorative Arts, where she learnt to fine-tune her technique 

with Alain Le Foll. She went on to exhibit her own work: non-figurative pen and 

ink drawings, ink and blue powder drawings. At the same time she illustrated a 

dozen children’s books with P. Gascard, Bernard Clavel, S. Prou… and also wrote 

some short-stories. She now lives in the Jura. She has published the following 

titles for L’Ecole de Loisirs: Kodiak l’ourson, Etoile des neiges, Haw-Ki le faucon, 

Yéti, Shan, Léopard des neiges. For Rebelle, le loup (Syros) she was awarded the 

Enfantaisies prize in Geneva, given by booksellers and librarians. 

Blurb 

Every year in Switzerland, in the Val d’Hérens mountains, on the day that the cattle are moved to their summer pastures, 

the cows fight fiercely among themselves to establish a pecking order. The cow who wins, beating all her rivals 

becomes “queen” of the alpine pastures. Pierre, the young shepherd, really wants his father’s cow, Saphir, to win. He is 

very attached to this animal who risks being sold to Lucien the butcher. Pierre has received a promise from his father: if 

she beats all her rivals, Saphir can remain on the farm. But the competition is fierce. The favourite is called Lionne and 

has been queen for five years. The suspense is killing. There may well be some surprises… 

L’un d’entre eux 

One of them 

Author: Géraldine Alibeu 




Price: 14.90 € 

Géraldine Alibeu is born in 1978 in Echirolles, France. In 1995, she obtained 

a scienfic high school diploma and has graduated in 2001 from 

the Arts Décoratifs of Strasbourg. She has already realised two carton 

films and she writes or illustrate regularly for several publishing houses. 

Blurb 

«I am one of them. Sometimes, I imagine being another person.» 

L’Un d’entre eux (One of them) is a game of observation and imagination. 

Fourteen images picture characters in diverse settings: at the 

beach, at the swimming pool, in the desert, at a table outside a café... 

A commentary is written on the strip at the bottom of the page: «One of 

them doesn’t know how to swim, but we won’t make a fuss about it.» 

«One of them hesitates.» 

Who is talking here? There is certainly a clue within the image. But the 

cut-out strips suggest, when one turns them around, another possibility. 

What is the life of people in front of us really made up of? Do we 

look at them differently if we change the question? 

This apparently light-hearted game is not very far from Rimbaud’s «I is 

another/someone else». Between poetry and curiosity about the other, 

this book is delicately illustrated. 

28 29


Underground 

Author: Shimako Okamura 

Format: 20.6 X 26 cm 



Price: 15 € 

Shimako Okamura lives and works in 

Tokyo. Graduated from Musashino 

Art University, she has worked for 

“C.C.Lesmains” as a graphic designer 

and a leader project. Since 2004 

she is freelance designer and devotes 

all her time to illustration. 

Blurb 

The mole is consid ered by many 

men as a devastator of cultures. It’s 

an other role which Shimako Okamura 

allots to him in Underground. 

While following this digger mammal 

in the underground galleries that he 

digs, she offers to us a very interesting 

geological visit: ancient vestiges, 

skeletons of dinosaurs, underground 

caves whose crystals with the thousand 

colors scintillate under the head 

light and other magmatic layer are 

the wonders that we discover with 

the turning of the galleries that digs 

our small hard-working mole. But be 

careful with water! or all is to be started 

again. 

This book without text leaves the 

beautiful part to the illustration so 

that small and older discover the hidden 

wonders “underground”. 

Papattes 

Author: Isabel de Catalogne 

Illustrator: Marion Pradier 




Price: 12 € 

Isabelle de Catalogne, born in 1965, spent 

a few years in advertising, then tried her 

hand as a political sketch writer for Karl 

Zéro, before turning to animation. For the 

last 12 years she has written children’s 

series such as Zinzins de l’espace and La 

Mouche adapted from Lewis Trondheim’s comic book, finally collaborating with 

Juliette Sales on the animated feature film Piccolo, saxo et Cie, which came out 

in 2006, adapted from André Popp and André Broussole’s characters. 

Marion Pradier has always liked telling stories through her drawing. As an adolescent 

she attended evening classes in modelling and life drawing, developing 

her style at the School of Fine Art in Le Mans. Whilst a student at the Estienne 

School she aquired various graphic skills. At a very young age she was influenced 

by the world of comic books including authors such as Sfar, Baudouin, 

Satrapi, de Crécy… She has illustrated Petit semainier mortifière published by 

Fornax. 

Blurb 

Jean-Loup’s mum is having trouble telling her son that she is about to marry 

Pierre, however, this seems perfectly natural to her son since his father has 

already remarried and most of his friends’ parents are divorced. But the fact is 

there is quite a difference between…the suitor and his new family. 

Affaires de loup 

A wolf’s business 


Author: Pascale Trimouille 

Format: 18.5 x 14 



Price: 10 € 

Pascale Trimouille has a diploma from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des 

Beaux-Arts et de l’Ecole Nationale des Arts Décoratifs de Paris. She lives and 

works in Maison-Alfort where she teaches sculpture. This book is her first 

publication. 

Blurb 

It’s a story based on the discovery of oneself, of books and of others’ feelings. 

The pictures worked with charcoal give the story a somewhat dream-like aspect. 

This is a book with black and white drawings, alternating tension and tenderness, 

that describes the pleasure of sharing books. 

30 31 

ABCXYZ 

Author: Adrienne Barman 





Price: 18 € 

Blurb 

The ABC primer is an important and symbolic stage in learning a language. 

Adrienne Barman has challenged this literary classic for young children in 

presenting us with an animal ABC primer in five languages (French, English, 

Italian, Spanish, German). The cheerful strokes and bright colours of 

this primer will, without doubt, seduce both young and old. 

Moi et toi 

Me and you 

Author: Caroline Laffon 

Illustrator: Constanza Bravo 

Format: 20.5 x 26.5 cm 



Price: 13.50 € 

Caroline Laffon lives and works in Paris. After a Licence in Performing 

arts and a master in cinematographicstudies, she 

is devoted to the realization of documentary and write a lot 

of books for youth and gift books in collaboration with her 

mother. 

Constanza Bravo, Swiss, of Chilean origin she has studied Arts 

in Santiago. She boasts a degree from the School of visuals 

arts of Geneva, city where she currently lives and works. She 

coordinates an engravings workshop for children and has 

taken part to many exhibitions. 

Blurb 

Love is not a question of age. We share it. That’s it. And when 

a girl sees her grandmother crying, she takes her by the hand 

and reminds her their dreams and their good memories... 

And so that their love always lasts, the girl promises to get 

married to her grandmother because it is like that that end all 

the stories. But you should not cry repeat the girl... 

Caroline Laffon and Constanza Bravo offer to us an album all 

in delicacy to recall us that the children can also comfort the 

adults. 

Alice racontée aux petits enfants 

Alice’s adventures in Wonderland 

Sold to Netherlands 

Author : Lewis Carroll 

Illustrator : Chiara Carrer 




Price : 20 € 

Mathematician, photographer and writer 

with lively imagination. Lewis Carroll has 

a passion for photography and makes 

many portraits of his students like the 

one of Alice Pleasance Liddell. She inspires 

him for the character of Alice’s 

Adventures in Wonderland ; it is immediately 

a great success. 

Chiara Carrer is born in Venise and makes 

a licence in Arts at the Academy of the 

Art School and the School of decorative 

arts in Rome. She has published 

about twenty books and received many 

awards. She also leads many workshops 

for children from six to twelve. 

