SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: A POTATO ON A BIKE
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://elisegravel.com/en/
CITY: Montreal
STATE:
COUNTRY: Canada
NATIONALITY: Canadian
LAST VOLUME: SATA 333
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born 1977, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada; daughter of François Gravel (a writer and educator) and a nurse mother; married; husband a communications consultant; children: two daughters.
EDUCATION:Collège Ahuntsic, degree.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author and illustrator.
AWARDS:Applied Arts Award, 2002 and 2004; Governor General’s Award for Illustration, 2012, for La clé à molette; Prix des Premières Lectures Coup de pouce Clé, 2015, for The Rat; Science in Society Children’s Book Award, 2015, for The Fly; First and Best list, Toronto Public Library, 2016, for The Toad; Best Books for Kids list, New York, Public Library and Best of the Best Books list, Chicago Public Library, both 2017, and Best Children’s Books of the Year selection, Bank Street College of Education, 2018, all for Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere; Doug Wright Award, 2020, for The Worst Book Ever.
WRITINGS
Author’s work has been translated into Arabic, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, German, Japanese, Korean, Portugese, Spanish, and Yiddish.
SIDELIGHTS
[NEW PROSE]
Elise Gravel is an award-winning Canadian author and illustrator recognized for her quirky storylines, childlike artwork, and silly humor. “I’ve always felt attracted to … characters and creating things that combine my desire to do absurd things and just let my imagination roam free, and also to show that everybody is different—you can be weird or ugly or smelly and you still deserve to be loved,” Gravel remarked to Quill and Quire interviewer Dory Cerny.
[END NEW PROSE]
Gravel provides both images and storylines for her “Balloon Toons” books, which include Adopt a Glurb!, a whimsical parody of a pet-adoption guide. As Gravel’s readers learn, Glurbs are intelligent and agile, but give off a funky odor and can be mischievous. In appraising the author’s first story, Booklist reviewer Francisca Goldsmith wrote of Adopt a Glurb! that this whimsical riff on a pet-care manual “offers early practice in understanding how information can be organized in a logical and useful way.”
Also part of Gravel’s “Balloon Toons” series, A Day in the Office of Doctor Bugspit allows readers a glimpse into the work life of an alien practitioner and his equally out-of-this world clientele. “Expect delighted choruses of ‘Eeewww, gross!’ at every turn,” predicted a Kirkus Reviews writer, adding that “real visits to the doctor are rarely so hilarious.”
Gravel amps up the ick factor in her “Disgusting Creatures” series. The Fly features a fictional family of common houseflies whose daily activities are channeled into a hybrid science-lesson/comic book format. The insects’ attraction to decomposition and their rather ingenious digestive systems provide much of what a Kirkus Reviews contributor described as the book’s “gross-out potential.”
In The Toad, Gravel presents a range of scientific facts about the toad by mixing technical terms with daily language and humor. Gravel shows the special features of the toad as well as covering what it eats, how it reproduces, and where it lives. Writing in Resource Links, Victoria Pennell insisted that “the humour and grossness of these books” in the “Disgusting Critters” series “will attract many young readers.”
In Gravel’s first book for a slightly older audience, Jessie Elliot Is a Big Chicken, she fabricates the private journal and art diary of Jessie, a self-professed introvert who is nervous about starting high school and anxious about her friendships. Jessie makes lists, reflects on her perceived shortcomings, and tries to imagine what it would be like to morph in another personality type. In Gravel’s hands, remarked a Publishers Weekly reviewer, the illustrations in Jessie Elliot Is a Big Chicken “feel ripped from the fertile mind of a creative, self-doubting teen and always amplify Jessie’s moods.”
I Want a Monster! concerns young Winnie, who convinces her father to let her have a pet monster. Little Gus, the baby ooglywump they get, ends up being a lot more trouble than anyone had expected. Reviewing the book in Resource Links, Isobel Lang claimed that “children will love the antics involved in raising a baby monster.”
With The Great Antonio, Gravel looks into the life and legend of Croatian-born, Canadian showman Antonio Barichievich. She covers many of the feats of superhuman strength that he was known for and also reimagines a happier ending to his life than the one he had. Reviewing the book in Horn Book, Sarah Ellis observed that “in this innovative portrait … Gravel affectionately places Antonio in the Paul Bunyan tradition of mighty men.”
The Cranky Ballerina focuses on Ada, whose parents force her to attend ballet class. She can never do any of the moves correctly. Writing in Resource Links, Sadie Tucker described the book as “a cute picture book, adding that its familiar themes “will attract preschoolers and their parents.”
[NEW PROSE]
In Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere, a science-minded, animal-loving youngster named Olga encounters an odd creature that looks like a cross between a potato and a hamster. Naming the creature Meh, Olga studies its habits carefully, and her deductive skills are put to the test when Meh goes missing. “It’s a romping story—full of Gravel’s trademark gross-out humour, speech balloons, and strange-looking creatures—that integrates lessons about environmentalism, curiosity, and self-esteem,” Cerny noted. A Publishers Weekly contributor pointed out that “readers will get lots of laughs out of the steady stream of gross-out jokes.”
