Nearly 17,000 students across the US and Canada—a new record—participated in the 6th edition of Prix Albertine Jeunesse, the annual reader’s choice award for the best Francophone children’s book in English translation.
New York, June 11th, 2024 — Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Prix Albertine Jeunesse! Villa Albertine, the Embassies of France in the United States and Canada, Agence pour l’enseignement français à l’étranger (AEFE) and Albertine Books are delighted to announce the three winning titles, selected by thousands of young voters.
Encouraging children ages 3-14 to choose their favorite book from several works of Francophone youth literature available in English translation, the Prix Albertine Jeunesse fosters a love of reading in both French and English. This year’s winners are: Inside the Box! (C’est dans la boîte !) by Édouard Monceau, The Brothers Zzli (Les frères Zzli) by Anne-Lise Boutin and Alex Cousseau, translated by Vineet Lal, and A Sea of Love (Un océan d’amour) by Wilfrid Lupano and Gregory Panaccione. Each book approaches this year’s theme, ‘Together’, with a unique literary and artistic perspective, delivering a particularly fun and educational reading experience.
Created in 2018, the annual Prix Albertine Jeunesse promotes recent publications of books translated from French in the US and Canada. This year a record 16,848 children (754 classes) in the US and Canada participated, engaging with a shortlist of youth literature written in French and available in English translation. Young voters judged the quality of each book in both languages.
A network of 70 accredited French schools and public bilingual/dual language schools in North America have integrated the Prix Albertine Jeunesse books into their curriculum, as a tool to develop links between both languages and encourage bilingualism and multilingualism for all. Participating schools receive educational resources and lesson plans for teachers made available for free, here, and a series of 38 online events with authors was organized by Villa Albertine in March 2024.
The 2024 shortlist was selected by a committee of experts representing Villa Albertine, the Embassies of France in the United States and Canada, Albertine Books, and representatives of the AEFE network of North America.
The 2025 Prix Albertine Jeunesse shortlist will be available by the beginning of summer on the Albertine website. School classes may register for next year’s Prize in fall 2024.
The winners of this year’s prize are available for purchase on the Albertine website, alongside all the nominees.
About the winners:
3-5 years old: Inside the Box! (C’est dans la boîte !)
by Édouard Monceau
Kane Miller (Éditions Nathan)
In Inside the Box!, discover what is hiding inside the box! Who is in this one? A cat! And what about this one? A rabbit! Each new box that appears holds the promise of high-speed adventures for our duo! This book is full of humor to stimulate the imagination and help learn how to overcome fears.
Read more & buy the book at Albertine.
6-8 years old: The Brothers Zzli (Les frères Zzli)
by Anne-Lise Boutin and Alex Cousseau, translated by Vineet Lal
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (Éditions Les Fourmis rouges)
With charming, delightful illustrations reminiscent of vintage children’s classics, The Brothers Zzli invites readers to join a bear family’s search for belonging in a world that views them with suspicion. This poignant story will spark lasting conversations about the impact of prejudice, the struggles of refugees, and the responsibility we have to our neighbors—especially the new ones.
Read more & buy the book at Albertine.
9-11 years old: A Sea of Love (Un océan d’amour)
by Wilfrid Lupano and Gregory Panaccione
Magnetic Press (Éditions Delcourt)
When an old fisherman fails to return after a storm, his doting wife goes on a madcap adventure across the ocean to find him. Completely wordless, this heartwarming and often hilarious adventure is a testament to not only the power of sequential storytelling, but the power of love itself.
