French / Belgium
Ville bleue, ville jaune
(Blue city, yellow city)
Rebrović, Ljerka
(text)
Pipal, Ivana
(illus.)
Bruxelles: Álice jeunesse, [2017]. – [44] p.
(Series: Histoires comme ça)
ISBN 978-2-87426-306-4
Difference | Discrimination | Border | Peace | Colour | Picture book
Reading age: 6+
White Ravens issue: 2017
Two befriended towns border opposite sides of a river and are connected by a bridge. One day the bridge must be refurbished and freshly painted, but the adults cannot decide on a colour. Blue or yellow? The colour war escalates to ever more absurd heights, the adults siding along extreme monochromatic lines, so “blue against yellow”. The colour terror comes to define people’s everyday lives – their view of their hometown, their relation to their neighbours and to their own identity. Ever more drastic infringements and acrimonious attempts to paint over the other occur until nature – and the children! – end the ridiculous drama. The Croatian artist duo Ljerka Rebrović and Ivana Pipal succeed in offering a convincing parable about borders, stereotypes, and violence. Beyond this, the story provides a good point of departure for all ages to start a conversation about these topics.