Bouh!
By: Francois Soutif
Publisher: Coccole books Italia, 2019 (Original version Kaléidoscope, France, 2012)
Format: Board book
Prepare for a laugh!
Due to their artistic qualities and interactive nature, silent books have a way of evoking feelings in the reader. Some makes you cry, some makes you smile - and some, like "Bouh!" will make you laugh out loud!
Francois Soutif is a very talented French illustrator. In this book, he shows his artistic talent not only by the drawings, but also by the way he uses the whole book as an object, so that the format of the book is part of the story. His main focus is the gutter (center-fold) of the book, that the whole story revolves around. This is not an uncommon storytelling technique in silent books: Suzy Lee does it beautifully in both "Wave", "Mirror" and "Shadow", Kjell Ringi in "The Winner", just to mention a couple*. But Soutif´s fast-paced action and humorous illustrations makes it feel brand new and very original!
"Bouh!" is a play on the fairy tale about the three little pigs. The big, bad wolf chases the pigs, ready for dinner - but ala! He can´t pass the gutter! The pigs reaction when they discover this is priceless. But the wolf might be more clever than they think, and maybe they feel a little bit too safe...
If you get the intratextual reference to the traditional story, it is an added bonus, but luckily, it is not necessary to do so in order to enjoy the book. The thrill of the chase, the bright colors and the amazing expressions of the characters makes this a fun read for everyone!
This is a board book, which sometimes leads readers to think it is a book for very young children, but I think "Bouf!" will give readers of all ages a really good laugh. I have just learned that this is part of a triology. I have ordered the other two books, so stay put for a full review of the series.
*reviews of Wave, Mirror, Shadow and The Winner also to come soon!
