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

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

writer of

children's books A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younge ...

who lived, worked and travelled in French West Africa. 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". T ...

in 1964. The award conferred by the

International Board on Books for Young People The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) is an international non-profit organization committed to bringing books and children together. The headquarters of the IBBY are located in Basel, Switzerland. IBBY history In 1952, Jella Lepm ...

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 () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square ...

department. After studying

science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

, he moved to

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣� ...

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 ''Kpo the Leopard'' (original French title: ''Kpo la panthère'') is an African wildlife story about a female leopard cub written by the French children's writer René GuillotRené Guillot, ''Kpo the Leopard'' illustrated by Joan Kiddell-Monroe, t ...

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

Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned ...

, E. Nesbit's Psammead,

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...

's Mr. Mistoffelees, and Rollicum Bitem the Fox from '' The Midnight Folk'' by

John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967. Among his best known works are the children's novels '' The Midnight Folk'' and '' The Box of Delights'', and the p ...

. ''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 annually 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" ...

list in 1958. Two

films A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

, (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 theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, 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. Disney initially envisi ...
'' 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 Folklore, folk-tale illustrations. Biography Joan Kiddell-Monroe was born on August 9, 1908, in Clacton-on-Sea, England. She ...
, 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