In We’re Out of Here!, Olga decides that Meh must be an alien, and she grows determined to locate the creature’s home planet. School Library Journal contributor Eric Knapp applauded Gravel’s “highly illustrated hybrid chapter book, featuring comic-style artwork, word bubbles, doodles, and interesting facts throughout.”
Gravel’s penchant for the absurd is on full display in the self-illustrated picture book A Potato on a Bike. In this work, young readers are treated to the sight of a carrot soaking in a tub, a fork behind the wheel of a car, and a skateboarding cupcake, among other oddities. According to Shannon Ozirny in Quill and Quire, “Gravel makes the mundane mirthful, in the pairings and with her madcap cartoon style,” and a writer in Kirkus Reviews described the work as “[l]ighthearted and wholly engaging nonsense of the first order.”
In The Worst Book Ever, Gravel delivers “a fourth-wall-breaking showcase of picture book ‘don’t’s,” according to a Publishers Weekly critic. Clichés, misspellings, uninspiring illustrations, and nonsensical dialogue abound in the fairy-tale satire, much to the consternation of three characters who continually admonish the author/illustrator for her transgressions. Booklist contributor Julia Smith remarked that the tale’s “unabashed silliness will tickle readers of all ages.”
Gravel turns to more serious fare in What Is a Refugee?, another self-illustrated work. In the volume, Gravel uses age-appropriate language to describe the reasons people leave their homelands and their efforts to establish new lives. “Bold lines, saturated colors, and expressive faces serve to emphasize the human cost of displacement,” Booklist reviewer Kay Weisman noted, and Kelly Jahng, writing in School Library Journal, stated that “Gravel introduces a globally important concept in a comprehensible way for young readers.”
[END NEW PROSE]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, November 15, 2010, Francisca Goldsmith, review of Adopt a Glurb!, p. 31; June 1, 2016, Julia Smith, review of The Toad, p. 84; October 15, 2016, Julia Smith, review of The Great Antonio, p. 37; January 1, 2017, Julia Smith, review of Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere, p. 94; July 1, 2019, Julia Smith, review of The Worst Book Ever, p. 57; August 1, 2019, Kay Weisman, review of What Is a Refugee?, p. 54; November 1, 2019, Angela Leeper, review of The Worm, p. S4; April 15, 2020, Julia Smith, review of The Bat and The Cockroach, p. 46.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, January 1, 2012, Jeannette Hulick, review of A Day in the Office of Doctor Bugspit, p. 255.
Children’s Bookwatch, June 1, 2016, review of The Toad.
Globe and Mail (London, England), August 16, 2016, Mark Medley, “Meet Canada’s ‘Hyperactive’ Illustrator, Elise Gravel.”
Horn Book, September 1, 2016, Nell Beram, review of The Cranky Ballerina, p. 86; November 1, 2016, Sarah Ellis, review of The Great Antonio, p. 96.
Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2011, review of A Day in the Office of Doctor Bugspit; January 15, 2014, review of The Fly; January 1, 2016, review of I Want a Monster!; May 1, 2016, review of The Toad; January 1, 2017, review of Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere; May 1, 2017, review of If Found … Please Return to Elise Gravel; December 15, 2017, review of Olga: We’re Out of Here!; January 1, 2019, review of You Can Be; April 1, 2019, review of The Worst Book Ever; July 1, 2019, review of What Is a Refugee?; January 15, 2020, review of A Potato on a Bike; June 1, 2020, review of The Wrench.
Publishers Weekly, January 20, 2014, review of Space Taxi: Archie Takes Off, p. 56; March 17, 2014, review of Jessie Elliot Is a Big Chicken, p. 85; May 30, 2016, review of The Cranky Ballerina, p. 56; August 15, 2016, review of The Great Antonio, p. 70; January 9, 2017, review of Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere, p. 70; November 5, 2018, review of You Can Be, p. 69; April 1, 2019, review of The Worst Book Ever, p. 62; June 10, 2019, review of What Is a Refugee?, p. 115; August 5, 2019, review of A Potato on a Bike, p. 66; January 6, 2020, review of I Am Scary, p. 42.
Quill and Quire, March, 2017, Dory Cerny, “Kidlit Spotlight Profile: Elise Gravel”; May, 2019, Shanda Deziel, review of The Worst Book Ever; October, 2019, Shannon Ozirny, review of Potato on a Bike.
Reference & Research Book News, August 1, 2013, review of How Do You Doodle? Drawing My Feelings and Emotions.
Resource Links, June 1, 2016, Isobel Lang, review of I Want a Monster!, p. 4; October 1, 2016, Victoria Pennell, review of The Toad, p. 24; February 1, 2017, Sadie Tucker, review of The Cranky Ballerina, p. 6.
