Le Corps Humain is a beautifully illustrated encyclopedic non-fiction approach to human anatomy with art by French artist Joëlle Jolivet. Thanks to this author-illustrator’s linocut style and a very ingenious pop-up flap design, readers of all ages can easily discover the different parts of the human body and gain multitude of insights on human anatomy. For example, did you know that the human hand, with its twenty-seven bones, has more bones than any other part of the anatomy? Or that human lungs have five lobes? The left lung has two and the right lung has three.

 

"The idea is not to overwhelm the reader with information that is too advanced and too complicated to remember, but to distill knowledge in a fun and amusing way," explains Claire Hartmann, literary agent at La Petite Agence, who tested the book on her own children. "It's extremely easy to understand and great fun. Thanks to its flaps design, even young readers can easily discover details and precise technical terms, which is something they really enjoy."

 

Published in 2021, this work was a success from the start. The first print run sold out almost immediately and booksellers, librarians and readers were very enthusiastic about the work, recalls Claire Hartmann. "Les Grandes Personnes knows their readership extremely well and publishes books by artists with very specific styles that have a strong following. Even though their works could be considered niche, they have a very loyal readership, and first print runs usually sell out quite quickly. This publication sold out particularly quickly."

 

Foreign publishers were also seduced by the flaps that arouse curiosity and create an interactive experience. Co-publishing initiatives have been set up and rights have been sold in English, Italian, Dutch, Finnish, Icelandic, Spanish and Chinese.

Katja Petrovic and Hannah Sandvoss
February 2023