Blurb 

Chiara Carrer give us her vision of the 

classic of Lewis Carroll and offer us a 

visit in Wonderland.


Enchaîné 

Chained 

Author: Valérie Dayre 

Illustrator: Sara 




Price: 12.50 € 

Sara is an author, illustrator and graphic designer. She 

has published about fifteen albums (Seuil, Thierry Magnier, 

Bilboquet, Circonflexe). She was a director of the 

collection “La Langue de chat” in Epigones from 1990 

to 1995, sub-editor and artistic director in the press. 

Sara received many prices (Octogonal and Graphic) and 

the Golden Apple of the Biennial of Bratislava in 2005. 

Blurb 

One says that the dog is the best friend of the man and 

yet, in the farmyard, the dog is chained. The days pass 

and are alike, the dog is chained. In Winter, they are 

some sundays where his master go hunting with him. 

Then, the dog tastes with freedom, runs like insane and 

forgets the game. The Master deplores it; he thinks that 

the dog is a bad hunter. The seasons pass and are 

alike and the dog is still chained. One autumnal Sunday 

someone breaks the chain and the dog run and wander. 

But the evening he returns dirty and ashamed to 

the farm; he does not know freedom. The Master is irritated, 

chained again the dog and think that the dog will 

get used to it: they all do. In winter, one Sunday someone 

comes to release the dog, plant a knife in its peeling 

without hurting him and releases the dog for ever. 

Le rêve de Pablo 

Pablo’s dream 


L’AUTEUR EST ESPAGNOL, 

Author : Antonio Ventura 

L’ILLUSTRATEUR EST ESPAGNOL. 

EN SUISSE, LES CHIENS NE SONT 

PAS VRAIMENT LIBRES. 

Illustrator : Pablo Auladell 

L'aventure de deux chiens qui ne vivent pas les mêmes réalités. 

Format: 25.5 x 27.5 cm 


www.lajoiedelire.ch 

21CHF 13 � 


Price : 14.90 € 

Antonio Ventura was born in Madrid in 1954. Teacher, he is 

also the director of a great spanish publishing house and a 

literary critic for children books. 

Pablo Auladell was born in 1972 in Spain where he has started 

his carrer as an author and then as an illustrator. He got 

many prizes in his country. For instance, he got the second 

national prize “ illustrisimos ” during the Bologna Book Fair in 

2005 for his illustrations of Peiter, Peter and Peir and other 

fairy tales of Andersen. 

Blurb 

Pablo, 4 years old, is very impatient to see the sea. But he 

has to wait to be old enough to make his dream come true. 

A very poetic text beautifully illustrated by Pablo Auladell. An 

hommage to Juan Farias, a galician writer who was a sailor 

S. Corinna Bille was born in 1912 in Sierre, Switzerland. Later on, she chose the first name 

Corinna, thereby evoking Corin, her mother’s birthplace. She mainly lived in the central 

part of the canton of Valais, the nature of which deeply inspired her work. S. Corinna 

Bille is the author of novels and short stories such as “ La Demoiselle Sauvage ” which 

won the Prix Goncourt for a short story in 1975. She also published poems and children’s 

stories. She died in Sierre October 24, 1979. 

Blurb 

It’s the story of a lady puppet named Marietta who lives in a family with six children (Lina, 

Rouri, Marco, Sylvia, Paolo and Fatatou). The father is a great clown and owns a circus, 

where all the family works. The reader will quickly discover that Marietta is not like every 

puppet. Indeed, after living many adventures, she will participate actively in the show. 

couv CHIENS 25.03.2006 13:18 Page 1 

Marietta chez les clowns 

Author : S. Corinna Bille 

Illustrator: Albertine 

Format : 19,5 × 22 cm 


Price : 18.50 € 

La Balade en traîneau 

The hauling-sled trip 



Illustrator : Géraldine Alibeu 

Stéphanie Corinna Bille was born in Sierre, 

Switzerland, in 1912. She mainly lived in 

the central part of the canton of Valais, 

whose nature deeply inspired her work. 

S. Corinna Bille is the author of novels 

and short stories such as La Demoiselle 

Sauvage which won the Prix Goncourt 

for a short story in 1975. She also 

published poems and children’s stories. 

She died in Sierre in 1979. 

Géraldine Alibeu is born in 1978 in Echirolles, 

France. In 1995, she obtained a 

scienfic high school diploma and has 

graduated in 2001 from the Arts Décoratifs 

of Strasbourg. 

She has already realised two carton 

films and she writes or illustrate regularly 

for several publishing houses. 

Blurb 

Corinna Bille loves metamorphosis. 

There is no doubt that this text is one 

of her memories of her childhood. Her 

father, the painter Edmond Bille, was 

one of the first who has build a chalet 

in Chandolin, a small mountain village in 

Val d’Anniviers, Wallis. She has certainly 

made this sleigh ride in the snow and 

has imagined the mystery of this small 

vanished village ready to keep them for 

ever. 

Le cafard 

The Cockroach 

Author : Kornei Tchoukovski 

Illustrator : Yassen Grigorov 

Kornei Tchoukovski was born in St- 

Petersburg in 1882 and died in Moscow 

in 1969. Writer, literature teacher 

and correspondant of the Odesskie 

Novosti in London from 1903 to 1905 

and then redactor in chief of the satirical 

news paper Signal and literary 

critic. In 1921, he publishes his first 

children book. Since then, his colourful 

books, full of music, fantasy and 

happiness have been read by thousand 

of readers and touched five 

generations. In 1962, he was awarded 

with the Lenine prize. 

Born in 1974 in Sevlievo, Bulgaria, 

Yassen Grigorov has studied illustrating 

from 1993 to 1996 at the Academy of 

Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria. He is graduated 

in visual communication from the 

Superior School of Applied Arts in 

Geneva in 1999. 

Blurb 

The peculiar art craft of Tchoukovski 

was to write fables in verses. The 

cockroach, very well translated by 

Marion Graf, enhances fully Tchoukovski’s 

talent and fantasy. The moral 

of the story is that we often need a 

smaller person than ourselves to get 

out from difficult situation. 

32 33 

CHIENS DE RUE VENTURA AMARGO 

ANTONIO VENTURA PABLO AMARGO 

CHIENS 

DE RUE 

Chiens de rue 

Dogs of the street 


Illustrator : Pablo Amargo 

Antonio Ventura was born in Madrid in 

1954. Teacher, he is also the director 

of a great spanish publishing house 

and a literary critic for children books. 

Beside his activities, he paints and 

writes. He has already participated to 

more than 25 expositions and to more 

than one hundred literary contest. 

Pablo Amargo was born in Spain in 

1971. He is graduated in design and 

audiovisuals from the University of 

Salamanca. He has already published 

several children books in Spain. 

In 1999, he has won the Lazarillo 

illustration prize. 

He lives and works in Oviedo where 

besides his illustrator work, he also 

works for the newspaper and the 

publicity. 

Blurb 

Chiens de rue is the story of a meeting 

between two dogs of differents 

background : the one from the street, 

the other one from a good family. 

Together, they go on adventure. 

Chiens de rue is a philosophical tale, 

a thought about the liberty and the 

servitude. 

Type : Album 





Price : 13 €


Des jours pas comme les autres 

Unusual days 

Author : Taro Miura 




Price : 12 € 

Sold to England 

Taro Miura is born in Japan in 1968. He 

studied silkscreen printing at the Art 

University of Osaka. After obtaining 

his diploma, he became a graphic 

designer. Today he also works as an 

illustrator, in particular for advertising 

and different magazines in Tokyo. 

