Book launch Le premier arbre de Noël

Editions de la Pastèque and the Museum invite families to the launch of Le premier arbre de Noël (The First Christmas Tree), in the company of its author, Innu storyteller Ovila Fontaine, and illustrator Charlotte Parent. A reading of the tale, a discussion and workshops will introduce you to the flora and fauna of Nitassinan, the Innu territory, and to the artists’ techniques.  

The author will also offer a traditional meal tasting. A special opportunity to immerse all your senses in Innu culture! 

About Le premier arbre de Noël 

It’s very cold in the North. Winter is difficult for the Innu. Among the trees of the forest, Grand-Manitu, the benevolent Great Spirit, is looking for the one tree that will spread joy to everyone. Could it be the larch, from which the Innu make sleds, bows and ointments? The birch, malleable and robust? Or the magnificent black spruce? “Do you want to become the Christmas tree?” he asks each one. But one by one, the trees decline his offer. All of them… except one that Grand-Manitu had at first overlooked… 

About the author

Ovila Fontaine is an Innu from the community of Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam, where he has lived and worked all his life. From an early age, he was interested in hunting and life in the forest. Now a father himself, he has embarked on a journey to understand his own history and culture. Today, Ovila is a great lecturer, gifted at explaining the basics of Innu culture and philosophy to the uninitiated. He is often asked to act as a cultural intermediary for organizations.  

About the illustrator

Charlotte Parent is an illustrator from Quebec City. In 2017, she received her BFA from Concordia University, where she focused on drawing. A big fan of picture books, she now creates coloured pencil and gouache drawings for children’s stories. Charlotte likes to depict the magic of the ordinary and the tiny in her illustrations, which are both sensitive and playful. Le premier arbre de Noël is her second children’s book. 

Schedule

• Presented on Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Length: 2 hours

Information

• Free activity, in French
• Location: J. Armand Bombardier Theatre at the Museum
• Space limited, no reservation.

On-site registration on the day of the activity