"He felt as if he were being propelled through the air by a strange force. He opened his eyes and looked around haggardly."

All over the world, every mask has a special story. Used to show off or hide, to have fun or to save the planet, masks have always attracted young and old alike.

Du haut de ses sept ans, Amath connaît déjà son pays comme sa poche. Sa terre d’Afrique, ses étranges baobabs, son sol aride où poussent de beaux acacias… Mais voilà qu’un soir, en s’endormant, il est plongé dans un tout nouveau monde. Un monde fabuleux aux mille plantes et mille animaux, où le mystérieux Lwas règne en maître.

Évadez-vous avec douceur, dans ce monde où rêve et réalité ne font plus qu’un.

On Christmas Eve, a lonely, sullen old wolf is attracted to the lights shining in a village church. Hungry, the wolf rushes in. He wants to eat the child lying in the manger! Fortunately, the priest is there... This tale of the land to be read by the fireside is accompanied by reels and waltzes inspired by the Quebec folk repertoire. Get out your fiddles! The tale is followed by a musical Christmas Eve party, just like in the good old days, that will have all the little wolves howling and dancing.

Il existe bien des manières de célébrer Noël. Sous la conduite de Minou, qui connaît enfin son véritable nom, et aux côtés de Goutte d’eau*, qui s’est introduite dans le décor de Nom d’un chat*, nous visitons les différentes familles de l’immeuble et assistons aux préparatifs de Noël de chacune d’elles.

Up on his mountain, Noah had planned for the flood. He had built a gigantic ark ready for his family and a couple of each of the animals of the earth. One day, a torrent of water began to fall and the water rose to an alarming level. It was time, Noah decided to embark. But a strange feeling came over him: he was convinced that he had forgotten something but did not know what. Noah decided to go around all the holds of his huge boat to try to find what he had forgotten...

While visiting the Museum of Evolution with his class, Mehdi discovers at picnic time that he has the wrong bag and nothing to eat. This misadventure will be the occasion to launch a debate in the class about eating habits, which differ according to families, religions and countries... and it will make us understand, with humour, that all humans are part of the big family of animals.This book was part of the Opalivres selection, category 6 years old.

Bombay Wow! A heartfelt cry for anyone who ventures into the streets of Bombay, a city of strange and miraculous encounters, in the footsteps of characters who are as endearing as they are gifted at finding themselves in funny situations. It is a Bombay teeming with fantasy and colour that is told to us here, with finesse, and which invites us to travel.

There are treasures made of diamonds, gold and gems. And then there are others, even more precious. This book offers a wonderful and fantastic journey to discover some of these treasures. We discover the mysterious nightlife of the Louvre and the secret of a safe. We come across a magic elevator and a store full of unusual objects. We meet a madman who becomes a king and an angel sent to earth on a strange mission.

Six independent stories, yet united by a secret link.

My lords and ladies, I will now tell you of the astonishing adventures that befell the mad Renart long ago. You will learn how the wolf, who knew many tricks, committed so many pranks and larcenies that he almost drove his companion, the wolf Ysengrin, crazy, but also all those who crossed his path. Listen in this second story, how Renart played a bad trick on his uncle Ysengrin, to get himself out of an unfortunate situation...

My lords and ladies, I will now tell you of the astonishing adventures that befell the mad Renart long ago. You will learn how the wolf, who knew many tricks, committed so many pranks and larcenies that he almost drove his companion, the wolf Ysengrin, crazy, but also all those who crossed his path. See in this fifth story, how Renart gave a monastic tonsure to the too naive wolf Ysengrin.

Aya Ahoutou, a young Ivorian woman with a degree in archaeology and a specialization in Prehistory, is called to Mali to conduct surveys on a potential excavation site. Oscar Bonogo, an elderly Burkinabé man, must take to the road to earn the money he needs to repay the tontine. Kim, a young Malian girl, recruited into a band of mercenaries, suddenly finds herself in the role of a soldier of God. Three protagonists take turns telling their stories... while we follow the journey of Nourh and Dhib, our distant ancestors who disappeared 300,000 years ago.

On December 9, 1905, a law was enacted. From then on, the State and the Churches were no longer connected, and the State no longer funded or paid any religion. It was in this new context that secularism was born! We are thus free to believe in any religion we choose—or, on the contrary, to believe in none at all. Secularism allows everyone to practice their religion freely, yes, but under what condition? In fact, there is only one: our beliefs and practices must respect public order. Yet, secularism remains at the heart of social and political debates, which can spread false ideas and lead to racist or stigmatizing remarks.

So how can we tell truth from falsehood? What events gave rise to secularism? And does it exist outside of France?

During the Crusades times, Hassan's group kidnapped two Francs kids in the Balbeek souk, a little Syrian merchants' city on the edge of the Orient's Francs principality. The city is buzzing between occidental parents looking for the children and the inhabitants in disbelief. According to Hicham, from Hassan's group but a friend of Youssef, son of the governor and future King of all the Muslim world, only he can help them. But, Hassan hates Youssef and thinks gaining glory by sacrificing the enemy's children.