Blurb 

A train on tangled tracks, a headlight 

that doesn’t know where to turn, and 

a car with square wheels make the 

many comical, even absurd, situations 

that the character of these Unusual 

days goes through with pleasure. 

With an expressive style touched by 

colorful accents, Taro Mira shines a 

light on those days which follow each 

other, but that do not look alike. 

Le Masque géant 

The Giant Mask 


Illustrator : Janis Heezen 

Format : 21 × 29, 7 cm 



Price : 14 € 

Stéphanie Bille was born in Switzerland 

in 1912. She chose the first name 

Corinna, thereby evoking Corin, her 

mother’s birthplace. Nature deeply 

inspired her work. S. Corinna Bille 

won the Prix Goncourt for a short 

story in 1975. She died in 1979. 

Janis Heezen was born in 1973 and 

lives in Lucern. She has a professional 

training of textil designer and 

illustrator. 

Blurb 

During the carnival of Lötschental in 

Switzerland, savage men appear in 

the streets of the village. They have 

wooden masks, wear goatskin and a 

cow collar with a bell that they noisily 

shake. That year, in a village, a giant 

mask came out of the forest, and two 

children want to be clear whether it is 

a devil or not… 

Mondocane 

Author : Giovanna Zoboli 

Illustrator : Francesca Bazzuro 

Format : 20 × 27, 5 cm 



Price : 13 € 

Sold to Italy 

Giovanna Zoboli lives in Milan. She writes 

books for adults as well as for 

children. She has also published succesfully 

few titles for teenagers under 

the pen name Giulia Goy. 

Francesca Bazzuro lives in Milan. 

She has worked for numerous editors 

and contributed to publications. She 

is well known in the italian design 

world for her collaboration. 

Blurb 

Lillo, the bastard dog of eight months 

lives in the city with his master. One 

day, he realised that he is different 

from the other dogs and was afraid to 

loose his masters love. Holidays are 

going to start… and they abandoned 

him in the country at Miss Maria’s 

house ! He felt forsaken but soon he 

will discovered pleasures he hadn’t 

expect. 

Le plus gentil Loup du monde 

The kindest wolf in the world 

Author : Agnès de Lestrade 

Illustrator : Constanza Bravo 

Format: 21.5 x 26.5 cm 



Price : 13.50 € 

Sold to Germany and Mexico 

Agnes grandmother, a great storyteller, 

initiated her to stories with wolf. 

And Agnes promised herself to make 

children shiver by inventing fantastic 

stories that always finish well. Three 

years ago, she published her first 

novel, at the Ecole des loisirs and 

since then, there is no stopping her. 

Wolves, ogres and monsters have 

become her play mates. A child’s 

dream ! 

Constanza Bravo, Swiss, of Chilean origin 

has studied Arts in Santiago. She 

boasts a degree from the Ecole des 

arts visuals of Geneva, city where she 

currently lives and works. She coordinates 

an engravings workshop for 

children and has taken part to many 

exhibitions. 

Blurb 

A vegetarian wolf, we must be dreaming 

! 

34 35 

Boris 

Author : Giovanna Zoboli 

Illustrator : Francesca Bazzuro 




Price : 16 € 

Giovanna Zoboli was born and lives in 

Milan. She writes adult and children’s 

books published by Italian and foreign 

publishers. Under the pen name of Giulia 

Goy she also has successfully published 

various titles destined to teenagers. 

Since a few years, Giovanna Zoboli 

devotes herself exclusively to the poetic 

writing of short texts, especially created 

for illustration. 

Francesca Bazzurro, born in Genoa in 

1961 studied in the Academy des Beaux- 

Arts of Brera, specializing in engravings 

and lithography. Her work as illustrator 

has been recognized by many reviews in 

Italy. Her books are published at Fabbri 

and Mondadori. 

Blurb 

Boris, a young French bulldog, thinks 

himself to be his master, a local antiquarian. 

He invites us to follow him for a day 

during which he introduces us to his district. 

Le Rugby c’est facile 

Rugby it’s easy ! 

Author : Olivia Decorte 




Price: 16 € 

Olivia Decorte was born in Paris in 1977, 

she is a graphic designer, illustrator 

and teacher in visual communication at 

the School Olivier de Serres. She got 

her master’s degree of applicated arts 

at the Sorbonne. She realised many 

works of illustration and graphics for the 

publishing house Mille Sources (Corrèze) 

and the association La Scène Déménage 

(theatrical company from Nice). 

Blurb 

A funny and poetic glance on the rugby 

to counterbalance stereotyps of violence 

and aggressiveness connected to this 

sport. 

A lot of dynamic expressions which 

reveal, at the end, human values which 

make the strength of the rugby: suppleness, 

agility, tonicity, rebound, power, 

endurance, the good handling of the 

rugger, solidarity, audacity, a taste for 

danger and above all a big heart…


Type : Album 





Vacharabia 

Author : Yves Juillerat 


Price : 15.70 € 

Yves Juillerat was born in 1968 in 

Switzerland (Jura). He has graduated 

from the Visual School of Art in 

Zurich in illustration (Schule für Gestaltung) 

and has worked several years 

(1995-2001) in the Departement of 

Archeology of the Canton of Jura as a 

scientific illustrator. He is also trained 

in computer graphics and has worked 

for a printer. Now he’s training as 

a graphic web-designer in Geneva. 

Blurb 

The Vacharabia is a specimen born 

from the meeting of a cow and a scarab. 

What can a scarab do when he 

is in love with a cow who has become 

very small after having eaten a magic 

flower ? Love gives wings and sometimes 

also good ideas ! 

La Rumeur 

The Rumor 

Author : Anne Salem-Marin 


Price : 15.70 € 

Anne Salem-Marin was born in Sierre 

(Switzerland). She is a valaisan writer 

and has a marked preference for 

short and poetic writing. As well as 

being passionate by poetry and literature, 

she likes translating and working 

with publishers. She is also the 

author of “ Un jour je serai grande ” 

and “ Colette ”, published by La Joie 

de lire. 

Simon Kroug was born in Geneva in 

1977. He has graduated from the 

Ecole cantonale d’art in Lausanne 

and teaches visual arts to young students. 

He finds his inspiration in all 

his travels and in his big family circle. 

He lives and works in Lausanne 

(Switzerland). 

Blurb 

A gold bracelet must have been stolen 

in the Hammam of Mrs Malika. 

Everybody in town is speaking about 

it and the rumour spreads round 

inside the palace. The illustrator has 

brought back images and feelings 

used for the décor of this book from 

a travel in Morocco. 

Le Grand Frère 

The Old Brother 

Author : Christophe Nicolas 

Illustrator : Franziska Neubert 

Price : 13 € 

Christophe Nicolas was born in a small 

town in France. He studied literature. 

For ten years now, he has been living 

in Paris and working in children books 

publishing. He has already published 

three books, among which “ Nom, 

prénom ” published by Le Seuil. 

Franziska Neubert was born in 1977 in 

Leipzig (Germany). She studied at the 

Visual Arts Academy of Leibzig. She 

also studied illustration at the “ Ecole 

nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs 

” in Paris for one year. She has 

received a special prize in her home 

town, where she is working today as 

a freelance in visual communication 

and illustration. 

Blurb 

For the younger brother, the elder 

brother is a kind of idol, very difficult 

to approach, but with whom it 

would be so nice to play.However, 

the elder brother has other projects 

and doesn’t seem disposed to play. 

Sometimes, if one insists and if one 

finds some convincing arguments, 

relations can change and evolve. 

