Forever Truffle

Forever Truffle

Written by: Britt, Fanny
Illustrated by: Arsenault, Isabelle
Translated by: Ouriou, Susan
ages 7 to 10 / grades 2 to 5

Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault are back with a new graphic novel, this time featuring Truffle, younger brother, best friend, aspiring rockstar … 

Meet Truffle in three linked stories:

In “Truffle the Rockstar,” Truffle wants to form a band with his best friends Flo and Riad. They can already picture themselves on stage, wowing the crowd with epic songs. They still have to learn how to play instruments … but that’s just a minor detail!

Ever since Truffle asked Nina to be his girlfriend, they have been shy around each other. In “Truffle Loves Nina,” Truffle asks his parents, his friend Riad, his big brother, Louis, and the man who works at the library, for advice on how to let his heart do the talking. 

In “Truffle Tackles Existence,” Truffle attends his great-grandmother’s funeral, which gets him thinking about the world around him. Are grandparents young once, too? Does Rocket, the dog that his family had to give up, still think about him sometimes? Do people stop loving each other if they don’t see each other anymore?

Fans of Louis Undercover will be delighted that Truffle — Louis’s funny, music-loving little brother — now has his own book!


Key Text Features

comic

comic strips

illustrations


Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.9
Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.5
Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7
Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).

Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault are back with a new graphic novel, this time featuring Truffle, younger brother, best friend, aspiring rockstar … 

Meet Truffle in three linked stories:

In “Truffle the Rockstar,” Truffle wants to form a band with his best friends Flo and Riad. They can already picture themselves on stage, wowing the crowd with epic songs. They still have to learn how to play instruments … but that’s just a minor detail!

Ever since Truffle asked Nina to be his girlfriend, they have been shy around each other. In “Truffle Loves Nina,” Truffle asks his parents, his friend Riad, his big brother, Louis, and the man who works at the library, for advice on how to let his heart do the talking. 

In “Truffle Tackles Existence,” Truffle attends his great-grandmother’s funeral, which gets him thinking about the world around him. Are grandparents young once, too? Does Rocket, the dog that his family had to give up, still think about him sometimes? Do people stop loving each other if they don’t see each other anymore?

Fans of Louis Undercover will be delighted that Truffle — Louis’s funny, music-loving little brother — now has his own book!


Key Text Features

comic

comic strips

illustrations


Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.9
Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.5
Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7
Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).

Published By Groundwood Books Ltd — Aug 2, 2022
Specifications 114 pages | 7.25 in x 7.25 in
Written By

FANNY BRITT is a playwright, novelist and translator. She collaborated with Isabelle Arsenault on two previous graphic novels: Jane, the Fox and Me, which won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Children’s Illustration (French) and the Joe Shuster Award for Best Writer and for Best Artist, and Louis Undercover. Her other award-winning works include the play Bienvaillance and her first novel, Les maisons (published in English as Hunting Houses). Fanny lives in Montreal, Quebec, with her husband and two sons.

Illustrated by

ISABELLE ARSENAULT is an internationally renowned children’s book illustrator. Her award-winning books include Jane, the Fox and Me and Louis Undercover by Fanny Britt, Spork and Virginia Wolf by Kyo Maclear, Cloth Lullaby by Amy Novesky (BolognaRagazzi Award) and Colette’s Lost Pet, which marked her debut as an author. She has won the Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature three times, and three of her picture books have been named as New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year. Isabelle lives in Montreal, Quebec, with her family.

Written By

FANNY BRITT is a playwright, novelist and translator. She collaborated with Isabelle Arsenault on two previous graphic novels: Jane, the Fox and Me, which won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Children’s Illustration (French) and the Joe Shuster Award for Best Writer and for Best Artist, and Louis Undercover. Her other award-winning works include the play Bienvaillance and her first novel, Les maisons (published in English as Hunting Houses). Fanny lives in Montreal, Quebec, with her husband and two sons.

Illustrated by

ISABELLE ARSENAULT is an internationally renowned children’s book illustrator. Her award-winning books include Jane, the Fox and Me and Louis Undercover by Fanny Britt, Spork and Virginia Wolf by Kyo Maclear, Cloth Lullaby by Amy Novesky (BolognaRagazzi Award) and Colette’s Lost Pet, which marked her debut as an author. She has won the Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature three times, and three of her picture books have been named as New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year. Isabelle lives in Montreal, Quebec, with her family.

Audience ages 7 to 10 / grades 2 to 5
Key Text Features

comic; comic strips; illustrations

Common Core CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.9
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.5

Forever Truffle is a joyful ode to love … Bittersweet and nuanced.

” —New York Times

[The] stories … are nicely textured, mixing humor and pathos with accessible pop-culture references.

” —Wall Street Journal

The standout book of the season.

” —Montreal Review of Books

The vignettes … achieve a steady balance in both their depiction of childlike innocence and their pop culture–inflected wit.

” —Publishers Weekly

The collaboration between Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault … has always been a powerful but subtle one of compelling stories of authenticity, told in words and pictures that depict children as they live. The complexity of their lives and their understandings are evident though not belaboured. Forever Truffle will forever be such a story.

” —CanLit for LittleCanadians Blog

Arsenault's art … works in close conjunction with the text and brings Britt's characters to life, reflecting both humour and emotion.

” —Windsor Star

Visually interesting.

” —CM: Canadian Review of Materials

Forever Truffle may be a book for children; however, it will delight readers of all ages with its quiet, but playful, illustrations and inquisitive characters. … Another welcomed and memorable contribution to Canadian children’s literature from Britt and Arsenault that shouldn’t be missed.

” —Canadian Children's Book News