Transcription

• Bonne Mie

  My grandsons, like my granddaughters, were captivated by reading about Sophie's misfortunes. This 4-year-old granddaughter is irresistibly drawn to what is forbidden to her. She is angry, greedy, sometimes a liar. But how can we not see that Sophie wants to improve, that she truly regrets the harm she does, that she ultimately has a very good heart. In short, she is easy to love. The Countess of Ségur, Sophie Rostopchin, remembers the disobedient little girl she was at the same age. But unfortunately, she was not lucky enough to have an attentive, patient and above all loving mother. Madame de Réan, Sophie's mother, is precisely a model educator who acts firmly and gently to correct Sophie's faults. Finally, to fully appreciate the charm of this story, children must be reminded that it takes place in a very different era from ours. No electricity, no central heating, no sink with water running from the tap, no fast cars and even fewer planes and rockets. But no telephone either. But on the contrary, many letters that allow news to be exchanged. Sophie lives in a castle with large and numerous rooms where it is quite cold. A maid, one could say a chambermaid, gets her up in the morning, watches her games, washes and mends her clothes. Neighbors and friends come to visit in horse-drawn carriages. Finally, the holidays in the countryside at this time are a series of calm days that are similar to each other. And all the talent of the Countess of Ségur is to enliven them with these very realistic anecdotes that take us alongside our little Sophie and her dear cousin Paul.