Le Fromage 

The Cheese 



Price : 14.90 € 

Germano Zullo, writer, was born 

in Geneva in 1968. He collaborates 

regularly to the publications 

of Albertine. 

Albertine, genevan artist, has 

already published many books. 

She has taken part in many 

shows in Switzerland and 

elsewhere. 

Blurb 

All the children have the same 

anguish : during a school theatre 

show, being alone on stage, 

facing a public waiting for your 

performance, and having completely 

forgotten the text you 

have to declaim : what a nightmare 

! Our little hero Gaston 

must recite “ The Crow and 

the Fox ”, the fable of La Fontaine. 

But unfortunately he has 

totally forgotten what the crow 

holds in his beak ! Why do we 

all have the feeling that his disguise 

could help him find the 

answer… 

36 37 

Arnold 


Price : 15 € 

Tom Tirabosco, Swiss illustrator 

born in Rome in 1966, is 

established in Geneva since 

1971. He graduated from the 

School of Superior Visual 

Arts of Geneva. Award-winner 

of numerous competitions 

of comic strip, such as the 

Hebdo/Festival BD of Sierre 

in 1993. He regularly attends 

shows in Switzerland, signs 

several cultural and political 

posters, and works with the 

Swiss and French press. 

Blurb 

Arnold is a small obedient boy 

who dreams of pulling tricks 

as his compagnons Jonas and 

Paul-Louis. However, he is 

much too nice and timorous. 

One day, he meets Camille, the 

most terrible boy in his school, 

who teaches him the tricks of 

the trade to be a perfect bully. 

Nevertheless, Camille the brute 

begins to get tired of his role... 

thus begins a great friendship. 

Le Bobobook 

Author : Stéphane Malandrin 

Illustrator : Francoiz Breut 

Price: 16 € 

Stéphane Malandrin is a script writer for the 

cinema. He lives between Paris and Brussels 

and has signed a first book for children called 

Pourquoi pleut-il de Haut en Bas et pas 

de Bas en Haut ?, published at Editions du 

Rouergue. 

Francoiz Breut is a singer. Since 1998 she has 

come out with three discs. She interprets 

songs written by Dominique A, Philippe Poirier, 

Philippe Katerine… In addition to singing, 

she is illustrator and is interested in the 

‘ book-object ’. She has illustrated several 

books : La Mer a disparu (Nathan), Je suis un 

garçon (l’Ecole des loisirs)… 

Blurb 

Welcome to the land of pains ! It is a land 

where everyone can come and leave her 

hurts, but be careful ; there is no space for 

fake ones ! Here, to get in, one has to show 

entry rights and declare one’s hurt to the 

guardian. In this land, In the mornings, they 

disinfect themselves. At midday, they put on 

ointment. In the evening, they put a bandage 

on their heads. And at night, they sleep. 

There is even a chief of hurts to whom one 

can give a hurt, but after : out ! Until the next 

time… Le Bobobook wants to be a means 

to ease the sometimes difficult situations 

that children live. At the end of the book one 

finds a questionnaire to fill in at each hurt 

and to send to the land of hurts !

les VeRsATiles collection les VeRsATiles collection 

Type : Album 


New Format : 20 x 20 cm 

Les Rêves d’Angèle Molinot 

Angèle Molinot’s Dreams 

Author : Marie Bouchane 

Ilustrator : Simon Kroug 


Sold to Korea and Japan 

Blurb 

In spite of her old age, 

Angèle Molinot does not 

give up her dreams. She 

likes to share them with her 

husband who is sometimes 

wondering what goes on 

in his wife’s mind. A book 

which talks about elderly 

people in a different way. To 

be read on different levels. 

Les Boîtes à mots 

The Word Boxes 

Author : Marie Bouchane 

Ilustrator : Simon Kroug 


Marie Bouchane is writing under a pseudonym. 

Simon Kroug was born in Geneva in 1977. He has graduated 

from the “ Ecole cantonale d’art ” in Lausanne and teaches 

visual arts to young students. He finds his inspiration in all 

his travels and in his big family circle. He lives and works in 

Lausanne (Switzerland). 

Blurb 

Magda cuts words in the 

newspaper and arranges 

them in small colored boxes. 

Her classification is very 

personal ; the tender ones, 

the sad ones, every one will 

have its box. A book to read 

a little like a nursery rhyme. 

Quelle est ma couleur ? 

What is my Color ? 

Author : Antoine Guilloppé 

Ilustrator : Géraldine Alibeu 


Sold to Spain and Galicia 

Antoine Guilloppé was born in 1971 in 

Chambéry, France. He has studied illustration 

in Lyon. In 1999, he has published 

his first books as author-illustrator. 

Géraldine Alibeu was born in 1978 in Echirolles, 

France. In 1995, she obtained a 

Scientific High School Diploma and has 

graduated in 2001 from the Arts Décoratifs 

of Strasbourg. She has already realised 

two cartoons she regularly writes or 

illustrates for several publishing houses. 

Blurb 

A small boy is dreaming while he is watching 

his dog. He wonders about the way 

people perceive him. His teacher sees him 

as a student, but the students see him as 

their arab friend while the Arabs consider 

him as a small frenchman and so on. A 

small book about the danger of prejudice 

and subjectivity of glances. 

Astrophysique 

Astrophysics 

Author : Sara 


Sara is an author, illustrator and 

graphic designer. She has published 

about fifteen albums (Seuil, Thierry 

Magnier, Bilboquet, Circonflexe). She 

was a director of the collection “La 

Langue de chat” in Epigones from 

1990 to 1995, sub-editor and artistic 

director in the press. Sara received 

many prices (Octogonal and Graphic) 

and the Golden Apple of the Biennial 

of Bratislava in 2005. 

Blurb 

“On the first day, the universe was 

just a spiral embarked on a headlong 

chase. The second day was that of 

time which started to unfold its minutes, 

hours and centuries. The third 

day was that of space, necessary for 

time to spread out” 

What link is there between the creation 

of the universe and the birth of 

the snail? The answer consists of a 

few choice words, solid, deep black 

calligraphy and a touch of humour. 

Moving away from her usual torn 

paper technique, Sara has maintained 

her personal style, between 

depth and a subtle lightness. 

J’ai bien le droit 

I do have the right 



J’ai des droits mes j’ai aussi des devoirs 

I do have rights but I do have duties too 



Born in 1966 in Rome, Tom Tirabosco studied at the Fine Arts Academy 

in Venice and then at the School of Visual Arts in Geneva. Illustrator 

and cartoonist, he has been published, among others, by Casterman, 

Magnard, Atrabile, Delcourt, les Humanoïdes associés. 

He owes his personal style to monotyping, a special printmaking technique, 

emphasising each print with pastels in order to better restore the 

volumes. 

Blurb 

Children and teenagers 

under 18 have rights, guaranteed 

by the 1989 United 

Nations Convention. Among 

these are: the right to live 

with one’s family, to feed, to 

play, to learn, to be protected 

or to express their opinion. 

Each right is enhanced 

by an illustration here with 

acidic colours, soft or bright, 

according to the tone of the 

text. Sentences are dynamically 

interspersed between 

the stating of rights, bringing 

a direct testimony on behalf 

of the children: « I have my 

own corner », « I need things 

to be explained to me », « I 

can say No ». 

