Ulysse et Oscar
Series of children's stories
Author: André Cailloux
Illustrations: Frédéric Back
Published by: Éditions Ici Radio-Canada and Héritage, Montreal, 1968, 16 pages
Synopsis
The adventures of the explorer Mr. Ulysse, Oscar the lion and the little mouse Hortense were featured on Radio-Canada television before being published in book form. Created by André Cailloux, this series of six children's stories was illustrated with ink and gouache drawings by Frédéric Back.
Comments
In 1952, Frédéric Back met André Cailloux, known as Grand-père Cailloux on the program Le Grenier aux images, for which he did illustrations. He was immediately won over by Cailloux's sense of humour, his way with children and his vision of educational programming. When André Cailloux created the TV series Ulysse et Oscar in 1965, and then developed a series of children's books based on it, Frédéric Back found the project charming and gladly agreed to do the illustrations, whose gentle humour reflected that of the texts. The series, published at the author's expense, consisted of six little books printed on newsprint: Ulysse rencontre Oscar, Un Cadeau d'Égypte, Noises chinoises, Corrida de vaches sacrées, Hortense aviatrice and Oscar fait du cinéma.