Trotte-Menu
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Authors
Llewellyn, Robert E.
Issue Date
1943
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Abstract
Here is a good copy of this delightful coloring book, better than the two previous copies in our collection. The book is in large format (slightly larger than 8" x 11¼") and contains three fables on 32 pages. Each fable takes nine or ten pages to tell the story in one-page segments, with a few lines of prose complementing a large black-and-white cartoon. Each fable then adds one page for La Fontaine's original verse text. The expression "trotte-menu" is worked into each story. Does it mean something like "take-out" or "food on the run"? The first story is TMCM. True to La Fontaine, this fable begins with the town rat's invitation to the country rat to visit. The two are Ratin and Rateau, respectively. The latter drives a car into town. The artist makes use of the "double dimensionality" of his conception by showing the two eating a fancy meal, while huge cheeses and desserts loom in the background. The last image is strong: the car departs out of the picture right while a sign "Ville" points left. The second story here is "Le Rat et l'Huitre." The wanderer here is dressed up like a hiking boy-scout. He is a victim of both curiosity and appetite for food as he approaches the oyster. The third story is "Le Rat et l'Elephant." The story does a great job of filling out the mental processes of this rat. "Ce Rat se prenait pour quelqu'un." You bet! "Le Rat comprit alors, mais trop tard, qu'un éléphant est plus qu'un Rat." The story here applies the fable to children who think that they can do things better than adults. This copy was originally sold at Schioenhof's in Cambridge.
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Les Éditions Variétés
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13699 (Access ID)