Blurb 

Hanging of the title « I do have the 

right » this work reminds to the childrens 

that they also have duties. If 

every child has the right to live in his 

family, he must listen to the adults 

who take charge of him and obeying 

them, or still participating in the everyday 

life of the house. To eat and to 

drink are a right but it is necessary 

to watch not to waste the water or 

the food.Every duty is heightened 

by an illustration in the slightly acid, 

soft or steady colors, according to 

the tone of the text. Sentences fit 

dynamically between the statement 

of the duties, bringing a shape of 

direct testimony on behalf of the 

childrens: « I take care of my things 

«, « I listen to when the others speak 

«, « I defend the weakest «. Produced 

by the initiative of the Department 

of Early Childhood of the City 

of Geneva, this synthetic and clear 

tool reminds to the parents and 

educators of the place and respect 

due to these little people. 

38 39

les VeRsATiles collection les VeRsATiles collection 

Type : Album 


New Format : 20 x 20 cm 


Price: 8.50 € 

Je suis… 

I am… 

Author : Taro Miura 


Sold to Japan 

Taro Miura was born in 

Osaka, Japan, in 1968. He 

studied silkscreen printing, 

and since his graduation 

he is graphic designer. 

Today, he also works as 

an illustrator for several 

magazines in Tokyo. “ Je 

suis... ” is his first publication. 

Blurb 

With simple drawings and 

flashing colours, Taro 

Miura illustrates the qualities, 

the defects and all 

the diferent aspects of our 

personalities : Some of us 

are dreamers, others are 

shy, happy, clever and so 

on. Everyone can find his 

own definition ! 

Les Anges gardiens 

Guardian Angels 

Author : Yassen Grigorov 


Sold to Mexico 

Yassen Grigorov was born in 

1974 in Sevlievo, Bulgaria. He 

has studied illustration from 

1993 to 1996 at the Academy 

of Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria. He 

has graduated in visual communication 

from the Superior 

School of Applied Arts in 

Geneva in 1999. 

Blurb 

Angels are fashionable 

nowaday, but do we really 

know them ? Yassen Grigorov 

gives us an indication 

about what they can or cannot 

be, but it remains with 

the reader to see whether the 

interpretation is fitting. 

Etre et paraître 

Being and seeming 

Author: Jorge Lujàn 

Illustrator: Isol 


Jorge Lujàn, writer, poet and composer, born 

in Argentina in 1943, has lived and worked 

in Mexico since 1978. He has taken part in 

numerous workshops in North and South 

America. Didier Jeunesse have published his 

comic books. 

Isol was born in Buenos Aires in 1972. She has 

a degree from the Rogelio Yrutia School of 

Fine Art. Multifaceted artist (dance, song, illustrator 

for newspapers and children’s books), 

Isol has published numerous comic books 

(Rouegue, Syros). 

Blurb 

“Between me and myself nothing is obvious”. 

Thus begins this tale about being and seeming. 

The little girl at the heart of this story reveals 

the secret to a tiny character, letting him run 

all over her body. First of all her forehead, her 

ears, then her nose, her mouth… through 

these elements, she will discover her true personality. 

For example, even though a nose 

may be small, it can still smell pastries at the 

other end of the village. Finally, the tiny character 

finds his way into her heart. 

A long journey to find out who she really is. A 

discovery of the other expressed by means of 

a voyage between sea and sky portrayed by 

Isol, with words by Jorge Lujàn. 

Pourquoi les chiens font comme ça ? 

Why do Dogs do that ? 

Author : Vitali Konstantinov 


Vitali Konstantinov was born in 

Ismail, Ukraine. Since he was born, 

he was influenced by Russian and 

Mediterranean culture. His parents 

were enthralled by art and pushed 

him forward with his artistic skills. 

Graduate of the Academy of Architecture 

and Building in Ninzy (in 

1986), he is now specialised in restoration 

of historical buildings. He 

is also passionate about painting 

and regularly takes part in exhibitions 

and competitions. Since 

1996, he lives in Germany and is 

now specialised in Byzantine art. 

He has published several books in 

Germany, USA, Taiwan and Switzerland. 

His work as an illustrator 

as been rewarded many times by 

international prizes. 

Blurb 

Dogs have a funny way to 

approach each other. They don’t 

shake hands or turn their heads 

politely to say hello. In fact, when 

they meet, they are more interested 

in turning round their bottom. 

If you have always wanted to know 

why dogs have this strange habit, 

you will find the answer in this book 

thanks to Vitali Konstantinov… 

Le Cri des animaux 

Animal Cries 

Author : Anne-Lise Boutin 


Anne-Lise Boutin has graduated 

from a Visual Arts School in Paris. 

For a few years she’s working 

as an illustrator. She works with 

several newspapers, magazines 

and has already published children 

books in France. 

Blurb 

Languages are alive. Words 

change, they come to life, evolve, 

get old and sometimes die. In “ Le 

Cri des animaux ”, we discover 

that animals have changed their 

sounds. For example, the crocodile 

doesn’t make the same noise 

as he used to do. An amusing way 

to learn a little bit more about our 

language. 

Cache-cache 

Hide and Seek 

Sold to Korea 

Author : Constanze v. Kitzing 


Born in 1980, Constanze v. Kitzing studied 

at the Bauhaus University in 

Weimar, in the Visual Communication 

department. She lives in Hamburg 

where she is working both as a painter 

and illustrator for children’s books. 

She also conducts painting workshops. 

Blurb 

A small lion amuses itself by hunting 

animals of the savannah. Catching 

them is not easy, all the more 

so when they are ace at camouflage! 

The hare’s ears hardly stick out from 

the high grass, the frog blends in with 

the bed of the river, and the bird is at 

one with the tree... But the lion cub 

also knows how to hide. Will he be 

able to catch them? 

Cache-Cache invites you to look for 

the animals in the picture while following 

the playing lion, occasionally 

catching a glimpse of his whiskers 

or a paw. The short and easy text 

joyfully encourages us to participate 

in this playful hunt. Beyond this simple 

observation game, Constanze 

v. Kitzing offers us some magnificent 

pictures with warm colours and 

curious visual effects which will astonish 

the young readers. 

40 41

RéTROViseuR collection RéTROViseuR collection 

Type : Fiction 

Cover : soft 



The Rétroviseur (Rearview Mirror) 

collection invites contemporary 

authors to tell the story of a childhood 

—autobiographical or not—in twenty-two 

chapters, the ending marking the moment 

when the main character realises that his 

childhood has come to an end. 

Our childhood composes, whether we 

want it or not, the foundations of our 

life. Nobody can steal it, nevertheless 

it has been sad or happy. Even if our 

childhood memories are distort by the 

time, they remain marks for most of us. 

We became aware of this specific time, 

often privileged, when we enter in the 

adulthood. 

The Rétroviseur collection collect texts 

of writters who accepted to work on this 

topic. The last chapter must evoke the 

moment where the protagonist decided 

to leave his family in order to lead his 

own adult life. He can also decided not to 

leave it ! All literary forms are accepted. 

This collection is a new step in our 

publishing work, and allowed us to 

increase our public. These books are 

for everybody, even if we intend them 

in priority to the young people who are 

on the threshold of the adulthood. With 

these severals travels in the past, we 

wish to invite the reader to think about his 

own childhood and incite him, why not, 

to write. 

The rear-view mirror allows, while looking 

back, to move forward in security. 

Doesn’t also the childhood with another 

look allowed us to go on serenely ? 

Francine Bouchet 

Publisher 

Temps interdits 

Forbidden times 

Author : Thérèse Aouad Basbous 

Publication date : August 2009 

Genre: autobiographical story 


Price : 12 € 

Thérèse Aouad Basbous was born in Bhersaf (Lebanon) in 1934. 

