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Ernest & Rebecca #1

Mon copain est un microbe

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Elle s'appelle Rebecca, elle a six ans, bientôt et demi. Ses défenses immunitaires sont un peu faibles, mais elle ne compte pas se laisser faire: elle va prouver au monde qu'elle n'est pas une puce. Partie chasser la grenouille par temps de pluie, Rebecca attrape finalement Ernest, un drôle de microbe qui n'a pas la langue dans sa poche. Le genre d'ami bien utile à l‘heure où les parents se perdent dans leurs disputes de grands.

Rebecca is a six and a half year-old girl who is out of luck – her parents are on the verge of divorce and she is always getting sick due to a weak immune system. One rainy day Rebecca’s luck changes when she meets a magical microbe named Ernest, who becomes her best friend! Ernest is no regular germ—he’s about the same height as Rebecca and he can talk. Can Rebecca keep her parents together with the help of her new friend? And can anyone really have a friend who belongs in a Petri dish?

46 pages, Hardcover

First published May 23, 2008

7 people are currently reading
106 people want to read

About the author

Guillaume Bianco

81 books17 followers

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5 stars
68 (28%)
4 stars
79 (33%)
3 stars
75 (31%)
2 stars
12 (5%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
Profile Image for Shannon.
3,111 reviews2,569 followers
July 13, 2013
I finally got around to taking some pictures of the inside because I really think this is a super underrated series and seeing the artwork will make you want to check it out more than my review.

Remarkably surprised to pick this up in the children's graphic novel section at the library to find such quirky, beautiful, (lots of pink!) and incredibly detailed artwork with a poignant yet hilarious story about divorce, childhood illness, and growing up. It's very cute and cartoony but also considerably well-thought out.

Grabbed all four books from the library and I've got my reviews up along with pictures! (Reviews for the last three books: Sam the Repulsive, Grandpa Bug, and The Land of the Walking Stones.)

Click on the spoiler and then the image to open up a new page and larger view. These aren't really spoilers, I just don't like to bombard people with images in the feed, but this is a book you really need to see.



In person, the pages are way more vibrant and the artwork is just amazing. The story is great too, of course; I wouldn't recommend a graphic novel just because it's pretty to look at. This series really is a gem and I recommend it for all ages!
Profile Image for Oneirosophos.
1,588 reviews74 followers
July 25, 2022
Cool art, cute concept, but leaves MUCH to be desired...

A little girl gets along with her flu, while her parents are going straight to a divorce and feels so alone.
3,035 reviews14 followers
January 17, 2013
While the art is only so-so, I think the writing is delightful.
Rebecca is a little girl with two serious problems. The first is that her body has a weak immune system. The second is that her parents may be splitting up. Having to cope with these kinds of things is difficult, but it's made better when the catches a very interesting germ. Their adventures together are hilarious, but mostly the kind of thing that a young child could or would do, with the occasional touch of Calvin & Hobbes-style exaggeration. As she forges love notes and fills the house with frogs, in various attempts to keep her parents together, the story is very sweet and enjoyable.
Profile Image for Ryan.
5,754 reviews33 followers
August 1, 2012
Rebecca is a very sick little girl and Ernest her best friend is a microbe. Rebecca’s parents are being pulled apart and she wants to be anything other then a sick little girl. The graphics are fun and festive, however with the small and heavy text in this graphic novel seems too old for the grade for which it appears to be geared. Rebecca is six years old, but this novel is for at least 3rd or 4th grade.
Profile Image for Nicolas Arseneault.
460 reviews18 followers
February 9, 2019
La petite Rebecca est extrêmement attachante et pleine de lucidité pour une enfant de 6 ans et demi.
Le microbe en soi est bien utilisé et bien recherché : l'enfant connaitra la logique des vaccins et des virus sans même qu'on ait besoin de lui fournir des explications supplémentaires.
Un filon d'histoire relie les différentes blagues et nous montre une petite fille qui souhaite tellement fort que ses parents ne se séparent pas.
Profile Image for Sophie.
192 reviews21 followers
August 27, 2023
Une lecture rapide et rafraîchissante! C’est très mignon et ça me rappelle de quand j’étais plus jeune et de quand j’ai visité la Belgique la dernière fois :) j’adore aussi l’art et les dessins, c’est vraiment bien réalisé
Profile Image for EyrisReadsTheWorld.
803 reviews13 followers
November 30, 2020
A funny and delightful graphic novel