School Library Journal, January 1, 2012, Nicole Waskie-Laura, review of A Day in the Office of Doctor Bugspit, p. 144; March 1, 2016, Melissa Smith, review of I Want a Monster!, p. 109; June 1, 2016, Kelly Topita, review of The Toad, p. 123; July 1, 2016, Briana Moore, review of The Cranky Ballerina, p. 56; February 1, 2017, Brittney Kosev, review of Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere, p. 78; December 1, 2017, Eric Knapp, review of Olga, p. 95; September, 2019, Kelly Jahng, review of What Is a Refugee?, p. 136.
ONLINE
Drawn & Quarterly website, https://www.drawnandquarterly.com/ (June 6, 2017), Zack Smith, interview with Gravel.
Elise Gravel website, http://elisegravel.com (July 1, 2020).
Montreal Gazette online, https://montrealgazette.com/ (March 8, 2019), Ian McGillis, “Elise Gravel’s Children’s Books Never Talk Down to Readers.”
I was born in Montreal in 1977 and started to draw not long after my birth. In kindergarten I was popular because I could draw princesses with long, spiral curls. Then in high school, girls asked me to draw their dream guys in their agendas. I became very talented at drawing muscles and chest hair, which came in handy later on when I illustrated my book Le Grand Antonio. On the other hand, I’m still pretty bad at knowing how to use an agenda properly.
Later on, I studied graphic design at CEGEP*, during which I figured out that I wanted to do illustration. After my first book, Catalogue des Gaspilleurs, I wrote and illustrated more than 30 others. One of my books, La clé à molette, won the Governor General’s Literary Award in the illustration category, and since then I’ve become really bigheaded and brag all the time.
I live in Montreal with my two daughters, my husband, my cats, and a few spiders. I’m currently working on diverse projects for publication in Quebec, English-speaking Canada, and in the United States. My books have been translated into a dozen languages. I’m hoping to live a long life so that I can make many, many more books, because I still have many, many more ideas.
Questions & Answers: KIDS
Are you rich?
No, but I’m not poor either. I’m ok.
Where do you work?
I have a studio above my house. My studio is full of stuffed animals and teacups (I drink a lot of tea) and often my cats come visit me. While they’re there, they walk on my keyboard, which results in things like aèvponwu^4qvènjv.
What inspires you?
I’m very curious and I like observing what happens around me. My kids, their friends, my neighbours, animals in my back-alley, bugs: all of which give me ideas for characters and personalities. I’m interested in unusual people and animals. I’m attracted to everything that is strange, different, or funny.
I also like to read a lot and I read all kinds of things: novels, comic books, magazines, kids’ books, and non-fiction, all of which expose me to new universes. It helps me invent ideas of my own later on.
I often have my best ideas at night, just before falling asleep. It’s like my head puts itself into ‘sleep’ mode, in which all the weirdest ideas are allowed. It’s good for creativity, but not for sleep: I often have to turn on my light to write down my ideas…
How did you start doing this job?
I studied graphic design at school. Graphic design is a discipline in which you have to try to communicate a message using images and fonts. Graphic designers make, for example, posters, websites, books, magazines, and ads. In the graphic design program we did a lot of illustration, and I liked it.
When I got out of school I didn’t have any clients; I was still an unknown beginner. So I met with professional illustrators who told me: “Develop your style! Clients like to hire illustrators with well-defined styles”. Since I didn’t yet have my own style, I worked on it. I invented imaginary clients and made posters for them. This allowed me to practice drawing. To make it more fun, I invented funny clients and strange products that didn’t exist.
When I had about 20 posters, I put them on the walls of my bedroom and thought: “These would make a funny children’s book”. So I made a photocopy of my book and sent it to an editor called Les 400 coups. Then I waited and waited…a really long time! And one day – surprise! – the editor told me that she loved my funny posters, and Les 400 coups decided to make them into a book! That book was Catalogue des Gaspilleurs.
I liked this experience so much that I kept making books after that. And you know the rest…
How do you make your drawings?
In the beginning, I made my illustrations with acrylic paint on cardboard. Later on, I started to draw on a computer, with a special graphics tablet. I draw directly on my screen, using the software program Photoshop.
I start over often. One, three, sometimes even 10 times! It’s very rare that I achieve what I want to right away. I make mistakes, I restart, I erase, I restart again…it’s important to learn to accept making mistakes if we want to become good at something.
What were you like when you were little?
I was very curious; I liked observing insects and nature. I loved animals and weird creatures. I did arts & crafts or I looked for salamanders under rocks in the woods. I also loved comic books and funny books. I read all the time!
I loved books by Roald Dahl. He wrote really funny books with bizarre creatures, like repugnant giants and witches disguised as normal women. His bad guys were really bad! And his children were really resourceful.