After finishing high school in Lebanon, she went to Paris where 

she got a degree in modern literature at the Sorbonne. She 

also studied Arabic literature at the Islamic Institute and got a 

master’s degree in visual arts and contemporary sculpture at 

Paris IV University. From 1968 to 1998, she taught Arabic and 

French literature at the Lebanese University. 

Poetess and playwright writing in Arabic and French, her works 

are published in Beyrouth and in Paris by the L’Harmattan 

publishing house. 

Blurb 

A little girl grows up on a hillside in Lebanon. Her father dies 

before she turns ten; her mother, who became a widow too 

early, will depart soon afterwards. Many things are left unsaid. 

The girl goes to live with an uncle in another village. This childhood 

broken up by hardships makes up a strange puzzle. For 

her, time is broken up in this beautiful country torn by a war 

she refuses to talk about. The tale can only be fragmentary: 

the school lessons where reading is taught by distributing ruler 

blows on pupils’ fingertips, the patiently kneaded bread, olive 

oil and thyme, the parents’ faces. Between the lines, dramas 

take root in this young life, sublimated by the girl’s need for 

beauty. The language invents itself, becomes poetic in order to 

match the sensitivity of the author. 

Un amour à trois temps 

A love in three-four time 





Price : 17.50 € 

Antonio Ventura was born in Madrid in 1954. He teached 

from 1977 until 1993 and then became the collection 

director of an important Spanish publishing 

house. Since april 2009 he is in charge of the childrens 

collection of Oxford University Press, Spain. 

He is also a critic in children’s literature and created 

in 2007 the review BLOC. He also paints and writes. 

Blurb 

Paris, 1979. Emilien, 11 years old, is the son of Spanish 

immigrants who grows up in the Mouffetard area. His 

boundless imagination turns the walk to school into a 

fantastic journey during which each detail takes on a 

magical meaning. He meets Alexandra, a girl his age. 

He is overcome by new, contradictory and powerful 

feelings to which he is unable to put a name. But 

Alexandra soon must leave for Mexico, where her 

father will undergo surgery. This story of first love , 

which unfolds itself in three-four time, will rest his 

greatest ever. 

The narrator, a precise and sensitive observer, rolls 

around his memories as if they were pebbles being 

polished. Under the aegis of Paul Eluard, it is a novel 

of memories, pure hearts and a delightful freshness. 

Mi-figue Mi raisin 

Somewhat mixed 

Author : Christophe Léon 




Price : 17 € 

Christophe Léon was born in 1959 and currently lives in 

Dordogne where he devotes himself to writing. At the 

frontier between genres, he follows a singular literary 

path, with youth novels, a play and contemporary fiction. 

He has been published by the Ecole des loisirs, 

the publishing houses of Rouergue, Thierry Magnier, 

and Alice et Oskar publishers. 

Blurb 

In this largely autobiographical novel, Christophe Léon 

tells us about his colourful youth on both sides of the 

Mediterranean sea: faint memories of a mythical Algeria 

before its independence, which his parents will change 

into a lost paradise once sent back to France; more 

precise memories of his life in Saint-Tropez where the 

family settles down, certain of its rights and centred on 

itself. He tells us some funny and sardonic anecdotes 

related to the daily exaggeration by which his parents 

imposed themselves, writing a tale just as lush and 

sincere. 

42 43

RéTROViseuR collection RéTROViseuR collection 

Type : Fiction 

Cover : soft 



Quelques années de moins que la Lune 

Few years younger than the moon 




Price : 10 € 

Germano Zullo was born in 1968 in Geneva and got the 

swiss nationality in 1985. In 1990, he passed his degree 

at the Superior Commercial School of Malagnou. Then, 

he travelled during two years across Europe and, from 

1992 up to 2002, he worked as an accountant. Since 

1996 he and his wife Albertine (illustrator) have published 

many children books at La Joie de Lire editions. He also 

writes a comicstrip called Lucette’s searching for a lover, 

published every week in Femina magazine. He has also 

published some poems and erotic stories. 

Blurb 

“ There is a beginning. There is an end. Between them 

both : the growing-up. 

I’ve always grown up with lots of questions and few 

answers. And if I first used to be craving for answers. 

Then I completly devoted myself to questions. Few years 

younger than the moon attempts to puzzle out the ways, 

should I say the labyrinths, which are to be crossed to go 

from one question to the other. Why am I born ? Who’s 

my father ? Who’s my mother ? Why do I write ? To what 

extent do real life influences imagination ? To what extent 

do imagination influences real life ? 

At the age of seven, I decided to be a writer. ” 

Selected by Pro Helvetia for the program MOVING WORDS 

(Promotion of the translation of swiss children’s and youth 

literature) 


Comme un autre 

Like another one 

Author : Guy Poitry 



Price : 12 € 

Guy Poitry was born in 

Geneva in 1956. He studied 

music and literature there, 

and started teaching french 

literature in 1981 in Geneva 

and in 1998 in Berne. He 

published a novel in 1996 

with Metropolis publishing 

called Jorge and some 

other short stories which 

have been gathered in 1998 

in a single book called Chutes, 

still with Metropolis 

publishing. 

Blurb 

“ We all have memories, 

more or less present in our 

mind, more or less nice to 

remember. Deciding to write 

them down, is more than a 

simple work of recollection, 

it’s trying to shape them up, 

to gather them, to articulate 

them the one with the 

other. This is how a human 

person is reconstituted...” 

Guy Poitry 

Quand ma mère 

When my mother 

Author : Francine Bouchet 

Genre : poeme 


Price : 7.50 € 

Francine Bouchet was born 

in Geneva where she grew 

up. At the University, she 

has tasted arts subjects and 

psychology. But her real 

vocation is her publishing 

house (La Joie de lire) 

created in 1987. Her poetic 

inspiration belongs to her 

depths. 

Blurb 

In Quand ma mère, long 

poem divided in 22 verses 

and one epilogue, the 

narrator give resonance to 

the severals voices which 

reminds her of her childhood. 

In short verse, the 

look and the words of the 

little girl are mixed with the 

one of the adult she becam 

in the meantime. With the 

eyes of the children, she 

tells the little things, the 

gesture, the odours and 

colors which make her 

world. 

La Vallée de la jeunesse 

The Valley of youth 

Author: Eugène 



Price: 11 € 

Sold to Germany and Russia 

Eugène is born in Bucarest in 1969 and lives in Switzerland 

since 1975. He’s graduated in literature, and give 

all his time to writing, particularly for plays. Besides 

his books for young people, he has published several 

titles for adults of which Mon Nom (Ed. De l’Aire) and 

Pamukalie, pays fabuleux (Ed. Autrement), first guide of 

a surreal country. 

Blurb 

In this book, Eugene gaves hiself an additional instruction: 

to tell his life not in a chronological way but 

by evoking ten things which made him the most good 

and ten things which made him the most evil. The Valley 

of youth tells the story of Eugene, from the Romania 

of Ceausescu to his life in Switzerland. It testifies to the 

omnipresent portraits of the dictator, the empty stores 

and the interminable lines which made so much speak 

about this government. Eugene also speaks about his 

francophile parents, or of its first Swiss watch woned 

in a writing contest. Finally the autor delivers to us a 

more intimate part of his history by telling this stammerer 

child he was and who grew up in the shadow of a 

brilliant brother. 

