A Treasure, Lost

Originally published in French as Raymond le bison, Raymond the Buffalo by Lou Beauchesne, illustrated by Kate Chappell and translated by Susan Ouriou and Christelle Morelli is a sweet little story about a lost book and the joy of living at the library.

Raymond the Buffalo is the cherished book of Gilbert, a little reader who takes Raymond with him everywhere. When he suddenly discovers a love for dinosaurs and takes every dinosaur book out of the library, Raymond is sad that he’s no longer Gilbert’s number one. When he is accidentally returned to the library, a whole new life is set in motion for the little buffalo and his new friend and librarian, Nicole.

This delightfully illustrated chapter book is a full circle story. There is a little bit of whimsy, wonderful humour and a lot of love. When Raymond falls out of his story, he forges a friendship with the librarian that continues on for many years as he lives, waiting for Gilbert at the library. There is a comfort in the relationship between Nicole and Raymond. She is so reassuring and helps him make sense of a hard situation. It’s a fun story with a great twist at the end that new chapter book readers will enjoy.

The illustrations by Kate Chappell are fun and inspiring. Readers will enjoy trying their own Raymond drawings and will draw inspiration for Raymond adventures through Kate Chappell’s work.

Readers will be excited and surprised by the wonderful ending. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have more Raymond the Buffalo stories.