Roald Dahl’s books were illustrated by Quentin Blake. I have a lot of admiration for these two creators.
What advice would you give to a kid who wants to become an illustrator?
Draw all the time! Drawing anything and everything. Look at your favourite books and try to copy the drawings that you see. There’s nothing wrong with copying, it’s really a good way to learn! You can even trace the drawings if you want to: it helps to understand how to draw lines and how to create shapes. The most famous painters, when they were starting out, learned by coping their idols. Don’t worry, one day, you’ll develop your own style.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes! This is my MOST IMPORTANT piece of advice. Accept that you won’t be perfect from the beginning. Do you think your drawing is ugly? Take a deep breath. Try to see how you can improve, then restart. And restart again.
Always keep in mind that even the best artists are sometimes unhappy with their work. It’s normal. It doesn’t mean that you’re untalented, or that you’re not good at drawing. It just means that you want to get better, and that’s a good thing!
I often create drawings that I find ugly. Sometimes, I say to myself, “I’ll never get it. It never turns out how I want.” But I restart again and again, and at some point, I’m happy with my work. We learn all our lives!
I read somewhere that the key to success isn’t talent, but the number of hours we spend practicing. So you need to really, really practice. There’s no magic to this job! All the illustrators that I know are people who love to draw and who do it as much as possible. It’s as simple as that. So let’s go, get out your crayons!
•••
Questions & Answers: ADULTS
Do you accept new contracts or requests for personalized illustrations?
I have a lot of projects in the works right now so I can’t do personalized illustrations. I sometimes accept new contracts through my agents in Quebec or the United States. Contact them here, only serious offers will be considered.
Do you do visits to schools or bookstores?
I’ve done a lot in the past, but I had to decide to stop temporarily in order to dedicate myself fully to my books and my family. I try to make up for it by being very present on social media and by responding to my mail, especially anything sent to me by kids. I get a lot of mail from kids, which I love.
Can I use your illustrations on my blog/in an article/in my class?
Yes, if you use them for non-commercial purposes, and if you cite me correctly as the creator of the illustrations.
What advice do you have for an adult who wants to become an illustrator?
That’s a huge question. I’ll try to respond to it bit by bit on my blog. Follow me on Twitter or on Facebook to find out about my latest blog articles. But if I had one piece of advice to give you for now, it would be “Join a local illustrators’ association, like Illustration Québec.” You’ll meet a lot of interesting people and will get many answers to your questions, as well as get to party with super cool people.
I’d like to get a coffee with you someday soon to discuss my project/my portfolio/my art career.
I’m sure that I’d love that as well! But unfortunately I have so much work to do that I have a hard time getting to see my close friends and family as often as I’d like. Since I have a lot of chitchat in me, I’ll try to convert that into lots of talk on my blog or social media. I’m so active on social media that you’ll have the impression you’re sitting across from me.
* Public post-secondary institutions found only in Quebec
Élise Gravel
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Elise Gravel
Born 1977
Montreal, Quebec
Nationality Canadian
Area(s) Author, illustrator
Notable works
The Cranky Ballerina, Monsters!, the Disgusting Critters series
elisegravel.com/en
Elise Gravel (born 1977) is a Canadian children's book author and illustrator from Montreal, Quebec.
Gravel's original books [1] and graphic novels [2] focus on wacky and often gross content.[3] In 2012, she won a Governor General's Award for Children's Illustration in French[4] for her book La clé à molette.[5]
Gravel has written more than thirty books and her work has been translated into over twelve languages.[6][7] She studied graphic design, before becoming an illustrator. Gravel publishes in both English and in French.[8]
She is the daughter of writers François Gravel and Michèle Marineau.[9]
Selected work
Le Grand Antonio (2014), translated into English as The Great Antonio (2017), biography of Antonio Barichievich, known as The Great Antonio[10][11]
Having completed her studies in graphic design, Elise Gravel found herself quickly swept up into the glamourous world of illustration. Her old design habits drive her to work a little text here and there into her drawings and she loves to handle the design of her assignments from start to finish. She is inspired by social causes and is turned on by projects which can handle a good dose of eccentricity. She has written and illustrated several books for children.
Elise Gravel is an author illustrator from Montreal, Quebec. After studying Graphic Design, Gravel pursued a career writing and illustrating children’s books, where her quirky and charming characters quickly won the hearts of children and adults worldwide. In 2012, Gravel received the Governor General's Literary Award for her book La clé à molette. A prolific artist, she currently has over thirty children's books to her name which have been translated into a dozen languages, including The Disgusting Critters series, and If Found…Please Return to Elise Gravel, her challenge to young artists to keep a sketchbook. Elise Gravel still lives in Montreal with her spouse, two daughters, cats, and a few spiders.
SILVER BIRCH EXPRESS AWARD
Ontario Library Association Forest of Reading Award for The Mushroom Fan Club (2020, nom.)
