Béatrice #2

Philippe Girard's *Béatrice — L'Affaire est Ketchup* sets the tone perfectly on its cover: a little blonde girl wails open-mouthed as her pink ice cream scoop melts and drips dramatically onto the floor of what appears to be an art museum, flanked by a sunflower painting and a large portrait of a bandaged figure. The two adult figures seated in the foreground, oblivious or unmoved, make the whole scene wonderfully absurd — childhood catastrophe unfolding in the most refined of settings. Published by Les 400 Coups in 2009, this French-language album promises Girard's sharp, warm humor delivered with bold, expressive cartooning.