Annie Groovie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Annie Groovie
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Annie Groovie in 2023 at the Salon du livre de l'Outaouais
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| Born | April 11, 1970 Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupation | writer, illustrator, cartoonist |
| Genre | children's literature, comics |
Annie Groovie is the pen name for Annie Trudelle. She was born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, on April 11, 1970. Annie Groovie is a writer and illustrator from Quebec, Canada. She creates books and comic strips for children. Her most famous character is Léon, a young cyclops.
Contents
Annie's Life and Work
Annie's Early Life and Education
Annie Groovie's family moved to Sainte-Foy, a suburb of Quebec City, when she was three years old. She later studied Plastic Arts and Graphic Communications at Université Laval. After her studies, she worked as a commercial designer for several years. She has lived in Montreal since 1994.
Traveling the World
Annie is skilled in gymnastics and circus performance. In 1997, she was chosen by the World Circus to teach circus skills. She spent three months in Chile helping street children. She went on a similar mission to Africa in 2000. Her travels have taken her to many countries. These include France, Switzerland, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, Cuba, Senegal, and the United States.
Creating Léon the Cyclops
In 2003, Annie Groovie created her famous character, Léon. Léon is a male cyclops with a shaggy haircut. Annie began writing a series of books about Léon and his cyclops friends. His friends include Lola, his girlfriend, and Le Chat, the cat. These books are a mix of comic book and children's book styles. They feature Léon's adventures, jokes, riddles, games, and funny fake advertisements. In 2006, Annie left her advertising job. She decided to work full-time on her Léon books.
Léon on TV and in Newspapers
In the fall of 2007, Radio-Canada and CBC Television started showing short cartoons. These sixty-second shorts featured Léon and his friends. They usually aired between programs during children's TV blocks. A weekly Léon comic strip was also published on Saturdays. It appeared in Le Petit Journal, a children's newspaper supplement. This supplement came with Le Journal de Montréal and other newspapers. The comic strip stopped being published after July 13, 2013.
Léon's Global Reach
Léon's books have become very popular. They have been translated into many languages. These include Arabic, Korean, Italian, Spanish, and Chinese.
Awards and Recognition
Annie Groovie has won the Hackmatack Awards four times. This award honors favorite Canadian children's books. Readers in Atlantic Canada choose the winners. She was also a special guest at the 2010 Salon international du livre de Québec in Quebec City.
Publishing Her Own Books
On October 10, 2014, Annie Groovie's publisher, La courte échelle, went out of business. On January 31, 2015, Annie announced exciting news. She would start publishing her Léon books herself. She created her own publishing company called Groovie éditions. She had legally gotten back the rights to her books and creations. Her other book series, Missions à réaliser, moved to a different publisher, Éditions les Malins.