THIRD TO FOURTH GRADE
Children's and Teen Choice Book Award for The Mushroom Fan Club (2019, nom.)
Children's and Teen Choice Book Award for The Mushroom Fan Club (2019, nom.)
FINALIST
Children's Choices List for The Mushroom Fan Club (2019)
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After completing her studies in graphic design, Elise Gravel found herself quickly swept up into the glamorous world of illustration. Branching out as a children’s book illustrator was a natural progression in her career. From an early age, Elise was obsessed with reading anything and everything, from cereal boxes to Archie comics to The Adventures of Tintin. Still a kid at heart, Elise is filled with a childlike sense of wonder that allows her to infuse her work with humor and creativity that speaks directly to young minds. She is inspired by social causes and enticed by projects that can handle a good dose of eccentricity. Elise loves creating quirky characters and teaching kids to embrace the qualities that make them different. Through thoughtful storytelling, Elise helps us understand the world as it is and the power we have to shape the future. She is the author-illustrator of over thirty books for children, including La clé à molette, which won the prestigious Governor General’s Literary Award in her native Canada. Her other books include the popular Disgusting Critters series, available in 8 countries, and the middle grade graphic novel series, Olga. Elise is also the illustrator behind the popular app, Doodle Jump.
Interview with Olga Author Elise Gravel
Happy book birthday to the talented artist and author, Elise Gravel. Elise has written many of our favorites, from The Cranky Ballerina to The Disgusting Critters series. Her latest is the second book about Olga and her peculiar pet, Meh. When we meet up with Olga again in Olga: We’re Out of Here, she is determined to leave planet Earth in hopes of finding Meh’s hometown. While planning her excursion, Meh begins acting peculiar, and it’s Olga’s job to find out what’s happening to her dear pet. We won’t ruin the ending, but you will be pleasantly surprised. We were so excited to hear that there is a third book about Olga and Meh, and we can’t wait to read it.
As with all of her books, Olga is filled with adorable pictures and a clever story. If you haven’t had a chance to read any, they range in both topic and length. We have yet to read one of her books that we don’t love. What’s even better, you can visit her website and download/print free posters she’s created! Many thanks to Elise Gravel for sending us an ARC to read.
Three Questions about Olga: We’re Out of Here
What are three words you would use to describe your book?
Funny, curious, and weird.
Did you originally plan for Olga to be a series? Are there more books to come?
Yes, it was always meant to be a series! I am now working on #3.
Which came first, the doodles for Olga and Meh, or the story?
It all came from a drawing of Olga and Meh, and then I decided to create a world for them.
Three Questions About Elise Gravel
If you weren’t a writer/illustrator, what would you want to be and why?
When I was a kid, I wanted to be either a rockstar or a teacher. Rockstar: because I love music and I thought it sounded awesome to play music for a living, and teacher: because I think teachers are among the most important people in our society.
What is one book that has stuck with you since you’ve read it?
All of Roald Dahl’s books. As a kid, I was thrilled by the kid-heroes who were fighting really evil guys. Also, the books were funny!
What is one item in your refrigerator that tells us about you?
There is a LOT of cheese in my fridge. What does it say about me, though? I’m not sure… Maybe that my ancestors are French?
The Storymamas review board books, picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels. The majority of the books we review on our site and social media are purchased from a bookstore or checked out from the library. However, at times when we receive Advanced Readers Copies of books from authors, illustrators, publishers, or publicists we will note that in our review of a book. We are not and have not been compensated for our reviews. For every review, all opinions are our own regardless of how we received the book.
Elise Gravel's children's books never talk down to readers
"The kids think they’re having a good time, but they’re learning," the Montreal author says. "Which is what I’m trying to do in most of my books — trick them into learning stuff.”
IAN MCGILLIS Updated: March 8, 2019
“French literature for kids is generally much cooler and edgier than English,” says Elise Gravel. “Anglo parents still have this idea that comics are not ‘good literature,’ not ‘real books.’ I’ve never encountered that in French.” ALLEN MCINNIS / MONTREAL GAZETTE
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If you’re looking for tales of writer’s-block woe, don’t look to Elise Gravel. She’s got the opposite.
“I have so many ideas, so many projects,” the Montreal writer-illustrator said in her Vieux-Rosemont home last week. “I’m ADHD, so I need to do everything as soon as I have the idea. If I wait too long, I get bored. But I have so many things lined up that I have to wait. It’s my greatest pain.”
It’s a problem all writers should have. Author of more than 30 books for young readers, the 42-year-old is a bona fide star in francophone Quebec. Her most successful title, the baby’s-first-words book Une patate à vélo (A Potato on a Bike), sells to a degree that she could live on its proceeds alone. In the rest of Canada, the U.S. and abroad, her profile is only just beginning to spread; in those places she is probably best known for the educational posters, downloadable free of charge on her website, that have found a growing embrace in schools and homes worldwide.