By the same author by the same publisher: 

Les Mises en boîtes, coll. Récits 

Prix des auditeurs 2008 

de la Radio suisse Romande 

Prix lettres Frontière 2008 

44 45

RéCiTs collection RéCiTs collection 

Type : Novel 

Cover : soft 


Ce cahier est pour toi 

This copybook it’s for you 

Author : Valérie Dayre 



Price : 7.50 € 

Virus 

Author : Valérie Dayre 



Price : 6.90 € 

Valérie Dayre is born in 1958. After having had various jobs, according to the consecrated 

expression, she decides to write for youth. Up to this day, she has published 

17 novels (Ecole des loisirs, Rageot, L’atelier du poisson soluble, Milan) for teenagers 

and readers from the age of eight, as well as an illustrated tale by Wolf Erlbruch. 

She is also a novel translator. She currently lives in Le Berry, in the countryside. She 

never knows what should be placed in a biography… 

she has win the deutsche Jugendliteraturpreis 2006. 

Blurb 

That day, in front of the coffee shoptobacconist’s-grocer’s-bazaar-store 

of the village, the inhabitants agitate 

themselves around seven metallic 

cages. All the village’s cats, wild and 

domestic, are enclosed therein. They 

await the SPA that must come fetch 

them to put them down. Young Gaspard 

observes the cats. There is Mouchette, 

the Grey, Pompom, the Otter, 

Domino, a wild cat and, finally, Virus. 

Virus is known for his exploits as a big 

tomcat and some of the inhabitants 

look forward to seeing him caged up. 

Even if he does not understand the 

adults’ determination against these 

poor creatures, Gaspard is nearly 

happy about this catch, since the nasty 

tomcat has slaughtered his cat Falbala. 

In this short story where the cats seem 

to be the spectators of men’s quirks, 

Valérie Dayre draws the portrait of a 

very colorful quarrelsome village. 

Blurb 

The readers of Virus will rediscover Gaspard 

and his grandmother, Nouchka, 

whose relationship here has become 

deeper and somewhat sadder too. 

Nouchka has lost contact with the real 

world for sometime now. Her wanderings 

left her daughter no option but to 

put her in an old people’s home. In order 

to cling to her present, the old lady pours 

her thoughts in the pages of a copybook 

dedicated to her grandson. 

Far from the usual clichés, this grandmother 

has a strong personality and close 

family ties trying to keep hold of her life 

in the moment it is fading away. But how 

can she stay dignified and confident 

when one lives on the border between 

lucidity and darkness? 

The precise writing of Valérie Dayre 

brings her reader through the tunnels of 

a flicking memory, alternating between 

the desire to rebel, to disarm or to give 

up. 

Tu seras une formule 1, mon fils 

You’ll be a Formule 1 car, my son 

Author : Dorine Bertrand 

Publication date : Sept. 2008 



Price : 8.90 € 

Dorine Bertrand was born in 1971 in Paris. 

Journalist and graphic designer by trade, 

she has written children books, some 

short stories and storyboards for cartoons. 

She has published two books for 

young readers with Syros and a novel for 

grown-ups with Le Dilettante. 

Blurb 

Born to win, Renault follows his father’s 

footsteps as a car dealer. His position as 

the confident student changes once a 

genius arrives to his class. Trained by his 

Dad, boosted by his Mum, Renault tries 

everything to beat his opponent without 

doubting once that he will bite the dust. 

Through rehabilitation in a centre for 

children under too much preassure, he 

realizes the folly of his parents and slowly 

regains control of his life back. 

Plus point 

The title appears in a shorter version in 

Je lis (Spring 2008). A topic rarely found 

in children literature: the phenomenon of 

burn-out. 

Nominated by the Prix des incorruptibles 

Dans l’enfer de Dante 

In Dante’s Inferno 

Author : Christophe Léon 

Publication date : Janvier 2009 



Price : 7.50 € 

Christophe Léon was born in 1959 and currently 

lives in Dordogne where he devotes himself to 

writing. At the frontier between genres, he follows 

a singular literary path, with youth novels, a play 

and contemporary fiction. He has been published 

by the Ecole des loisirs, the publishing houses of 

Rouergue, Thierry Magnier, and Alice et Oskar 

publishers. 

Blurb 

On the first day of the school year, the well-ordered 

existence of Denis, a schoolboy with typical teenager 

interests (manly friendship, rugby and halfexpert 

chat up lines), turns to hell, a hell named 

Béatrice Dante. With a difficult family history, going 

from foster home to foster home, Béatrice is hospitalised 

suffering from shock. Devoted to the cause 

of the beautiful, indifferent girl, Denis puts together 

an escape plan to help her rejoin her mother Their 

escapade will not end really as expected... 

Firstly, Dans l’enfer de Dante astonishes and seduces 

us by its style. Using colloquial expressions 

worthy of Alphonse Boudard, C. Léon invents a 

colourful and earthy language. With these two teenagers 

from opposite worlds, he makes up a strong 

story which gives rise to psychological sketches of 

great fineness. 

46 47 

2008-2009


Type : Novel 

Cover : soft 


Les Mises en boîte 

The boxes-filling 

Author : Eugène 



Price : 8 € 

Sold to Spain and United Arab 

Emirates 

Eugène was born in Bucarest 

in 1969 and lives in 

Switzerland since 1975. He 

has graduated in literature, 

and devotes all his time 

to writing, particularly for 

plays. 

Blurb 

If adults started answering 

to all the children’s questions, 

one would never 

finish. Nevertheless, one 

day, Schachinka requires 

simple answers to her simple 

questions. Her family, 

her school and the whole 

town will be shaken up forever. 

Childish curiosity, innocence, 

consumer society 

and solidarity are some of 

the topics of this book. 

Langues étrangères 

Foreign languages 

Author : François Chignac 



Price: 6.70 € 

François Chignac studied 

communication and language 

science. He lives in 

France, where he works 

as a journalist for an Europe’s 

news channel covering 

world news from an European 

perspective in a choice 

of seven languages. 

Blurb 

A young boy plunges into 

a reflection about language 

when he learns that 

his father’s new partner 

comes from an Anglophone 

country. With her he begins 

to learn a foreign language 

and foreign culture. However, 

he realises that even if 

the words are translated it is 

difficult to understand and 

to be understood. Through 

his style of writing which 

favours an internal monologue, 

François Chignac 

conveys the concerns of an 

adolescent. 

Ici ou ailleurs 

Here or Elsewhere 

Author : Janine Bruneau 



Price : 8.50 € 

Janine Bruneau is formative in 

youth litterature and organiser 

of reading and writing 

workshop. 

Blurb 

This fiction takes place in 

1989, in Moldavia. It is inspired 

by facts and real testimonies. 

The characters are 

imaginary. Léna, a favorite 

child and carefree, lives with 

her mother Nina, a painter 

in a village. When the Berlin 

Wall falls, in November, 

both of them hope to give 

concrete expression to 

their dream : immigrate to 

France. 

Nina au paradis 

Nina in Paradise 

Author : M.-C. Ruata-Arn 


Age : from 10 years old 

Price : 9 € 

Blurb 

Nina likes Hip-Hop, clothes 

and her group of friends 

with which she is preparing 

the next dance show for the 

end of the year. Who would 

have thought for an instant 

that Nina was going to have 

to protect Lilian, “ the giant ” 

or “ the ducks ”, “ first in all 

except real life ”, her neighbor 

in class and her favorite 

prey ! Guardian angel ? It is 

not at all funny ; it even is a 

real catastrophe, but somehow… 

Un Secret de famille 

A Family Secret 




Price : 9 € 

Blurb 

Who has never dreamt of 

winning a million at the lottery 

? Well, when a case full 

of bills arrives, by chance, in 

a family of immigrants living 

in the Geneva suburbs, one 

comes closer to a nightmare. 

The brother, a simple 

man with a big heart has 

found this abandoned case 

in a stairwell and gives it to 

his sister for her birthday. 

