And Picasso paints Guernica

by Alain Serres
This exceptional large-format picture book, which explains to children Picasso's howl of outrage against war, is about both a work of art and a life. It describes the genesis of Picasso's brilliant masterpiece, Guernica, which was painted in response to the bombing of that Spanish city. It is also about the Spanish painter's extraordinary life, from his talented early childhood to his later commitment to peace, and helps readers grasp the wonder that all great works of art inspire. The Painting is reproduced in the book as a metre-long foldout.
56 pages, 26 x 34 cm, 8 years +
Rights sold: Basque, Catalan, Chinese (mainland China and Taiwan), Dutch, English (World), Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish (Spain)

Tales from China

by Fabienne Thiéry and Catherine Gendrin, ill. Vanessa Hié
In 18 tales, children will encounter 18 different faces of this fascinating, age-old civilization. Through these stories, they will meet an untameable dragon, a monkey collector and an emperor who trains crickets, all part of a fabulous journey full of laughter and tears, dreams and amazement - plus a few seeds of wisdom snatched from the shadow of the Great Wall.
144 pages, 18 x 25 cm, 8 years +

How to teach your parents to love children's books

by Alain Serres, ill. Bruno Heitz
More whimsical "blurb" than straightforward debate, this little book will provoke an exchange of ideas about books and reading while making a solid case for the richness of children's books and the reading experience. Children will find various clues to help their parents recollect their youthful selves.
68 pages, 19 x 16 cm, 5 years +, non-fiction or fiction, both really!
Special Prize from the jury, Andersen Prize 2010
Rights sold: German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain and Latin America)

An ABC for lovers

By Sandra Poirot Cherif
From A to Z, this tender, surprising love alphabet (which can be easily translated) comprises 26 words that sketch the landscape of love's outlines from Dates to Kisses, Jealousy to Timidity, and Quarrels to Secrets! This world of feelings can sometimes give life to a Family, and offers a Happy Mixture somewhere between Gallantry and King-Kong! This light, fresh book describes all the feelings - experienced for the first time, or time and time again - that make love so universal and yet always unique.
64 pages, 25 x 21 cm, 5 years and all lovers, a nice gift book also...
Rights sold: Chinese (Taiwan)

100 figures for a different dream of the world

by Elen Riot, ill. Zaü
In a whirlwind of information, statistics and surveys, it is not easy to establish simple, enlightening benchmarks. This book presents 100 key figures that tell children and parents about the state of the world, the changes taking place and the challenges of the third millennium. These figures were chosen to suggest and stimulate classroom and family discussions. Some data also offer young people real reasons to consider the changing world with optimism, for example by stressing the importance of vaccination and the spread of micro-credit.
56 pages, 26 x 34 cm, 9 years +
Rights sold: Portuguese (Brazil)

Hu-hum

by Gay Wegerif
"Hu-hum, have you seen my dress?" asks little princess to everybody she meets, from mouse to dragon, and rabbit, and hedgehog... Little by little they all help her in her search until they meet a horse, with a nice pink dress, which says "YEHHHS". Composed like a tangram, the images use trapezium as a reference for all characters, in a variety of bright colours. More than a simple graphic game, the book is a funny story for little ones, full of onomatopoeia children can play with.
32 pages, 17 x 18 cm, 3 years +
Rights sold: Korean

About the origin of mathematics

by Clémence Gandillot
If men find mathematics difficult, it is their own fault... Clémence Gandillot ends her short essay on mathematics with this sententious conclusion. And it perfectly summarizes her ideas: mathematics is the image of man and woman. Calculations are felt before even being solved; besides, adding two humans divides a cell that multiplies into a small one who will be subtracted from its mother to become a result... The whole book is a mix of philosophy and comics.
80 pages, 16 x 22 cm, 12 years +
Rights sold: German and Korean

In me

by Alex Cousseau, ill. Kitty Crowther
This story begins: "I haven't always been me. Before being me, I was not in me. I was somewhere else.(...) But I was not the king in me. Not yet. (...) In me, it was dark." Questions and fears take the shape of an ogre who has to be faced in order to find what one is looking for. To be able to say things, talk about fears and also about happiness. A highly intelligent book by Alex Cousseau and delicately illustrated by Kitty Crowther.
44 pages, 16 x 21 cm, 8 years +
Rights sold: Italian, Korean

Colours

by Malgorzata Gurowska
One page out of two has a hole through it, showing a coloured circle opening onto the following pages. Turn the page and discover an animal. What is green? A frog! A preschool book for toddlers with bright colours in geometrical blocks, showing the round and simple silhouettes of the animals featured. The names of the animals are in French and in English.
36 pages, 23 x 20 cm, 18 months +

Bedtime!

by Louise-Marie Cumont
In this book about night time, the night furniture disappears. The bed becomes a stage seen from above with a variety of different textures, colours and shapes. Characters perfom a daily and intimate ballet dance, no text is needed to understand. On each page, like on a screen, together or apart, enemies or in love, by three or by two. In bed, one has nightmares, dreams or just moments of laziness. Other titles by Louise-Marie Cumont at MeMo include Tears and The Chairs.
36 pages, 22 x 22 cm, 3 years +
Rights sold: Korean