Gravel grew up in the east end of the island of Montreal, near Pointe-aux-Trembles. Her mother was a nurse, her father a CEGEP economics teacher.
“I don’t remember ever not having fun with drawings and words,” she recalled. “Every summer my parents would take us to (the Mont-Royal Ave. store) L’Échange before we went on vacation. They’d give us big cardboard boxes that we could fill with anything we wanted, including some pretty weird stuff that was not necessarily for kids. I was allowed to read whatever I wanted.”
Asked to name an early influence, Gravel cited the works of Roald Dahl and his longtime illustrator Quentin Blake.
“It was the sense that he was taking us kids seriously,” she said. “He thought his readers were intelligent. His books had bad grown-ups; the kids were the heroes. I really liked that.”
Elise Gravel’s workplace is upstairs in her family’s two-storey home. “I don’t think I would be disciplined enough to go to a studio or an office every day,” she says. ALLEN MCINNIS / MONTREAL GAZETTE
In an unexpected development during Gravel’s childhood, her father, François Gravel, took up writing in his 30s and was eventually able to devote himself to it full time.
“I saw him try to do something different, and succeed,” she said. “So it certainly made me think it was possible, that people who make books aren’t magicians and gods.”
Trained in graphic design at Collège Ahuntsic, Gravel honed her style as an illustrator by drawing for invented clients. In 2003 one such exercise, Le Catalogue des Gaspilleurs, became her first book, and she was off to the races. A Governor General’s Award and numerous other prizes notwithstanding, she puts her success down to word of mouth among kids, and to educators and parents who find that all of her books provide teachable opportunities.
“French literature for kids is generally much cooler and edgier than English,” she said. “Anglo parents still have this idea that comics are not ‘good literature,’ not ‘real books.’ I’ve never encountered that in French.”
A cross-section of some of Gravel’s titles in English gives an idea of her range.
The Great Antonio is a biography of the late Montreal wrestler and strongman. “I thought it important that kids know who he was. He was such a legend. I was happy to be able to do it, because it gave him another life, and I’m sure he would have been pleased to see it.”
If Found Please Return to Elise Gravel, culled from her personal sketchbooks, can serve as a primer on creativity, while The Mushroom Fan Club is a kids’ field guide rooted in a personal passion. “We have a cottage, and I’m a mushroom forager. My kids like it, too. It’s like a treasure hunt. There’s something magical about mushrooms — they’re strange, hidden, sometimes a bit gross.”
Coming soon is the enticingly titled The Worst Book Ever (Drawn & Quarterly, 40 pages, $19.95), a hilarious meta-work deliberately rife with spelling mistakes, hokey plot devices, crass product placement, continuity gaffes and outdated gender roles. Two creatures of indeterminate species provide an exasperated built-in running commentary.
“I couldn’t believe it hadn’t been done before,” Gravel said. “I checked and checked.”
Like much of Gravel’s work, The Worst Book Ever identifies and delightfully exploits something often forgotten about kids — in this case, that they love finding fault with things.
“I remember the thrill I used to get finding spelling mistakes in the Archie comics I read as a child,” Gravel said. “(The Worst Book Ever) looks stupid, but it teaches critical thinking. The kids think they’re having a good time, but they’re learning. Which is what I’m trying to do in most of my books — trick them into learning stuff.”
The Worst Book Ever is a meta-work deliberately rife with spelling mistakes, hokey plot devices and outdated gender roles, featuring creatures who provide an exasperated commentary. DRAWN AND QUARTERLY
As for the typical audience she envisions while writing, she said: “It’s me. Me as a kid, and me right now. I’m immature and enjoy writing for the kid inside of me, who is still very much there. I’m often giggling while I write.”
A pair of other nearby readers — her two daughters, 11 and 13 — are a tougher audience.
“They’re … what’s the word … blasé? I publish so many books. They read them, but they’re not especially impressed. But their friends all know who I am. My youngest grew up with friends who, when they were fighting, would say, ‘Oh, you think you’re so cool just because you’re Elise Gravel’s daughter.’ ”
Gravel’s workplace requires only the shortest of commutes: it’s upstairs in the two-storey home where she lives with her husband and kids.
“I don’t think I would be disciplined enough to go to a studio or an office every day,” she said.
Working in such proximity to family, is maintaining her own space a challenge?
“Well, the floor in between helps,” she said with a chuckle.
Not surprisingly, Gravel gets a steady stream of invitations from schools, to the point where she has had to start simply saying no.
“School visits are demanding and stressful,” she said. “It’s a performance, and I prefer to spend that time and energy on my work and with my family. Recently I’ve started going back (to schools) occasionally, but only to draw with refugee kids, kids who don’t speak French yet. I just want to draw with them and not be a star — just draw for fun.”
A project that began several years ago as a one-off but soon took on a thriving life of its own is Gravel’s practice of creating free, often gender-focused posters on educational, social, historical and political themes.
