Belle et Sébastien

by Cécile Aubry

« Une bête dangereuse rôde dans la montagne. Toute personne qui l'apercevra est autorisée à l'abattre. » Belle, une magnifique chienne des Pyrénées, est devenue l'ennemi public n° 1 ! Le village entier se ligue contre cette bête. Seul Sébastien, l'enfant né dans la solitude des sommets, s'est juré de la défendre et de la sauver, envers et contre tous.

Genres: Animals, Childrens, France, Fiction, Classics, Novels, French Literature

191 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2008

About the author

Cécile Aubry was a French film actress, author, television screenwriter and director. Born Anne-José Madeleine Henriette Bénard, Aubry began her career as a dancer. At age 20, she was signed to 20th Century Fox.

She made her break as the star of Henri-Georges Clouzot's Manon (1949), which won the Golden Lion at the famed Venice Film Festival. That brought her a leading role alongside Tyrone Power and Orson Welles in American director Henry Hathaway's feature The Black Rose (1950). She had a strong performance in Christian-Jacque's Bluebeard (1952), one of the first French-produced films to be made in color. For a short time, she was a Hollywood success, signing a lucrative contract with Fox, employing her parents as a publicity team, and regularly appearing in French film magazines as an example of the perfect hybrid of Franco-American femininity.

Her film career was short. It was interrupted by a secret six-year marriage to Si Brahim El Glaoui, the eldest son of the pasha of Marrakesh. She announced her retirement from film in 1959, claiming that she had only enjoyed cinema for its travel opportunities. She went on to write children's books and scenarios for children's television with considerable success.

She is known in France for her TV series for children, Poly, about a boy and a horse, and Belle et Sébastien, adapted for television from her books. The main character in both series was played by her son, Mehdi El Glaoui (credited as "Mehdi").

On 19 July 2010, she died from lung cancer in Dourdan (Essonne), France, aged 81.

Reviews

[Amy | littledevonnook · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read but I don't think I would pick it up again.

I believe this is a French children's classic and I have read the English translation. We follow a young boy named Sebastien as he befriends a mountain dog named Belle. It's a very short and simple story which I imagine many children have taken enjoyment from.

Set in the mountains with lots of snow I think this would be a great one to read in the Winter whilst sat under a cosy blanket!

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the fondest memories from my childhood is watching an old black and white French TV production about a lonely boy and a beautiful Pyrenean mountain dog. I begged for a dog like Belle, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. Still, the story of Belle and Sébastien is one that stayed close to my heart.

This is the charming story of an orphan, born on the mountain and raised by an old gamekeeper and his grandchildren, and a runaway dog who is labelled The Beast by the superstitious villagers and threatened with death. The book captures the feel of a small isolated village, subject to freezing winters and storms, where the old women gossip in the market square and a small boy can have wonderful adventures in the mountains.

My Alma Classics edition has some delightful illustrations by Helen Stephens, that add to the joy of this 1960s children's classic. The translation occasionally feels stilted, with abrupt switches between past and present tense, but on the whole it captures the spirit of this heartwarming story without becoming too sentimental.

This book is a gem, and I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting a childhood favourite.

[Jucko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sajnos ez is egy olyan történet, amit az idő és az emlékeim szépítettek meg. Rég vadásztam már a könyvet, mert utoljára még tizenéves koromban olvastam. Mai fejjel már csak az emberek rosszindulata az, ami inkább rányomta a bélyegét az olvasásra, és hogy mennyi gonoszság és gyűlölködés szorulhat egy falunyi emberbe. Ám, ha körülnézek a mai világban, sajnos ez évtizedek elteltével sem változott...

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was a child this book brought me to tears (in a good way) each time a read it. Once read, it can never be forget. Amazing book which every child should read.

[Ieva Ribena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story about friendship, trust, war, for grownups and children to read.

[Lune · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une histoire douce, sympathique, on est vite plongés dedans !

[Labeba Salameh · Rating 5 out of 5]

انهيت الجزء الأول لهذا الكتاب
كنت أظن اني سأقرأه مستمتعة بجانب النوستولجيا والذكريات القديمة
فوجئت به عذبا وحلوا ودافئا
كتاب ينتهي في جلسة واحد ترجمة مسكلياني

[Sarara · Rating 5 out of 5]

رواية جميييلة جداً
قرأت الجزء الأول من بيل وسيباستيان (ملجأ الأرواح) طبعة دار المسكلياني
في الواقع الرواية كانت ممتعة جدا عكس توقعاتي -اللي عادةً ما بتخيب بسبب الترجمات الركيكة لأدب اليافعين- وكانت الترجمة ممتازة وفيها بلاغة تسرّ القارئ وكانت قرائتها سهلة وسلسلة جداً لدرجة اني انهيتها في يوم واحد
تقييمي لها بلا شك ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
تشجعت جدا أغوص في أدب اليافعين

[EstelleLiterature · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both "Poly" and "Belle et Sebastien" by Aubry are the favorites of the French as animal stories. She was an actress who also made both books into films, where her son played as protagonist. I personally prefer "Belle et Sebastien," set in the Alpes de Haute Provence, just above Nice, where you can still see the hut she used to make this film, despite the diluvial rains that destroyed the region recently.

