Norac, Carl 1960–

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Norac, Carl 1960–

PERSONAL: Born 1960, in Mons, Belgium; son of a writer and puppet-theatre owner and an actress; children: Else.

ADDRESSES: Home—269, rue de la Source, 45160 Olivet, France. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Children's book author and poet. Has also worked as a French teacher, television scriptwriter, and journalist. Hans Christian Andersen Ambassador, 2005.

AWARDS, HONORS: Literary prize, c. 1978; recipient of several other awards.

WRITINGS:

Le lion fanfaron, Casterman, 1991.

Romulus et Rémi, une fable à l'opèra, Pastel (Paris, France), 1994.

Dimanche aux Hespérides (poems), Editions de la Différence (Paris, France), 1994.

La semaine de Monsieur Gris, Altiora, 1994.

Coeur de singe, illustrated by Jean Claud Hubert, Pastel (Paris, France), 1995.

La candeur (poems), Editions de la Différence (Paris, France), 1996.

Les mots doux, illustrated by Claude K. Dubois, Pastel (Paris, France), 1996, translated as I Love You So Much, Random House (New York, NY), 1998.

Un loup dans la nuit bleue, illustrated by Louis Joos, Pastel (Paris, France), 1996.

Nemo et le volcan, illustrated by Louis Joos, Pastel (Paris, France), 1996.

Beau comme au cinéma, illustrated by Louis Joos, Pastel (Paris, France), 1997.

L'île aux câlins, illustrated by Claude K. Dubois, Pastel (Paris, France), 1998.

L'espoir Pélican, illustrated by Louis Joos, Pastel (Paris, France), 1998.

Le sourire de Kiawak, illustrated by Louis Joos, Pastel (Paris, France), 1998.

La grande ourse, illustrated by Kitty Crowther, Pastel (Paris, France), 1999.

La carnival des animaux, Thèatre royal de la Monnaie, 1999.

Bonjour mon petit coeur, illustrated by Claude K. Dubois, Pastel (Paris, France), 1999, translated as Hello, Sweetie Pie, Random House (New York, NY), 2000.

Marine et Louisa, illustrated by Claude K. Dubois, Pastel (Paris, France), 2000.

Le rêve de l'ours, illustrated by Louis Joos, Pastel (Paris, France), 2000.

Le message de la baleine, illustrated by Jean-Luc Englebert, Pastel (Paris, France), 2000.

La petite souris d'Halloween, illustrated by Stibane, Pastel (Paris, France), 2000.

Le père Noël m'a écrit, illustrated by Kitty Crowther, Pastel (Paris, France), 2001.

Un Bisou, c'est trop court, illustrated by Claude K. Dubois, Pastel (Paris, France), 2001.

Le dernier voyage de Saint-Exupéry, Renaissance du livre, 2001.

Luli et le sorcier, illustrated by Dominiqu Mwankumi, Archimède, 2001.

Je veux un bisou!, illustrated by Claude K. Dubois, Pastel (Paris, France), 2001.

Je suis un amour, illustrated by Claude K. Dubois, Pastel (Paris, France), 2001.

Donne-moi un ours!, illustrated by Emile Jadoul, Pastel (Paris, France), 2001.

Zeppo, illustrated by Peter Elliott, Pastel (Paris, France), 2002.

Une visite chez la sorcière, illustrated by Sophie, Pastel (Paris, France), 2002.

Tu m'aimes ou tu m'aimes pas?, illustrated by Claude K. Dubois, Pastel (Paris, France), 2002.

Pierrot d'amour, illustrated by Jean-Luc Englebert, Pastel (Paris, France), 2002.

Lettres du géant à l'enfante qui passé et autres poèmes, Labor (Brussels, Belgium), 2002.

Un secret pour grandir, illustrated by Carll Cneut, Pastel (Paris, France), 2003.

Tu es si gentil, mon ours, illustrated by Anne Isa le Touzé, Pastel (Paris, France), 2003.

