Rébecca Dautremer / The Secret Life of Illustrator

Rébecca Dautremer

The Secret Life of Illustrator

The art of French illustrator Rebecca Dautremer is like stepping through paper windows into miniature, rouge accented worlds of wonder. Dautremer has a legacy as an illustrator with a soft spot for fairytales touched by a sense of humor.  She has worked on such children’s book titles as The Secret Lives of Princesses and collaborated with her husband, author Taï-Marc Le Thanh, on an adaptation of the notorious child-napping ogress of Slavic-lore, Babayaga. Dautremer has recently brought her design talents and also her love of folklore to life in the animated salute to storytelling entitled Kerity: La Maison des Contes (the English title is Eleanor’s Secret). Kerity, directed by Dominique Monféry, is about a young boy named Nathaniel who inherits his aunt’s library and the real life stories contained within the books. The caveat to this imaginative inheritance is Nathaniel’s illiteracy which is relentlessly mocked by his bratty sister and the impending collapse of his aunt’s dilapidated house. Despite Rebecca Dautremer’s renown, I sadly found very little mention of her in the U.S. aside from the incongruously English dubbed version of Kerity (the sister sounds like a digitized Brit and the parents seemed stocked with awkward dialogue).  

 

BIOGRAPHY
Rébecca Dautremer was born in 1971 in Gap in the South of France (Hautes Alpes). She attended classes in the ENSAD of Paris and got a degree in graphic edition in 1995. She afterwards became a graphic editor and illustrator. A few years ago, she started to write books of her own. Now living in Paris with her husband Taï-Marc Lethanh and their three children, she also works for the press for children (Milan-Presse and Fleurus-Presse), school publishers, and in advertising.

WORK
Her picture books are very poetic, with a hint of humour. Inspired by fairy tales, she offers new and more entertaining stories, featuring Babayaga, an ogress, a funny Cyrano. Rébecca Dautremer was born in 1971 in Gap in the South of France (Hautes Alpes). She attended classes in the ENSAD of Paris and got a degree in graphic edition in 1995. She afterwards became a graphic editor and illustrator. A few years ago, she started to write books of her own. Now living in Paris with her husband Taï-Marc Lethanh and their three children, she also works for the press for children (Milan-Presse and Fleurus-Presse), school publishers, and in advertising.

WORK
Her picture books are very poetic, with a hint of humour. Inspired by fairy tales, she offers new and more entertaining stories, featuring Babayaga, an ogress, a funny Cyrano, and weird princesses like P?tsec and Quart de Lune. Rébecca's recipe is : warm colours and precise drawings. Her books are a real success for children between 3 and 11 years old. L'Amoureux, a story she wrote herself, is a moving tale about love and children, that was recently adapted for the stage and performed by children. It was awarded the "Prix Sorcière" (Witch Prize) in 2003.

A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gautier-Languereau Publishing:

- Cyrano, Taï-Marc Lethanh (author), Rébecca Dautremer (illustrator) (2005)
- Babayaga, Taï-Marc Lethanh (author), Rébecca Dautremer (illustrator)
(2005)
- Le Ciel n'en fait qu'à sa tête, Jean-Luc Moreau (author), Rébecca Dautremer (illustrator) (2005)
- Lily la licorne, Christian Ponchon (author), Rébecca Dautremer (illustrator) (2005)
- Le géant aux oiseaux, Ghislaine Biondi (author), Rébecca Dautremer (illustrator) (2005)
- Les deux mamans de Petirou, Jean de Monléon (author), Rébecca Dautremer (illustrator) (2005)
- Les Princesses, Philippe Lechermeier (author), Rébecca Dautremer (illustrator) (2004)
- L'amoureux, Rébecca Dautremer (author, illustrator) (2003)
Flammarion - Père Castor:
- Nasreddine, Odile Weulersse (author), Rébecca Dautremer (illustrator) (2005)
Bilboquet-Valbert Publishing:
- Sentimento, Carl Norac (author), Rébecca Dautremer (illustrator) (2005)
- Lili la libellule, Florence Jenner-Metz (author), Rébecca Dautremer (illustrator) (2004)
- Le livre qui vole, Pierre Laury (author), Rébecca Dautremer (illustrator) (2003)
Magnard Publishing:
- Je suis petite, mais mon arbre est grand, Christine Beigel (author), Rébecca Dautremer (illustrator) (2003)
- Les fables de la Fontaine, Jean de la Fontaine (author), Rébecca Dautremer (illustrator) (2001)

WEBSITE

http://www.rebeccadautremer.com

http://www.frenchbooknews.com/biography