Martin Pebble

Description

Another classic title from world-renowned cartoonist Jean-Jacques Sempé, this illustrated children’s book tells the tale of Martin Pebble, a little boy who blushes a lot and is happiest in the summer, when everyone else has a red face too. He sets out to find a reason for his strange affliction, and finds a friend instead – a boy called Roddy Rackett, who keeps on sneezing, even when he doesn’t have a cold. It’s the beginning of a life-long friendship.

This timeless, touching and very funny story is told through images, speech bubbles and short linking texts. Featuring the inimitable drawings and perfectly-judged words of Jean-Jacques Sempé, book will appeal to readers and Sempé connoisseurs of all ages.

Jean-Jacques Sempé (b.1932), expelled from school for bad behaviour, enjoyed a vast range of jobs including winebroker and supervisor at children’s holiday camps. His world-renowned illustrations and cartoons are featured on the covers of the New Yorker magazine and amuse the readers of Paris Match and the Figaro Littéraire on a weekly basis.

“Children in picture books tend to fall into two types: the vulnerable and the invincible. Often, a story will be about the journey from misfit misery to happy conformity. But Martin Pebble by Jean-Jacques Sempé is no ordinary picture book. It is about a French oddball who stays odd. This 1969 classic… is a treat. It is a boosting tale not least of all because [his] eccentricities are never overcome.”—Observer

Additional information