Les premières lignes / the first lines :

I have this little sister Lola. She is small and very funny. Today is my birthday, and I’m having a party. All my friends are invited. All my friends and Lola!
“Look at all your birthday cards, Charlie...”
“Lola!” I say. “You opened MY cards!”
And Lola says, “I know, but Mum said I should help make sure you have an EXTREMELY lovely happy birthday. That’s why I helped you open your cards.”

Contenu / content :

It's Charlie's birthday. He invites his friends and his little sister Lola to a monster party. Lola is very excited and determined to make her brother’s birthday party the best birthday party ever. The problem is that her idea of a good party is a ballet princess theme, with dancing and fairy cakes. So Charlie tries to make his sister understand that this is actually his party. Will Charlie have a good birthday party with his friends and Lola?

The language is simple and the dialogues are lively. The collage-style illustrations are full of humour. Like the Charlie and Lola series, This Is Actually My Party is a cute story which offers a great message about imagination and cooperation. The TV series is delightful as well.

Pistes tous niveaux/ Activities to participate in the festival (all levels) :

1 -  Imagine you are organizing a party for your birthday or for any other event. Create your invitation card. Write the message to your friends, giving details concerning the theme, the date and time, etc. Don’t forget to illustrate your card. The best cards will be displayed at La plage Verte during Cherbourg Children’s Books Festival.

2 - Create a video about the birthday party of your dreams. Make a speech to describe your ideal party and explain why it is important for you to celebrate your birthday. Tell us about your favourite theme, your favourite decorations or the perfect place, your favourite games, your favourite birthday cake, your guests and so on. The best videos will be shown at La plage Verte during Cherbourg Children’s Books Festival.

3 -  To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Cherbourg Children’s Books Festival, create a picture book with your class. The main characters of your story are children who can’t wait for the party. Like Lauren Child, you can use collage-style illustrations (cut-out figures, photos of real objects or places, etc). The dialogues must be as lively as possible. Then, with your classmates, create a video or a slide-show of your album. The best albums/videos will be displayed at La Plage Verte during Cherbourg Children’s Book Festival.