René Paul Guillot (24 January 1900 – 26 March 1969) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

writer of

children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

who lived, worked and travelled in

French West Africa French West Africa (, ) was a federation of eight French colonial empires#Second French colonial empire, French colonial territories in West Africa: Colonial Mauritania, Mauritania, French Senegal, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guin ...

. For his lasting contribution as a children's writer Guillot received the biennial

Hans Christian Andersen Medal The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...

in 1964. The award conferred by the

International Board on Books for Young People International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

is the highest recognition available to a writer or illustrator of children's books.

Biography

Guillot was born at his parents' home in Courcoury in the

Charente-Maritime Charente-Maritime (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Chérente-Marine''; ) is a Departments of France, department in the French Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, on the country's west coast. Named after the river Charente (river), Charen ...

department. After studying

science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

, he moved to

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

to work as a teacher, spending over 20 years in Africa. Most of the material for his many books comes from this time. His books include '' Kpo the Leopard'', ''The King of Cats'', ''Sirga: Queen of the African Bush'', and ''Oworo''. ''Kpo the Leopard'' was published in 1955 and was also included in ''The Hamish Hamilton Book of Wise Animals'', edited by Eilis Dillon, illustrated by Bernard Brett (Hamish Hamilton, London, 1975. ), together with pieces featuring "fabulous animals" such as

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

Raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...

, E. Nesbit's

Psammead ''Five Children and It'' is a fantasy children's novel by English author E. Nesbit. It was originally published in 1902 in the ''Strand Magazine'' under the general title ''The Psammead, or the Gifts'', with a segment appearing each month fr ...

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist and playwright.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biography''. New York: Oxford University ...

Mr. Mistoffelees Mr. Mistoffelees is a character in T. S. Eliot's 1939 poetry book ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' and its 1981 musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines son ...

, and Rollicum Bitem the Fox from ''

The Midnight Folk ''The Midnight Folk'' is a children's fantasy novel by John Masefield first published in 1927. It is about a boy, Kay Harker, who sets out to discover what became of a fortune stolen from his seafaring great grandfather Aston Tirrold Harker (in ...

'' by

John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer. He was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate from 1930 until his death in 1967, during which time he lived at Burcot, Oxfordshire, near Abingdon ...

. ''The 397th White Elephant'' was named to the

Lewis Carroll Shelf Award The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award was an American literary award conferred on several books by the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education annually from 1958 to 1979. Award-winning books were deemed to "belong on the same shelf" as ''Al ...

list in 1958. Two ilms (both directed by

Patrick Grandperret Patrick Grandperret (24 October 1946 – 9 March 2019) was a French film director, screenwriter and producer.

) have been made from Guillot's children's books: ''L'Enfant Lion (The Lion Child)'' in 1993, based on Guillot's ''Sirga the Lioness'', and ''Le Maître des éléphants (The Elephant Master)'' in 1995. A live-action version of ''Little Dog Lost'', featuring a Welsh Corgi, was made for the ''
Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...
'' show and was broadcast in 1963. There was also a movie, ''Fort de la solitude'' (1948), directed by Robert Vernay, based on one of René Guillot's adult novels. René Guillot died in Paris in 1969.

Selected works
Kpo the Leopard (OUP, Oxford Children's Library 1955 ~ 160pp.) (3rd Eng. printing, 1967) Illustrated by
Joan Kiddell-Monroe Joan Kiddell-Monroe (1908–1972) was a British writer and illustrator of children's books, particularly notable for her folk-tale illustrations. Biography Joan Kiddell-Monroe was born on August 9, 1908, in Clacton-on-Sea, England. She studied ...
, translated by Gwen Marsh The 397th White Elephant (SG Phillips 1957) Illustrated by Christian Heinrich The Wild White Stallion (Librairie Hachette, Paris 1959) Illustrated by Jean Reschofsky Grishka and the Bear (NY, Criterion Books 1960 ~ 115pp) Translated by Gwen Marsh. Illustrated by Joan Kiddell-Monroe Master of the Elephants (OUP: London 1961 ~ 146pp) Translated by Barbara Seccombe Riders of the Wind (Rand McNally 1962 ~ 174pp) Illustrated by Richard Kennedy The Wind of Chance (Oxford University Press London 1963 ~ 188pp) Translated by Norman Dale Little Dog Lost (Librairie Hachette, Paris 1964) (English translation 1967) (US revised English translation published by Lothrop, Lee & Shepard and by William Morrow ~ 1970. ) Translated by Joan Selby-Lowndes, illustrated by Wallace Tripp Balloon Journey (Clark McCutcheon 1966) Illustrated by David Knight The Castle of the Crested Bird (NY: Watts 1968) Illustrated by Paul Durmand. Fodai and the Leopard-Men (Funk & Wagnalls 1970 ~ 164pp.) Illustrated by Michel Jouin Tales of Magic (Eng edition in translation ~ 1973) Illustrated by Paul Durmand Pascal and the Lioness (Random House New Acorn Library ~ 1976) Translated and Adapted by Christina Holyoak Illustrated by Barry Wilkinson

See also

References

External links
* under multiple headings, some with "Rene" on previous page of browse report {{DEFAULTSORT:Guillot, Rene French children's writers Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing winners 1900 births 1969 deaths 20th-century French novelists French male novelists People from Charente-Maritime