Métrpolitaines: tentative de photographier avec le language, métro de Paris, hiver 1999–2000, Escampette (Paris, France), 2003.

Tout près de maman, illustrated by Catherin Pineur, Pastel (Paris, France), 2004.

Mon papa est un géant, illustrated by Ingrid Godon, Bayard Jeunesse (Paris, France), 2004, translated as My Daddy Is a Giant, Clarion Books (New York, NY), 2005.

I Love to Cuddle, illustrated by Claude K. Dubois, Dell Dragonfly Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Le petit sorcier de la pluie, illustrated by Anne-Cat de Boel, Pastel (Paris, France), 2004.

Coeur de papier, illustrated by Carll Cneut, Pastel (Paris, France), 2004.

Akli, prince du désert, illustrated by Anne-Cat de Boel, Pastel (Paris, France), 2004.

Angakkeg: la légende de l'oiseau, illustrated by Louis Joos, Pastel (Paris, France), 2004.

Le géant de la grande tour, Sarbacane, 2005.

Mon meilleur ami du monde, illustrated by Claude K. Dubois, Pastel (Paris, France), 2005.

Norac's works have been translated into eighteen languages.

SIDELIGHTS: Belgian-born author and poet Carl Norac discovered his passion for the arts at a young age, while writing poetry and acting out performances with his friends and family. Beginning his career as a children's book author in the mid-1990s, his books quickly gained popularity and are now read all over the world. Several of Norac's works have been translated into English, among them My Daddy Is a Giant as well as I Love You So Much, and I Love to Cuddle, both of which feature a young hamster named Lola. Brought to life in pencil drawings by illustrator Claude K. Dubois, Lola experiences the same emotions as a loving child; she serves as an "affectionate" protagonist in I Love to Cuddle, which a Publishers Weekly dubbed a "winsome" book that "trumpets an uplifting and timeless theme."

Norac explores a child's love and admiration for his father in My Daddy Is a Giant, illustrated by Ingrid Godon. From the small child's close-to-the-ground perspective, his father is like a towering giant whose shoulders reach as high as the clouds and whose sneezes can blow back the tides of the seas. The story's simple text expresses "the child's belief that Daddy possesses extraordinary powers," noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer, adding that "Children may enjoy this story's gentle humor best from the warmth of Daddy's lap." Amy Lilien-Harper, writing in School Library Journal, stated that Godon's "slightly simplistic drawings depict the loving bond between father and son perfectly, bringing the relationship and text to life."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Bookbird (annual), 1999, review of L'espoir Pelican, p. 62.

Booklist, April 1, 2000, Ilene Cooper, review of Hello, Sweetie Pie, p. 1470.

Horn Book, May-June, 2005, Joanna Rudge Long, review of My Daddy Is a Giant, p. 311.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2005, review of My Daddy Is a Giant, p. 594

Publishers Weekly, January 5, 1998, review of I Love You So Much, p. 66; December 21, 1998, review of I Love to Cuddle, p. 66; July 31, 2000, review of Hello, Sweetie Pie, p. 97; January 14, 2002, review of I Love You So Much, p. 63; December 2, 2002, review of I Love You So Much, p. 54; December 16, 2002, review of I Love to Cuddle, p. 70; August 25, 2003, review of Hello, Sweetie Pie, p. 67; December 15, 2003, review of I Love to Cuddle, p. 75; June 6, 2005, review of My Daddy Is a Giant, p. 63.

Reviewer's Bookwatch, May, 2005, Lynne Marie Pisano, review of My Daddy Is a Giant.

School Library Journal, February, 1998, Jacke Kechtkopf, review of I Love You So Much, p. 89; March, 1999, Marcia Hupp, review of I Love to Cuddle, p. 183; August, 2000, Sally R. Dow, review of Hello, Sweetie Pie, p. 162; May, 2005, Amy Lilien-Harper, review of My Daddy Is a Giant, p. 94.