Key words: graphic novel, children, fiction, disease, divorce

I am so glad LeLombard made this first volume free to read during the lockdown. I loved it. Rebecca is a young girl who catches a disease, Ernest, who also becomes her friend. She is so adorable and funny. Her life is not easy but she keeps her innocence and her humour to reunite her parents. The drawings really add to the cuteness of the book. I think the graphic novel is really well done because it talks about quite a big topic but it does it in a funny and light way. Rebecca is small for her age due to her weak metabolism and she doesn’t seem to have any friends as if she hurts herself, it can turn bad really quickly. I think that’s why I got attached to her so much. I am glad she has a big sister next to her sometimes. This series also talks about divorce and how children can potentially react to it. Rebecca’s reaction for example, is quite funny from the outside but it must be difficult for her. It is very interesting. I can’t wait to read the next volumes.
I recommend this series.

5/5
Profile Image for Soobie has fog in her brain.
7,210 reviews134 followers
January 1, 2022
A differenza di molti altri fumetti francesi, questo volume non è una storia completa, bensì una serie di brevi capitoletti che presentano diverse situazioni in cui si trovano Rebecca e il suo amico Ernest.

Lei è una bambina di sei anni e mezzo i cui genitori sono sul punto di divorziare. Lui è un microbo parlante che cerca di aiutarla in tutti i modi, tra cui tenere alla larga gli altri microbi da lei, che ha qualche problema di salute.

Bellissimi i colori, un po' meno i disegni. La storia è piuttosto particolare.

Già avevo comprato i primi due volumi in un'altra edizione, che però era stata interrotta. Spero che la Star riesca a portare in Italia tutti e nove i volumetti che sono stati pubblicati finora.
Profile Image for Nicola.
3,640 reviews
December 9, 2021
I think I was expecting something upbeat and scientific-y like Zoey and Sassafras. One side of the book is about what it's like being 6 and having a fragile immune system. The other side of the book is about having a Mummy and Daddy who fight all the time, start sleeping in different houses, and (failed) plots to get them back together. It was funny at times and darker at others but Miss 7 enjoyed it and asked for more.

Miss 7 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.
282 reviews
May 9, 2017
I read this book because my daughter liked it. The plot at times did not have continuity, and the book really did not have a clear message. The parents are separating, and the family is having a difficult time. The younger daughter is sick and makes friends with the germ that infected her, and the mother starts talking to another man on the phone--but other than that, there is no resolution, and nothing encouraging for kids in a similar situation. The illustrations are very creative and cute, but the message and/or plot are pretty much absent.
Profile Image for Jonath666.
397 reviews25 followers
December 18, 2019
Bande-dessinée à destination des plus jeunes.

Les dessins sont chouettes. L'angle est plutôt original puisque les 2 héros sont une petite fille et son meilleur ami qui est... un microbe.

J'ai bien aimé les délires que Rebecca se fabrique.

J'ai trouvé intéressant le fait que les parents de l'héroine soient séparés et se disputent constamment.

