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‘We need the literature of other countries to expand our
horizons and stimulate our ideas. Without it, we are not only
diminished, we are starved’
(The Times, Magnus Linklater 29/06/05)
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Brothers Zzli (The)
by Alex Cousseau
Age Range: 6-8
The narrator’s house is deep in the forest, under thick foliage, in the shade of the trees. One day, her little bat-friend suggests – “I have some friends who are looking for somewhere to live. They’ve been on the road for some time. They come from far, far away. You’d enjoy their company. Why don’t you take them in? Give them a home?” The brothers Zzli turn out to be four bears – well three really but they tell their host, (who they name Welcome because of the sign outside her house), that they eat enough for four! Welcome secretly names the bears Yes, No and Maybe and they all become firm friends and have such fun together.
This poignant story by French author Alex Cousseau, translated by Vineet Lal is a clever allegory on immigration and refugees finding sanctuary together with its unique spin on the classic fairytale Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Welcome, as per her name, opens up her house to the three bears who have nowhere to go. Despite the kind-hearted bears' attempts to fit in, they are treated as dangerous outsiders and ostracised by the forest community who respond to their presence by harassing them and a final act of sabotage to Welcome’s home.
French artist Anne-Lise Boutin’s black and white line drawings and bold palette of block colour backgrounds have a vintage feel and are visually stunning.
The Brothers Zzli is a timely modern fable with a message of friendship, tolerance, and acceptance at its heart. It is ideal to be used for conversations about the plight of refugees, immigration, prejudice, and what it means to welcome others.