“I had read an article somewhere saying that girls don’t think it’s OK to display anger — they feel guilty, because (they think) it’s supposed to be a male emotion. Well, I have two girls, and I’m angry sometimes and so are they, and I wanted them to know that that’s OK.”
The runaway popularity of “Girls Can Be …” led to a logical followup.
“I was trying to think of what would be a similar empowerment poster for boys, and at first all I could think of were things like ‘boys can cry,’ ‘boys can be scared’ … always a bit negative-sounding. But then I thought of positive things, like helpfulness. And that poster has been even more popular than the girls’ one. It’s a few years old and it’s still circulating around the world. Just last week it reached the Philippines. Often it’s women who send it to their boyfriends. It’s a message that not many of them had gotten as kids.
“When I hear or think of something that I think kids should know about — like the #MeToo movement, consent, refugees — I’ll make a poster for it. Frequently I’ll get requests: ‘Can you make one about autism?’ It’s more demanding than my books, because there can be a lot of research involved, but I’m happy to do it. I think of it as my volunteer work, my social work.”
The world being what it is, Gravel has found that the upside of her poster work — the sense of social mission, of helping make the world a better place — comes with an inevitable downside.
“The worst is always afterward, because I get attacked (online) a lot. For a week I know I’m going to be sad and scared. The refugee one was the worst. Remember, I’m not a team or a business — I’m alone getting all this abuse. It drains me. So I stay away a while.
“Then I make a new one.”
AT A GLANCE
The Worst Book Ever is scheduled for release on May 28.
A Potato on a Bike is scheduled to be published in English by Orca Book Publishers in October.
For information on the downloading and usage of Elise Gravel’s posters, visit elisegravel.com. Teachers who are interested in possible school visits can contact her via her website.
ianmcgillis2@gmail.com
What Is a Refugee? By Elise Gravel. Illus. by the author. Sept. 2019.32p. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99 (9780593120057). K-Gr. 3. 305.9.
Using simple, direct text, Gravel explains what a refugee is, the reasons these individuals leave their countries of origin, and the steps they must follow in order to find safety and regain a normal life. Throughout, she emphasizes that refugees are people "just like you and me." War, political instability, and prejudices can disrupt lives, forcing people to flee to refugee camps, where they must wait until a new country will accept them. Gravel's cartoon art is used to great effect here. Bold lines, saturated colors, and expressive faces serve to emphasize the human cost of displacement. Gravel's strength is her ability to humanize this topic without resorting to sensationalism. Both art and text avoid specific details about individual lives before or in the camps, but scenes of burning buildings, barbed wire, and tent cities make clear that the life of a refugee is difficult. Appended interviews with displaced children and mini-biographies of famous refugees add to the appeal of this essential title for promoting understanding of the refugee perspective. --Kay Weisman
YA RECOMMENDATIONS
* Young adult recommendations for adult, audio, and reference titles reviewed in this issue have been contributed by the Booklist staff and by reviewers Poornima Apte, Nancy Bent, Michael Cart, John Charles, Andrienne Cruz, Nanette Donohue, Deborah Donovan, Courtney Eathorne, Muhammed Hassanali, LaParis Hawkins, Stacey Hayman, Carl Hays, Biz Hyzy, Mark Knoblauch, Lucy Lockley, Sara Martinez, Anna Mickelsen, Frances Mortiz, Melissa Norstedt, Ray Olson, Margaret Quamme, June Sawyers, Kathy Sexton, Candice Smith, Becky Spratford, Christine Tran, Erin Renee Wahl, LynnDee Wathen.
* Adult titles recommended for teens are marked with the following symbols: YA, for books of general YA Interest; YA/C, for books with particular curriculum value; YA/S, for books that will appeal most to teens with a special interest In a specific subject; and YA/M, for books best suited to mature teens.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 American Library Association
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Weisman, Kay. "What Is a Refugee?" Booklist, vol. 115, no. 22, 1 Aug. 2019, p. 54. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A598305295/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=371047c3. Accessed 26 Feb. 2020.
I Am Scary Elise Gravel. Orca, $10.95 (30p) ISBN 978-1-4598-2316-7
Gravel's (What Is a Refugee?) beguiling, economical style is in top form in this board book. A big turquoise monster with an angry red mouth and two striped horns encounters a kid and dog in a forest. "Look at me!" the monster says, jumping out from behind a tree, "I am very SCARY!" While the dog strikes a range of attitudes, from snarling and protective to let's-get-out-of-here, the kid is fazed not one bit. In fact, no matter how much the monster rails ("Listen to this: Grrrrrrrrrrr!"), the child stands firm, until the monster finally breaks down in tears over being unable to frighten. "I think you're cute," says the kid--and in truth, the monster really is quite adorable. The child follows up the compliment with the offer of a hug, the dog joins in, and on the final page, it's clear the monster's heart has melted. The petite format, hand-lettered text, and spare, single-plane black line drawings, punctuated with saturated spot color, make this book feel like a comedy skit lovingly performed for an intimate audience. Ages up to 3. Agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words. (Mar.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 PWxyz, LLC
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"I Am Scary." Publishers Weekly, vol. 267, no. 1, 6 Jan. 2020, p. 42. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A611171801/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=8a5e3a3e. Accessed 26 Feb. 2020.