D'habitude dans les BD jeunesse, tout va bien dans le meilleur des mondes. Ici ça donne une petite touche d'originalité. Et ça explique aussi peut-être l'imagination débordante de Rebecca.
Profile Image for Meteora-books.
408 reviews10 followers
September 15, 2019
3.75/5
Une histoire toute mignonne qui est touchante de par le sujet abordé. Rebecca est très drôle et elle a d’excellentes réparties pour une fillette de 6 ans! Son amitié avec Ernest le microbe l’aide à garder le moral malgré les problèmes que rencontrent ses parents et avec Rebecca ils s’amusent beaucoup à martyriser le pauvre docteur qui lui n’est pas toujours très perspicace! Bref, une lecture très chouette!
Profile Image for Mira de la curiosithèque.
242 reviews6 followers
June 20, 2017
Une petite lecture tout à fait sympathique. Rebecca a six ans et demi, ses parents sont en train de se séparer et son meilleur ami est un microbe qu'elle a attrapé, si bien qu'elle cultive la fièvre. Cela donne lieu à des gags à la page drôles et pleins d'imagination.
Ah Oui ! J'oubliais : le dessin est Tout choupi, Tout en rondeurs et en couleurs vives de bonbons...
Profile Image for Shatiel.
1,169 reviews15 followers
May 10, 2022
Storia a fumetti con temi come malattia, vaccini e separazione in famiglia tutto vissuto da una piccola peste di sei anni! Ogni pagina è una mini storia a sé stante quindi va approcciato con attenzione. Ha il tocco dei fumetti francesi dove anche nelle situazioni più critiche viene inserita ironia e comicità. Non vedo l'ora di leggere gli altri!
Profile Image for Lillyg.
266 reviews6 followers
September 29, 2019
Les dessins sont vraiment hyper mignons. Je decouvre cette BD grâce aux 48h de la BD. C'est plutôt pédagogique, à la fois sur les maladies, la vaccination, la séparation... Par contre c'est assez décousu par moment.
Profile Image for Séverine.
988 reviews5 followers
July 28, 2024
Une petite BD bien sympa et divertissante ! Rebecca est une petite fille sympathique qui ne manque pas d'humour. Et Ernest gagne à être connu également malgré le fait qu'il soit un microbe. Ce n'est pas une série que je vais suivre de très près, mais c'est tellement sans prise de tête que j'en lirai sans doute un tome de temps en temps quand j'y penserai.
Profile Image for Zahra Rose Duxbury.
374 reviews1 follower
November 15, 2024
Waterloo Public Library felt like damp hair and osh kosh jackets and slush covered boots. These books are pure nostalgia. What were they about again? It doesn’t matter…I remember a girl with a runny nose, and a beautiful sister, and being a kid.
Profile Image for Julie.
367 reviews8 followers
September 10, 2019
Petite histoire adorable, jolie découverte :-)
Profile Image for Chuva.
528 reviews3 followers
February 28, 2024
J'ai adoré. L'histoire est super bien trouvée et j'adore les dessins !
Les microbes sont trop mignons !
Profile Image for Philippe Lhoste.
381 reviews11 followers
July 13, 2013
J'ai découvert la série dans Spirou, quand ils ont pré-publié le tome 3. Ce qui m'avait ennuyé, je n'aime pas découvrir une série par le milieu, et ici on voit que le premier tome est assez fondamental (expliquant la relation entre Ernest le microbe et Rebecca la fillette).

Mais j'avais suffisamment apprécié pour prendre ce tome, pour voir l'origine (et faire plaisir à mes enfants qui ont apprécié aussi).

Je n'ai pas été déçu. Le scénario est très drôle, tout en laissant la place à des thèmes plus sérieux (la maladie, la mort dans les tomes suivants, ici la possible rupture des parents en bisbille). Certaines pages sont organisées pour faire un gag, mais l'histoire se déroule de façon continue.

Le dessin est excellent, tout en rondeurs, très dynamique (surtout Rebecca, qui ne tient pas en place !), très mignon.

Je suis jaloux, car elle ressemble un peu (physiquement) à un personnage que j'avais créé il y a quelques années, Prune, mais en dix, cent fois mieux dessinée (dynamisme, justesse...).

Bref, une BD toute mimi, sachant creuser des réflexions pas mièvres, très sympa.
Profile Image for Tiffany.
8 reviews1 follower
February 24, 2013
This was a great book of a little girl's perspective of her parents fighting and her making friends with a germ like creature. I enjoyed reading it I finished it in one day. I'm currently on book 3 and can't wait until book 4!
Profile Image for Heydi Smith.
3,198 reviews8 followers
May 17, 2014
Love the story and love the illustrations. I wish I had known about this series sooner there were several children I would have recommended it to for both the chronic illness topic and parental strife. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
Profile Image for Maya.
32 reviews24 followers
March 24, 2012
Freaking adorable, I love it! The art is gorgeous and dynamic and the characters are hilarious. Love it!
Profile Image for Traci.
516 reviews1 follower
April 27, 2012
A girl and her germ take on the world, or at least the doctor. She also has to deal with the separation of her parents. I really like the artwork.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews

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