This book was one of those ones that I saw on Vintage Kids’ Books My Kid Loves and knew I had to have! As Scribbler points out, it is a must for Francophile mummies (that would be me!)…
It is also a must for anyone who loves 1960s illustrations. To say the colours are bright would be an understatement – these tones of pinks and purples and yellows could only have emerged from the 60s. Contrasting in black are stark linocut style forms which are what really characterizes the illos – and they are truly amazing.
I doubt this book was ever published in Australia, but I was lucky and managed to score a copy via an online search through Abebooks. (See my previous post on my amateur techniques of purchasing seconhand books online.) And it didn’t end up costing me a lot. The copy I got in the mail is in great condition, and it even smells great – the aroma of library shelves!
The story is reminiscent of Pat Hutchin’s Don’t Forget the Bacon (which Lou reviewed here) – with a gallic twist. A little boy, Emile, helps out his aunt by offering to buy the ingredients they need for a visit from seven uncles…
Cherries and berries for the fruit compote,
Green beans and tangerines… shall I make note?
No, says Emile, I’ll remember everything…
Nine little sausages and a leg of veal,
A Sainte Honorine tart and some orange peel.
Seven brioches and a long thin bread,
And any flowers, so long as they’re red.
But of course, poor Emile gets confused, and instead of asking for ‘Cherries, berries and tangerines’ he asks for ‘Tomatoes, potatoes and nectarines’. Instead of brioches and a long thin bread, he asks for ‘A round fat loaf with seeds on top, seventeen cream puffs and a chocolate drop.’ With the help of his friend Gerard and his cat Philomene, he comes home with his string bag full – of all the wrong things.
Luckily Tante Louise is a true French cook, and manages to make the best of it…
The text is long in this book – but lots of fun, and I can’t rave enough about the illustrations, which have so many authentic French details – street signs, price tickets, and cobblestone streets. I’m in love…
This book seemed vaguely familiar when I skimmed this post. Now that I re-read it more closely I am sure that it was around when you were young, Katie. It certainly wasn’t a home library purchase, perhaps a library loan, or it even may have been read in part on Play School. I was always impressed with the variety of books the producers managed to source for the literary element of this TV children’s educational icon. Thinking about this book also makes me wonder about the subliminal influence on children of books set in other countries and cultures.