Like every year, as part of the Prix Azimut, we welcomed a children and young adult literature author. Cédric Janvier met for three days the CM2, 6e and 5e pupils who had read his novel Jack Bright, one of the five books competing for the 2019 prize.
Cédric defines himself as an author-group leader and true enough, he did succeed in captivating his audience as he told them the genesis of his book.
He led the children on the path to literary creation by revealing some secrets and taking note of their suggestions which could very well end up in the second part of pirate Jack’s adventures!
The children were charmed by Cédric’s kindness and the quality of his listening and sharing. A most beautiful encounter…
“He was talking softly, with a voice that made us laugh and transported us.”
“He explained the particulars of writing and the emotions he felt.”
“It’s interesting to know that he doesn’t only write books. He is also a nature keeper.” (Cédric manages a public institution of intercommunal cooperation, which aims at protecting, managing and highlighting the natural areas on the banks of the river Rhône).
We also had an opportunity to discover the Kamishibai -which literally means “paper theatre”, a Japanese storytelling technique based on images moving through a butai, a three-door wooden theatre. The pupils made it theirs very quickly. So much better than PowerPoint!!!
The Prix Azimut in a nutshell:
- 2,000 participants spread over thirteen schools of the Asia-Pacific area
- A front cover drawing contest in which the 6e pupils participate, supervised by their Fine Arts teachers
- A drawing contest to make a portfolio (5e pupils)
- Meet-and-play sessions between the CM2 and 6e classes
Azimut 2019 will end on the week after the holidays with the pupils’ vote, deciding on the winning book. They will also vote to choose the best front cover drawing.