The secret of this incredible 

present then becomes the 

family’s life turning point. 

How can one taste this 

promise of comfort without 

being caught or bringing 

discord within the family ? 

A suspense novel, sharp 

and joyful, well fitting to our 

times. 

Qui a volé la marionnette ? 

Who has stolen the puppet ? 



Age : As from 9 years old 

Price : 9 € 

Marie-Christophe Ruata-Arn was born and lives in Geneva. 

Urban-architect, she also is a scenario writer and has 

written for comics, for puppet theatre and television. 

Blurb 

Preparations for action at the museum Paul Klee. A puppet 

has been stolen. No effraction, no index : the robbers 

are the malignant ones and the police officers are on the 

teeth. 

Samuel Zenger (40 years), who doesn’t know anything 

in Art, thinks that only a crazy man could steal this puppet. 

Anyway, he has other things to do. The policeman is 

waiting for his daughter Lena (13 years). More exactly, he 

doesn’t wait for her, but his wife has decided that Lena 

would stay with him during a moment, in August. 

Lena, from the top of her thirteen, hate this idea. Samuel, 

on his hand, doesn’t know how to speak with his daugther 

teenager. 

Here is a summer which is announced badly ! 

The first moments spent between father and daugther will 

be difficult, more especially as they are found taken in the 

investigation. But soon, the puppet opens the doors of a 

world to them which they did not suspect : that one of the 

work of Paul Klee. Siezed by the beauty and the desire for 

finding the puppet, the father and the daughter will launch 

out in this enthralling investigation. These “ obligatory holidays 

” become one privileged moment where the two protagonists 

will be able to find itself. 

48 49


Type : Novel 

Cover : soft 


Le Muche 

Author : Phlippe Meslé 



Price : 8.50 € 

Philippe Meslé was born in 1960 

in Paris. He has then done 

superior studies of modern letters. 

He lived for many years in 

Marocco and in 1997 he returned 

to Mayenne. He currently 

teaches French in a highschool. 

He writes plays, songs 

and novels. 

Le Muche is his first book for 

teenagers. 

Blurb 

Le Muche is a story about initiation. 

It is not easy to become 

a man ; especially when one 

must face and vanquish so 

many trials. Between dream 

and reality, the author brings 

us in the heart of nature, of 

human relations, of fear and 

love : a fairy tale with potent 

charm for adolescents. 

Jules en Amérique 

Jules in America 

Author : Daniel de Roulet 



Price : 9.20 € 

Daniel de Roulet was born in 

1944 in Switzerland. He has 

already published several 

books translated in many languages. 

“ Jules en Amérique ” 

is his first children’s book. 

Blurb 

It is the story of a young boy 

who leaves Europe for the United 

States with his parents. 

This travel around the New 

World allows the reader to 

become aware of the gap 

between the American way of 

life and our way of life. A book 

full of funny adventures ! 


the program MOVING WORDS 



literature) 


Dom, Do, Dom ! 

Author : Ervin Làzàr 



Price : 8.90 € 

Ervin Làzàr, born in 1935, is the 

best known and most loved 

youth author in Hungary. 

He has written about fifteen 

books for children and a few 

titles for adults. He is translated 

in several languages and 

his work has been rewarded 

as well as revered with numerous 

prizes. 

Blurb 

Dom Do Dom ! recounts the 

adventures of quite an unpredictable 

group of people : a 

blue horse, a mobile fir tree, 

a giant, a man who can only 

say “ dom do dom ”. All these 

characters have been saved 

from the world, a bit cruel 

towards them, by Micamaca 

who brought them to a forest 

where a community with a 

wild and lively life has created 

itself. 

Le Temps des mots à voix basse 

The Time for soft spoken words 

Author : Anne-Lise Grobéty 



Price : 6.50 € 

Sold to Italy, Germany, Spain 

and Korea 

Blurb 

Two fathers and two children 

are sharing a true 

friendship, but one day 

everything crumbles. The 

boys can’t see each other 

anymore. This story happenes 

in a small German 

city… 

Prix sorcières 2002 

Prix saint-exupéry 

Francophonie 2002 

Du mal à une mouche 

Harming a Fly 

Author : Anne-Lise Grobéty 



Price : 7 € 


Anne-Lise Grobéty was born in Switzerland, in 1949. Very 

quickly, she will be recognised in the French part of Switzerland 

as one of the best writers of her generation. At 19 

years old, she will have the chance to see her first novel 

published : “ Pour mourir en février ”, Georges Nicole Award, 

1968. She will receive the Rambert award for the book 

“ La fiancée de l’hiver ”. This last autumn, she received the 

“ Grand Prix C.F Ramuz ” for her entire work. 


t h e p r o g r a m M O V I N G W O R D S 



literature) 


Blurb 

When she hears “ Next 

one ”, the old lady who just 

died, doesn’t expect to be 

blamed for all the “ murders 

” she has commited 

during all her life : it begins 

with the murder of seventeen 

bees and ends with 

that of some earthworms. 

This book makes us think 

– in an happy way – about 

our responsibility as human 

being. 

Les Deux font la paire 

Two make a pair 

Author : Léopold Chauveau 



Price : 11.50 € 

All rights available except 

Japan 

Léopold Chauveau was born 

in 1870. A surgeon, writer, 

drawer and sculptor, he 

wrote lively, energetic stories 

for children he knew, 

and myths and tales for 

adults. He sang the scars 

of the human soul. He died 

from exhaustion in 1940, 

after running for three days 

and three nights away from 

the German advance in 

Paris. 

Blurb 

The “ petit père Renaud ” 

and his father, the author, 

have a daily conversation 

about the stories that the 

father invents and that the 

small boy loves to be involved 

in : the magnificient 

relationship of a little boy 

and his father. 

50 51

Fondée en 1987 par Francine Bouchet, La Joie de Lire S.A. est une maison 

d’édition suisse qui publie des livres pour la jeunesse. Elle édite une trentaine de 

livres par an, possède un catalogue d’environ 400 titres et s’attache à défendre 

la création contemporaine à travers ses 12 collections de livres illustrés et de 

romans. 

Les éditions La Joie de lire cultivent leur différence dans le paysage éditorial 

francophone et international. 

Depuis 20 ans déjà, des auteurs, des illustrateurs et des traducteurs nous confient 

leur talent. Quel plaisir de partager leur goût esthétique ou leur passion pour la 

littérature. Chacun dans notre métier, nous grandissons ensemble. 

Voilà ce que nous vous souhaitons de découvrir dans ce catalogue. 


Editrice 

Founded in 1987 by Francine Bouchet, La Joie de Lire S.A. is a Swiss publishing 

firm that publishes books for youth. It prints about thirty books per year, has 

a catalogue of about 400 titles and is keen to defend contemporary creation 

through its twelve collections of illustrated books and novels. 

The publishing firm La Joie de Lire nurtures its diversity in the French-speaking 

and international publishing scene. 

Since 20 years already, authors, illustrators and translators trust us with their 

talent. What a pleasure to share their esthetic taste as well as their passion for 

literature. All of us, in our different fields, grow together. 

This is what we wish for you to discover in this catalogue. 


Publisher 

editions la joie de lire sa 

5 chemin neuf - ch - 1207 geneva 

switzerland 

t. +41 22 807 33 99 - f. +41 22 807 33 92 

foreign Rights: carina.solari@lajoiedelire.ch 

info@lajoiedelire.ch - www.lajoiedelire.ch

54 

Illustration de francesca Bazzuro, tirée de Paris.

Albums collection Albums collection - La Joie de Lire

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