THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN 

L'autre côté de la montagne - Géraldine Alibeu - 24 x 33 cm - 104 pages - picture book - May 2022 - EUR 18

 

 

A little girl and her sister live near the mountains. Every year, they go hiking with their parents. But this year is different. They’re more experienced now and decide to go by themselves, with their aunt Jeanette’s map from 1978. So, they set off on a seven-day walk through the mountains towards Chamroux. They see marmots along the way and soon realise that they underestimated the summer temperatures, finishing their first night in a mountain refuge.

This adventure at a child’s level showcases beautiful landscapes with bold colours, characteristic of Géraldine Alibeu’s sketches. The full page illustrations, with no words, reveal the subtleties and nuances of a natural environment that is constantly changing, and tell the story of two daring sisters, determined to complete their hike and immerse themselves into the mountain fauna and flora. The Other Side of the Mountain subtly reflects on the concepts of adventure (that you can experience just a few kilometres from home) and freedom, as well explores the relationship between humans and nature. 

 

 

Géraldine Alibeu spent every Wednesday as a child making things out of cardboard and sticky-back oilcloth. In primary school, she created a comic about her teacher. A few years later, she joined Claude Lapointe’s illustration workshop at the Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg (now HEAR) and graduated in 2001. She now illustrates children’s books and magazines and writes her own picture books. She has also experimented with animated film and has been developing her work in ceramics and textile illustration for several years. 

​

​