Chervil
by Ludwig Bemelmans
At the edge of a cliff at the edge of a green and thick forest lives a seasoned pine. From the top of its twisted trunk and its bare branches, the old tree alone dominates the valley. Every day, fortunately, he receives a visit from his old friend Cherfeuil, whose elegant plume curiously resembles its bare old branches. If the deer is so old, it is because it eats a large quantity of wild chervil every day. Their unfailing friendship resists time and perils. She is, perhaps, the secret behind their longevity. One morning, an intrepid hunter points his powerful binoculars at Cherfeuil, who suspects nothing. He pulls out his rifle, then prepares to pull the trigger... But a sudden wind blows through the forest, and the hunter's fate is sealed.
Ludwig Bemelmans is an American painter and author of Austrian origin. He is the creator of the famous series Madeline . To accompany his texts with a poignant lyricism, he adopts a naive and childish style of illustration. We immediately recognize Bemelmans by his watercolors and his immense talent as a colourist.
Chervil is the forgotten jewel of Bemelmans. The first version was published in 1953 in the newspaper Woman's day under the title The Old Stag and the Tree . In 1955, the story appeared at Harper & Brothers, in book form this time. Le Lièvre de Mars is proud to publish the first edition in French.
-Number of pages: 48
- Cardboard cover
-From 4 years old