A Place for Pauline

In this charming picture book told in graphic novel format, Pauline is the eldest sibling in a bustling family. A young introvert, Pauline struggles to find her own space to be herself. In the space of one day, she learns to balance both her personal need for freedom and her need to be with her family.

Pauline tries her best to be a considerate older sister, but often her efforts backfire. If she tries to help her little sister learn to walk, her parents tell her to let the little one learn independence. However, when the toddler trips, grown-ups chide Pauline for not looking after the tot. Much to her chagrin, Pauline gets blamed for messes that her younger brother makes. She shares a bedroom with him, and, in the blessed blanket of night, hoping for some quiet time to read with the illumination of her headlamp, her brother gets his way and she has to turn off her light and fume in the dark.

Not one to fret, Pauline creates a quiet spot just for herself – a little storage closet under the staircase with a round door. It's a corner of solitude where she places a mattress, plenty of books by her favourite author, the Countess of Segur, comfy cushions, and shelves for flowers and cacti. There, with the company of the family cat, Pauline can read books in peace all she likes and without interruption. Readers enter into Pauline's fantasies with full-bleed pages rather than panels as she spins adventures for herself in a land of giant poppies where she is the queen. She also gets to pilot a hydro-plane in her fantasies, soaring over many a vista around the world.

Pauline's fantasies sour when she realizes everyone in her family has forgotten her, and she succumbs to ennui. The sonorous TOOOOOT!! of a ship passing the house gives her an idea. Since the boats go by very close to her house due to higher water levels in the summer, Pauline will jump on board the next ship and sail all the way to France to visit her Granny! She also determines to make it to her favourite author's chateau.

In her hurry to leave, Pauline kicks aside her brother's noisy balls, which she definitely won't miss, but she can't help picking one up to take with her as a memento. In her sister's room, Pauline recalls playing restaurant with her, pretending to be a terrible customer complaining about the food. As Pauline picks up a toy carrot, could it be that she would miss this make-believe game? Passing the kitchen on her way out, the smell of Dad's cookies, "the best in the world", entices her, and she quickly slips a few into her backpack.

No one seems to notice Pauline as she climbs onto a stool and announces her departure. When she opens the door, however, her mother is there, waiting for her to sow seeds for the garden, including impatiens, columbines, forget-me-notes, and Pauline's favourite, poppies. Pauline, still wearing her backpack, helps her mother work on the flower bed. When her mother asks why she is wearing a pack, Pauline says it is because she has returned from a long journey. On the final page, Pauline empties her pack in her closet under the stairs and clicks the door shut, with her on the other side.

Mahiout grounds the character in her French background through references to (fictional) authors and places, anchoring the story in a specific Québécois-Canadian identity while still retaining universal appeal for all readers. Perreten's cartoon style perfectly complements Mahiout's unaffected narrative. Pauline has outsized eyes that, by turns, express ennui, annoyance, wistfulness, and joy. The stocky figures populate a domestic world of just the right amount of familiarity and detail, and the judicious use of pops of colour in Pauline's daydream sequences contrast effectively with the equally sweet allure of home life.

A Place for Pauline is an ideal transitional text for emerging independent readers to enjoy before moving on to longer graphic novels or easy chapter-books. Its emotional stakes ring true as the plight of the eldest child, always an area ripe for reinterpretation, gets a gently comedic treatment in which the lure of adventure cannot compete with the simple pleasures of home and the love of family. The importance of space for a child to be by herself to appreciate the value of family life is given a refreshing spin in this cozy yet expansive journey into the protagonist's life. Altogether, A Place for Pauline creates a welcome narrative space in any public or school library as well as personal home collections.