Author on Tour: Anne-Lise Boutin
Books & Ideas
Anne-Lise Boutin © DR
In November 2024, illustrator Anne-Lise Boutin will travel to New York and New Orleans to promote the US release of her book, The Brothers Zzli, written by Alex Cousseau (Les Frères Zzli, Les fourmis rouges; trans. by Vineet Lal, Eeardmans Books for Young Readers, 2023), winner of the 2024 Prix Albertine Jeunesse in the 6-8 years old category.
About Anne-Lise Boutin
Anne-Lise Boutin is a French illustrator and visual artist. Trained at the École Duperré and the Arts Déco in Paris, she teaches at the Higher Institute of Applied Arts (LISAA) in Paris and divides her work between publishing and press (Libération, Le Monde, Les Échos, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Boston Globe).
She has illustrated more than fifty children’s books, including Brothers Zzli (trans. by Vineet Lal, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers), written by Alex Cousseau and winner of the 2024 Prix Albertine Jeunesse. Her work, characterized by cutouts, simple colors, and flat shapes, is inspired by popular art, the marvelous, and the strange, leaving ample room for the imagination.
About the Brothers Zzli
(trans. by Vineet Lal, Eeardmans Books for Young Readers, 2023)
One day, the brothers Zzli come to the doorstep of a little girl named Welcome. Welcome has plenty of room in her big, empty house, and the travelers—who have come from far away—make good pancakes and even better company. But others in the forest find this new family strange, even dangerous. When the bears invite their neighbors to a big party, only Welcome’s friend the bat shows up. Soon after, a policeman knocks on their door, threatening to destroy the brothers’ beloved beehives. Maybe Welcome and her friends need to find someplace that might accept three bears, a bat, and a girl like her: somewhere to call home at last.
With charming, delightful illustrations reminiscent of vintage children’s classics, The Brothers Zzli invite readers to join a bear family’s search for belonging in a world that views them with suspicion. This poignant story will spark lasting conversations about the impact of prejudice, the struggles of refugees, and the responsibility we have to our neighbors—especially the new ones.
The Brothers Zzli was released in the United States on October 24, 2023.
Schedule
Anne-Lise Boutin will be on tour in the US in November 2024.
Her public program will include :
- Monday, November 9: Public reading of The Brothers Zzli followed by a drawing session. Book signing @ Alliance Française de la Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans, LA) – event in French & English
- Sunday, November 17: Drawing workshop @ Albertine Books (New York, NY) – event in English
For more information, please email Valentine Richet at valentine.richet@villa-albertine.org.
