Duminică

Clementine is a young fox. She spends a sunny Sunday at Grandma’s. Her parents tell the same tales of their trips. She grows bored. Grandma seems lost in thought. Leaves and twigs cling to her hair and clothes. Clementine roams the garden and finds a gate to another world. Now she has something to share with Grandma.

This story for children has pictures. It blends family life with dreams of strange worlds. Clementine and a human boy make wings from branches and fly. A lake turns into an ocean full of fish and whales. A grove turns into a jungle with tigers and bright birds. The story does not say whose dream shapes these worlds. Does Clementine dream up the humans? Or does the boy dream up foxes who live like people?

The tale looks at the bond between children and grandparents. It shows how love can last through the changes age brings. Clementine thinks her parents fuss, but they have doubts too. They know Grandma struggles. Yet they may not know how to explain this to their child.

Fleur Oury comes from Marseille, France. She writes about children’s day-to-day lives. Her work draws on humour and a keen eye for detail. It shows a grasp of how people feel. Here, she draws with coloured pencils. Her art shows family and wedding photos in Grandma’s home. A hare picture refers to Albrecht Durer’s Der Feldhase. He painted it in 1502. Vienna’s Albertina museum holds the work.