Gravel, Elise A POTATO ON A BIKE Orca (Children's Fiction) $10.95 10, 8 ISBN: 978-1-4598-2320-4
Call-and-response hilarity and a bit of potty humor make this a read-aloud delight for tots and caregivers alike.
This sweet little board book is a surefire favorite that toddlers and their adults may well be referring to as Poop Riding a Bicycle for years to come. While that is clearly erroneous--the cover clearly states it's a potato--no one could fault a child for imagining that the pedaling brown blob on the cover is indeed a happy-go-lucky bowel movement on wheels. Ironically enough, there are two images in the book that do in fact feature either poop or a potty, so this will surely be a hit with young toilet trainers. The format is straightforward, set forth on the opening page, which asks: "Have you ever seen a carrot taking a BATH?" On recto, the response is writ large and loud: "No WAY!" Other ridiculous potential sightings are suggested, all introduced "have you ever seen…": "a flying toothbrush"; "a dancing cookie"; "a singing tomato"; and, of course, "poop wearing glasses" and "a ball sitting on the toilet." Each time, the response is the same: "No WAY!" The drawings are adorable, peopled with broccoli that can do math, a tomato that sings, a hockey-player pickle, and a skateboarding cupcake, for example. The final question is, "Someone tickling a baby?" (cue light tickles from caregiver); the response is a resounding, "Yes WAY!"
Lighthearted and wholly engaging nonsense of the first order. (Board book. 1-4)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Gravel, Elise: A POTATO ON A BIKE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2020. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A611140182/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=88105835. Accessed 26 Feb. 2020.
Gravel, Elise YOU CAN BE The Innovation Press (Children's Fiction) $8.99 10, 9 ISBN: 978-1-943147-40-3
This board book invites young readers to think about the many ways a child can be.
The message of embracing who you are is a popular one in contemporary children's books; this latest offering comes in the form of humorous cartoonlike figures representing some of the many silly--and not so silly--ways a kid can feel, behave, interact, and so on--"(except mean or rude, of course)." Standing out from the white background, on each page a wacky and exaggerated cartoon is accompanied by a single word: "funny," "sensitive," "grumpy," "smelly," "caring," etc. Each word is appropriately embellished to match its subject; "artsy" is rendered in fancy letters, and "dirty" drips small blobs of mud. Occasionally, the author adds some side comments that are sure to elicit giggles in young readers; for example on the "Smelly" page, a parenthetical "(sometimes)" keeps it light, along with speech bubbles that add "oops!" "sorry" and "toot!" But most importantly, the author concludes, just being "YOURSELF" is best. The children illustrated represent different skin and hair colors, though none have visible disabilities.
Adult readers and their young listeners will find this book best used as a conversation springboard. (Board book. 4-6)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Gravel, Elise: YOU CAN BE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Jan. 2019. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A567651523/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=884e54ce. Accessed 26 Feb. 2020.
Gravel, Elise THE WORST BOOK EVER Drawn & Quarterly (Children's Fiction) $17.95 5, 28 ISBN: 978-1-77046-363-9
It's not every book that can be trite, dull, sexist, gross, kissy, violent, nondiverse, and replete with misspellings.
Of course Gravel does it all deliberately and to such comical effect that "I'm wondering if anyone is still reading this book!" from one of the motley blobs providing reactions to each successive literary malfeasance will definitely be a rhetorical question. The storyline features a "brave prinse" named Putrick, the "beautiful prinsess" Barbarotte, a monster roaring "POOPIE PEEPEE FART BOOGER!" and a closing revelation that it was all a dream. It is played out by anthropomorphic sausages as the trio of critics (a red spider, black inkblot, and lump of what could be silly putty or perhaps a pink turd) offer individual, often conflicting takes and observations: The inkblot celebrates the potty humor, for instance, even as the silly putty (or turd) decries it, for instance. Even they don't catch everything, though, as in the simply drawn cartoon scenes such details as the number of legs beneath Barbarotte's gown or the message on Putrick's shirt are subject to abrupt shifts that go unnoted, as do the decidedly gender-stereotypical decorative motifs on the final scene's twin beds. Once they pick up what's going on, young readers should have no trouble picking up the slack and pondering the many implications.
A clever, ingenious author's "wurst" work yet. (Picture book. 6-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Gravel, Elise: THE WORST BOOK EVER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Apr. 2019. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A580521009/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=3b54301d. Accessed 26 Feb. 2020.