Waterloo and Trafalgar
Waterloo and Trafalgar
Written & illustrated by Olivier Tallec
In his first wordless picture book, Olivier Tallec shows the pointlessness of war through his smart, comic, emotionally astute illustrations.
Here Tallec portrays two characters, separated only by narrow walls, who watch each other ceaselessly through the seasons. Moving between day and night, long stretches at their binoculars, and mundane daily tasks, they fight their cold war, full of suspicion, never daring to bridge the gap between them.
As time passes, a snail shows up, and then a bird, and one day, to their utter surprise, they come face-to-face in a different way, and they discover that their differences don't make them enemies.
Waterloo & Trafalgar has a die-cut cover and interior section-cut flip pages, all of which contribute to allowing the reader to see things in different ways. And that, in the end, is so much of what this book is about: seeing and seeing otherwise.
ISBN: 978-1-59270-127-8
REVIEWS
★ ”The pointlessness of war, powerfully told despite having no words. [...] Tallec excels in expression; every movement, from scrunched-up anger to an exuberant grin, is meticulously planned, and these funny little soldiers show a wide range of emotion. [...] It is a truism that children represent the future--engaging stories about conflict resolution are necessary, and this one stands out. (Picture book. 5-10)” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
”Tallec's rich, confident lines and colors connect him to the great French tradition of the bande dessinée, and the book is produced on satisfyingly heavy paper with a judicious use of die cuts that divide the action to comic effect. With no words to crowd the imagination, kids will love inventing their own stories out of each page. And they'll delight or puzzle over the camaraderie these two enemies achieve by the end.” —Elizabeth Rubin, The New York Times Book Review
”It is hard to imagine a more charming antiwar polemic.” —Publishers Weekly
”This book is outstanding. It speaks to peace without any preaching, allowing the reader to come to their own conclusions. It is a striking and vibrant example of what can be achieved with no words at all.” —Waking Brain Cells
”Waterloo and Trafalgar is a true gem—a much-to-be-admired example of storytelling power and a serious lesson about the absurdity of war that any reader (no matter how young) can appreciate.” —Colleen Mondor, Book Slut