Louis, Catherine 1963–

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Louis, Catherine 1963–

Personal

Born 1963, in Neuveville, Switzerland. Education: Attended École d'Arts Visuels de Bienne. Hobbies and other interests: Designing puppets.

Addresses

Home—Switzerland.

Career

Illustrator and author. École d'Art de la Chaux-de-Fonds, Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, instructor in illustration. Has also worked as a set designer. Card designer for UNICEF and Nouvelles Images, Paris, France. Exhibitions: Work included in Biennale de Bratislava, 1989, 1990, 1997; and in other exhibitions.

Awards, Honors

International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Honor List for Swiss illustration, 1990; Paolo Vergerio à Padoue European prize, 1993, for La Force du Berger by Azouz Begag; IBBY Honor List for Swiss illustration, 1997, for "Léon et Ciboulette" series; U.S. Board on Books for Young People Outstanding listee, 2008, for Legend of the Chinese Dragon by Marie Sellier.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

L'Escargot et le papillon, Librairie de l'Etat de Berne (Berne, Switzerland), 1982.

Cinquante histoires courtes et amusantes, Editions Lito (Champigny sur Marne, France), 1989.

Les quatre saisons du renard, Editions Flick Flack (Paris, France), 1989.

Trois histoires de robots, Editions Lito (Champigny sur Marne, France), 1989.

Mon journal à l'hôpital, Editions La Joie de Lire (Geneva, Switzerland), 1990.

Mon journal en avion, Editions La Joie de Lire (Geneva, Switzerland), 1992.

Julien dans l'île aux cerfs-volants, collect., Editions Bordas (Paris, France), 1992.

Mon journal à la poste, Editions La Joie de Lire (Geneva, Switzerland), 1994.

L'oiseau Charpentier, Mimi Barthé lé my, tiré à compte d'auteur à 300 exemplaires en sérigraphie, disponible Chez C. Louis (exhibition catalogue), Edition à Compte d'Auteur 1998.

Fernand Fainéant, Editions Nord-Sud (Paris, France), 2000.

Amour, Picquier Jeunesse (Arles, France), 2001.

Le don de Lucas, Lehrmittelverlag, 2001.

Liu et l'oiseau, calligraphy by Feng Xiao Min, Picquier Jeunesse (Arles, France), 2003, translated by Sibylle Kazeroid as Liu and the Bird: A Journey in Chinese Calligraphy, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Mon imagier chinois, calligraphy by Shi Bo, Picquier Jeunesse (Arles, France), 2004, translated as My Little Book of Chinese Words, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2008.

SELF-ILLUSTRATED; "LÉON ET CIBOULETTE" SERIES

Le bateau, Editions La Joie de Lire (Geneva, Switzerland), 1996.

Le bouton, Editions La Joie de Lire (Geneva, Switzerland), 1996.

Le fil, Editions La Joie de Lire (Geneva, Switzerland), 1996.

La peinture, Editions La Joie de Lire (Geneva, Switzerland), 1996.

L'ombre, Editions La Joie de Lire (Geneva, Switzerland), 1996.

Le livre, Editions La Joie de Lire (Geneva, Switzerland), 1996.

ILLUSTRATOR

Jean-Pierre Fily, Les petites lettres ont pris la fuite, Editions Lito (Champigny sur Marne, France), 1987.

Barbara Haupt, Die Möwe Fridolin, Editions Atlantis Chez Pro Juventute (Zurich, Switzerland), 1988.

Hans Peter Scheier, Le voyage de Maximilien au bout du monde, Editions Atlantis chez Pro Juventute (Zurich, Switzerland), 1989.

Véronique Borg, Le balcon d'en dessous, Editions Casterman (Brussels, Belgium), 1989, translated as The Next Balcony Down, Child's World (Mankato, MN), 1992.

Chantal Crovi, Les sept Mamm-goz et la pâte à crêpes, Editions Milan (Milan, Italy), 1990.

Miette Marsol, Fifine et le fantôme, Editions Milan (Milan, Italy), 1990.

Eleonor Nilson, Le 89e chaton, Editions Milan (Milan, Italy), 1990.

Azouz Begag, Les voleurs d'écritures, Editions du Seuil (Paris, France), 1990.

Sarah Cohen-Scali, Danger d'amour, Editions Casterman (Brussels, Belgium), 1991.

Azouz Begag, La force du berger, Editions La Joie de Lire (Geneva, Switzerland), 1991.

Barbara Haupt, Gré gor le microbe, Editions Atlantis chez Pro Juventute (Zurich, Switzerland), 1992.

Véronique Borg, Mozart et moi, Editions du Seuil (Paris, France), 1992.

Anne-Lise Grobéty, Une bouffée de bonheur, [Zurich, Switzerland], 1992.

Uwe Timm, Rudi la truffe, Editions Milan (Milan, Italy), 1993.

Azouz Begag, Une semaine à Cap Maudit, Editions du Seuil (Paris, France), 1994.