My favorite part in this story is the avalanche where, sensing it coming, Belle pushes Sebastian into the cave just in time, credible because Belle is a breed used for rescuing people from avalanches. She then digs out from the snow and signals the search party, who couldn't have seen them otherwise.

This book is even more symbolic because it portrays a part of Aubry's life filled with challenges.

[Kristy Hetzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found it a slog to read through (read aloud) but last chapter was good.

[Alix Long]

Reading this book in the height of summer, I definitely appreciated the beautiful, detailed descriptions of the French Pyrenees - this and the illustrations by Helen Stephens - which made Belle and Sébastien such a wonderfully atmospheric read. I was gripped from the very beginning of the story, eager to find out how things would end up for Sébastien and if Belle would ever find a place where she would feel safe again. Aubry makes Belle such a vivid character with fears, desires and complex thought processes - which means I cared a whole lot more about Belle and Sébastien's friendship than I normally would, with a typically 2-dimensional animal character. Their friendship was so heartwarming and wonderful to read about.

I thought the other characters were also fantastically written - in particular I loved César and Célestine - they jumped right off the page and into my heart. César was a French Atticus Finch and Célestine was irritating yet highly lovable. However, Sébastien was no doubt my favourite character - brave, intelligent and wilful - he was so interesting to read about. His determination and loyalty towards Belle drove the story forward and I love how Sébastien made the story his own.

The only reason that this is a 4* review instead of a 5* review is because at times I found the writing quite difficult to understand fully - it might be because I haven't read a classic for a while, it might be because its a translated, but I just found some of the language hard to get to grips with. Although I found the descriptions of the environment beautiful and intricately detailed, general descriptions were slightly clumsy (this is probably entirely due to translation issues, however).

Overall, I really enjoyed Belle and Sébastien and I would highly encourage you to check it out, especially if you love classic children's books. I would recommend this book for children nine years and upwards, but it is such a beautiful story about loyalty, friendship and the dangers of fear, ignorance and prejudice that I'm sure readers of all ages would adore it.

[Nalani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the writing style of this children's classic, but I was pleasantly surprised! The story is taken seriously with a tone that adults can enjoy as well. I liked that the characters had such realism to them, in their personalities, personal choices, and the prejudice held toward other characters, particularly Belle and Sebastien. I also really liked the family relationship that is established around Sebastien. Though he is without a mother, he has Angelina and Belle to care for him. He has no lack of father figures either having them in César, Jean, and even Guillaume. I think the only thing that is holding me back from a 5 star rating is that the numerous townsfolk mentioned were hard to remember as to who was who. Perhaps on my next read through I will have a handle on all of the side characters and be able to enjoy it more!

P.S. Why is only the first book of this series available in English? I would love to read more!

[Attila · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic French children's novel. An orphan boy is raised by an old ranger and his grandchildren, in a village in the French Alps. He is a free spirit, constantly wandering around in the mountains, and one day he meets a giant feral dog and befriends it. However, many of the villagers fear the dog and want to kill it, or to return it to its original owner, and the boy must try and change their minds before they are separated.

Several live-action and animated films are based on the book. The most recent Belle et Sébastien movie is from 2013; it does not keep much of the original plot though, rather it is centered around French resistance in WWII and various other patriotic stuff (what else can you expect from the French?) ;)

[Subhadra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. My only regret is that I hadn't read this book as a child. Although it is in the same genre as Heidi, this is a fresh take on the theme of the relationship between man and beast. This is mainly because of the poignant and touching language in which Aubry draws us into the world of Sebastien and his tiny Provencal village in the Southern Alps. The lofty mountains limit the minds of many and liberate the souls of a few but it is the sheer courage, fortitude, and unconditional love between a boy and a dog that has the power to transform.

[Julián Maldonado Luis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guillaume made sure of his victory, a victory that looked far into Sébastien's future...
"You'll go to school if my mill is running in the spring?"
Sébastien's candid little paw stretched out:
"Put it there!"
And Guillaume felt ashamed. A little sad as well: he knew that he had gained authority in the child's mind, but that he had just lost a portion of his heart.

Cécile Aubry, Belle and Sébastien.

[Victoria Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this lovely little book I happened upon in a lovely bookshop in Bath. Admittedly I was drawn in by the beautiful illustrations by Helen Stephens which run throughout the course of the book. A charming book, Sebastian lives every child's fantasy - maybe some grown-ups too! As I was spirited away on an adventure in the snowy mountains and in a little town with some colourful characters.

[Khrystyna P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Дуже чуттєва книга про дитинство, гори та вірних друзів. Кілька разів ловила себе на думці, що з радістю б посиділа на краю скали, погладжуючи білу мяку шерсть Белли.

[Vehu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Navrat do detstvi

[Malinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was great but the translation was awkward and took away from the magic of it all. But the book brought happy memories of watching the cartoon series of it as a child.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure if the translation hindered my enjoyment of this one.