Une rencontre

Foxes walk through the pages of many great silent books, like Bellini´s Le Puces et le Renard and Rodriguez´ The fox and chicken triology. Une rencontre by Camille Garoche is another great example. It tells a simple tale of generosity, gratitude and belonging, but Garoche´s magical illustration elevates it to a pice of art.

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Garoche makes handcrafted, papercut dioramas. She then lights and photographs them into illustrations that makes you feel you can step right into the picture and take part in the action. Her technique is reminiscent of other great artists, like Norwegian Øyvind Torseter´s illustrations in "Eg kan ikkje sove no" and Canadian Miriam Körners "Fox and bear". A really nice touch to "Fox´s garden" is that Garoche generously offers instruction for making your own dioramas at the end of the book, listing all the equipment you need and helpful hints. An extra bonus for budding papercut artists!

In "Fox´s garden" we meet a chubby fox who desperately tries to find a warm place to stay in the winter night. She is kicked and chased by the adult humans she meets, but finally finds a shed to use as shelter. A small boy watches her enter the shed and brings her a basket of food. The next illustration reveal that fox´s chubbiness was due to four beautiful fox cubs waiting to be born. The fox family shows their gratitude by bringing flowers to the boy, who wakes up to a magical garden in his bedroom. 

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There is something refreshingly analogue to papercuts, and their fragility is a perfect setting for this story. It reminds us of the fragility of life, and the vulnerability of the relationships between animals and humans. The adult´s brutality looks even more cruel on the second reading, when the reader knows the fox is about to give birth. The flowers also emphasizes the fragility of the relationship between the boy and the fox: The boy needs to trust the fox not to attack him in order to give her the basket, and she need to trust the boy not to hurt her cubs. Garoche´s use of light is stunning. She perfectly captures the freezing winter night, and the alluring lights from the human´s houses. 

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The publishers have done a great job with this book. The long and narrow format is a good fit: It makes it possible for Garoche to portray both the winter horizons in full and the necessary distance between the fox and the boy. The cover is gorgeous, featuring embossed silver lettering and decor.​​

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