Azouz Begag, Le temps des villages, Editions La Joie de Lire (Geneva, Switzerland), 1994.

Bernard Friot, C'est Noêl, Editions Hachette (Paris, France), 1994.

Azouz Begag, Ma maman est devenue une é toile, Editions La Joie de Lire (Geneva, Switzerland), 1995.

Frauke Nahrgang, Katja und die Buchstaben, Beltz & Gelberg (Weinheim, Germany), 1995.

Catherine Challandes, Symphonie pour piano et patins à roulettes, Editions La Joie de Lire (Geneva, Switzerland), 1995.

Azouz Begag, Mona et le bateau-livre, Editions du Chardon Bleu (Plantagenet, Ontario, Canada), 1996.

Catherine Nesi, Escalier pour la terre, Département de l'Instruction Publique (Neuchâtel, Switzerland), 1997.

Bernard Friot, Encore des histoires pressées, Editions Milan (Milan, Italy), 1997.

Gardi Hutter, Mamma mia, ma mère est une sorcière, Editions Nord-Sud (Paris, France), 1997.

Gardi Hutter, Mamma mia, qu'est-ce qu'on a pleuré, Editions Nord-Sud (Paris, France), 1999.

Andreas Venzke, Carlos kann doch Tore schiessen, Nagel & Kimche (Zurich, Switzerland), 1999.

Nathalie Beau, Jojo et son pot; Jojo n'a pas sommeil; Jojo à l'école; Jojo et Ouistiti, Editions Milan (Milan, Italy), 2000.

Daniel Badraun, Weinachten mit Solanima, Lehrmittelverlag des Kantons (Zurich, Switzerland), 2000.

Sprachfenster, Manuel d'enseignement de l'allemand, Lehrmittelverlag des Kantons (Zurich, Switzerland), 2000.

Véronique Borg, Le don de Lucas, Lehrmittelverlag des Kantons (Zurich, Switzerland), 2001.

Gardi Hutter, Mamma Mia, ne t'en va pas, Editions Nord-Sud (Paris, France), 2001.

Azouz Begag, Un train pour chez nous, Editions Thierry Magnier (Paris, France), 2001.

Jonier Marin, L'arbre é lé phant, Editions Vents d'Ailleurs (La Roque d'Anthéron, France), 2001.

Marie-José Auderset, Amidou, Editions Callicéphale (Strasbourg, France), 2002.

Bernard Friot, Pour vivre, Martinière Jeunesse, 2005.

Marie Sellier, Naissance du dragon, Picquier Jeunesse (Arles, France), 2006 translated by Sibylle Kazeroid as Legend of the Chinese Dragon, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2008.

Bernard Friot, Tu veux être ma maman, Petit Clown (Milan, Italy), 2007.

Marie Sellier, La naissance de Ganesh, Picquier Jeunesse (Arles, France), 2007.

Marie Sellier, Le rat m'a dit, Picquier Jeunesse (Arles, France), 2008.

Books featuring Louis's art have been translated into Dutch, Korean, Chinese, English, and Czech.

Sidelights

Catherine Louis is an award-winning illustrator and graphic artist whose work is familiar to children throughout Europe. A native of Switzerland, she has created artwork to pair with numerous French-language authors, such as Azouz Begag, Marie Sellier, Catherine Nesi, and frequent collaborator Bernard Friot. Praising her work for Sellier's Legend of the Chinese Dragon, Booklist contributor Linda Perkins dubbed it "stately" while in School Library Journal Margaret A. Chang commented on Louis's "rough-hewn woodcuts executed in black and bright primary colors."

In addition to creating artwork for books by others, Louis has also channeled her interest in Chinese art into several original picture books. Among those reaching English-language readers in translation are Liu and the Bird: A Journey in Chinese Calligraphy and My Little Book of Chinese Words. Liu and the Bird focuses on a Chinese girl who dreams of traveling over the mountains to the home of her grandfather, guided by a small bird. This imaginary trip, illustrated in three-part woodcut images printed on textured, torn-paper collage and highlighted by calligraphy by Feng Xiao Min, allows Louis to introduce readers to thirty Chinese pictographs. In Booklist, Carolyn Phelan noted Louis's skill in pairing "striking artwork and an unusual concept," and Chang described Liu and the Bird as "both evocative and educational" in her School Library Journal appraisal. Despite remarking that the sophisticated concept may not be apparent to younger children, a Kirkus Reviews writer described Louis's book as a "dreamy narrative" that is paired with "handsome linocut and painted-paper collage scenes."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 2006, Carolyn Phelan, review of Liu and the Bird: A Journey in Chinese Calligraphy, p. 52; December 15, 2007, Linda Perkins, review of Legend of the Chinese Dragon, p. 47.

Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2006, review of Liu and the Bird, p. 234.

School Library Journal, April, 2006, Margaret A. Chang, review of Liu and the Bird, p. 112; December, 2007, Margaret A. Chang, review of Legend of the Chinese Dragon, p. 100.