Constance and Tiny

Constance #1

by Pierre Le Gall, Éric Héliot (Illustrator)

Say hello to Constance, a sweet, grateful, good little girl—NOT!

In fact, she’s a mischief-making, rule-breaking imp with a wicked gleam in her eye. Wherever she goes, trouble (and her enormous cat, Tiny) surely follow. That’s why children will go absolutely mad for her: Constance does exactly what they dream of doing in their naughtiest moments…and she’s never repentant.

Making the delicious Constance stories even more fun: the comic contrast between the deadpan text and the outrageous illustrations. Like the cheeky character herself, the pictures always say the opposite of the words

Genres: Picture Books, Fiction, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2008

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am definitely not one of those adults who thinks that children's books need be all "sweetness and light," with cuddly animal characters, a heartwarming message, and a satisfactorily happy ending. No, I firmly believe that children need the dark and disturbing, whether that be the forest (and wolf) confronted by Little Red Riding Hood , the steady stream of disasters that overtake the children of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events , or the obnoxiously bratty behavior of spoiled little kids like Junie B. Jones.

One of my favorite literary characters as a girl was Jack Gantos' Rotten Ralph - a thoroughly wicked feline who, over the course of many books, utterly fails to reform (and this, despite the love of his human companion, Sarah) - so I really expected to enjoy Pierre Le Gall's Constance and Tiny, which also features a less than angelic cat-girl duo. Unfortunately, I didn't, and I'm at something of a loss to understand why. I did like the way that Constance's narrative, in which she complains of her evil parents, and the torture she endures at school, is contradicted by the illustrations. Young readers will undoubtedly have fun picking out the inconsistencies.

But although I can imagine others enjoying the humor of Constance and Tiny, I was curiously unmoved. The heroine was gleefully nasty, but she wasn't really entertaining. Nor did the cartoon-style illustrations by Éric Héliot really appeal to me. Ah well - this just wasn't to my taste, and de gustibus non est disputandum.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this story was hilarious and I think that many children will find this quite amusing, recognizing that “bad” and unappreciative Constance and her huge, naughty cat Tiny are completely over the top. On the back cover of my edition it says “You’re going to love hating them!” I didn’t hate them, although I acknowledge they’re quite a handful and I’d certainly be working on improving their behavior. But, I think kids will recognize an exaggeration of their own dark sides in this story of a girl whose perceptions of herself, her family, and her community are skewed.

This is really fun to read aloud! It is also good for early readers, I think.

I do tend to like stories about misbehaving children. I love the Eloise books and when I was nine was fascinated by two books I bought with my allowance (a huge decision at the time): A Second Book of Naughty Children and then, when I found it later, A Book of Naughty Children.

I’m going to see if I can get a copy of the sequel to this book Constance and the Great Escape and see if I continue to find this pair entertaining or if they simply wear thin with more exposure to them.

The illustrations tell the story as much as the text does, and they're very funny too.

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming gift I received yesterday! Constance is a sort of Eloise-like heroine, naughty and proud of it. Tiny is her sidekick cat. These are French books, which I believe have been translated for the first time.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was in the middle reader section of the store and from the outside looks like a small hardcover chapter book ala Mercy Watson. But it reads like a picture book. I really enjoyed the illustrations and big fat cats are near and dear to me personally. But it's not a book for everyone. The mc has few (if any?) redeeming qualities...which really is the whole point of the story. That works for me, but a young audience...maybe some...hence, it's not for everyone.

[Christie Suh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book. Loved the illustrations. It's about a little girl who is convinced that her parents are evil and they make her do horrible things (go to school, clean her room, etc.). The illustrations contradict Constance's narration.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a little girl who thinks she really has it rough. In describing her life, everything she describes is opposite of what the illustrations show. It's a nice book with many moments to chuckle at.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is oh so terribly wonderful!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and twisty . . . and oddly charming.

[Merilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naughty, I would have loved this book as a child.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious!

[talia · Rating 5 out of 5]

HAHAHAHAHAHA wtf I love it

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Constance is not a good girl, let alone trustworthy and constant in her affections. Her cat, Tiny, is not tiny.

According to the back cover of this book, "You're going to love hating them."

Personally, I don't hate Constance, but I do find her reflexive nastiness to be tedious.

Nor does she change in the course of this story.

RATING THIS BOOK

My policy is to rate books in terms of the intended readers. Which, for this book, would decidedly not be me.

Ideally the kids to whom this book is read, and/or the adults who select it for reading:

* They like to gripe
* They prefer to sneer
* And yes, they actually love hating people

On their behalf, I'll give this ugly book FIVE STARS.
Personally, my advice is... Run from this book. It's a kind of poison.

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Constance is a bad girl, and also very hilarious. I'm sure if this were real life a parent would not find it so hilarious but in this fictional universe you can have quite the chuckle at there antics. More Constance more!!

[Sirin · Rating 5 out of 5]

hahahah :) harika bi kitap bence.
9 yaşında olsaydım hislerime tercüman olduğu ve beni neşelendirdiği için onu çok severdim.
şimdi de çok sevdim ;)

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a weird little book but I really liked it.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny book that my daughter really gravitated to. She wants a cat just like Tiny.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

So funny, and clever illustrations. Never, ever say you're sorry, and remember, the adults are out to get you!

[Aiden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the pictures! Good humor, too

[Ms. Jeane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, This book is just horrible. Not horribly written or drawn or anything, but this child and cat are just horrible! I know some kids really like reading about horrible things, i.e. Series of Unfortunate Events, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, etc., but I can say that I will never read this to my daughter.

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 2 out of 5]

I check out these books because I liked the illustrations and the seemingly evil little girl. The story was pretty bland though.... but her cat is drawn cool.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't mind this book to read to myself, but was horrified/embarrassed while reading it to my kids. What an awful role model for kids!

[Bridget R. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can definitely tell this is French.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this with Kim and she loved it! She's a young girl of 12, and I knew this theme would strike her fancy - she's a scorpio.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the pictures, but the girl is supper bratty and spoiled...

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I cannot fathom why I found this in my library.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked the artwork and format of the book but Constance is too annoying for me and shows a disrespect I wouldn't want to then read to my impressionable cousins