Here are some children’s stories written by the Belgian storyteller Jean-Jacques Detiège. As when translating poetry, I have made what I’d call “versions” rather than pure translations of the French. By this I mean that Jean-Jacques lets me change some small details to better suit English readers. Jean-Jacques has final say, of course. (Note that the age indications are very approximate, based sometimes on the organization of his website. Do please take the “+” to heart!)

The Backpack (9 years+) Le Sac à dos

The Vengeance of Zaoar (horror) La Vengeance de Zaoar

Christine’s Great Fear (9 years+) La grande peur de Christine

The Magic Wand (4 years+) La Baguette magique

One Too Many Texts (11 years+) Une SMS de trop

Nettle Marie (3 years+) Marie-Ortie

Aunt Louise’s Soap (7 years+) Le Savon de Tante Louise

The Christmas Bird (3 years+) L'Oiseau de Noël

The Wizard’s Notebook (7 years+) Le Livre du Mage

The Ladybugs (5 years+) Les Coccinelles

Fakirami (3 years+) Fakirami

The Box of Matches (7 years+) La Boîte d'allumettes

The Boy who Cried (9 years+) Le Garçon qui pleurait

The Giant Poppy (5 years+) Le Coquelicot géant

A Walk with Daddy (4 years+) Une Promenade avec papa

Yannick (10 years+) Yannick

River of Stars and Caroline (9 years+) Rivière d'étoiles et Caroline

The Bird that Fell from its Nest (3 years+) L'Oiseau tombé du nid

The Doll (9 years+) La Poupée

The Snail (3 years+) L’Escargot

The Ants (3 years+) Les Fourmis

The Wishing Oak (7 years+) La Chêne aux voeux

The Cactus (5 years+) Le Cactus

The Singing Spider's Web (4 years+) La Toile d'araignée qui chante