John and the lampman

For children from 5 years old

Saturday 2 April 1927. Jean, a young schoolboy, is happy to be on holiday. He can finally rest and read all day long. But his friends are not counting on this, as they take him once again to admire the passing locomotives, the marshalling yard, the roundhouse... All of them are children of railway workers and are passionate about trains, except Jean.

One stormy evening, Jean sees a strange light dancing in the snow through his bedroom window. Intrigued, he decides to brave the cold and the snow to find out what it is. Alphonse, the lamp maker, is waiting for him. Around the fire, the old man tells the child about his job and the enchanted world of the trains of yesterday and today. Is Jean dreaming? One thing is certain, this encounter will change his view of his family, his friends and the world around him.

Take the train and let yourself be carried away by this adventure full of magic and sweetness. And to learn more, a few important dates in the history of the Belgian railways and a glossary of terms await you at the end of the book.

Author: Alain van den Abeele is a sports journalist who became a writer through his love of words. Author of numerous books on subjects as varied as radio (À vous le studio! Luc Pire Éditions), the history of Märklin trains (Märklin, Rêves de trains, Luc Pire Éditions), dream cars (Enzo Ferrari, Luc Pire Éditions), he is trying his hand at children's literature because, above all, he loves telling stories.

Illustrator: after having been a stained-glass artist for four years, Olivier Auquier has since become artistic director of the DreamWall animation studio, which was born out of a partnership between Dupuis Editions and RTBF. With this children's book, he returns to his first love: drawing.