TALES & CONSTRUCTION
In collaboration with
The construction trades have always fascinated both young and old. Just watch how many people linger in front of a construction site to see it for yourself. From an early age, children love hearing the story of The Three Little Pigs and playing with plastic tools. As they grow older, however, those toys are no longer enough: they want to swing a hammer themselves. To avoid injuries or more serious accidents, they need to know what each tool is for, be cautious, and use them under adult supervision.
Drawing inspiration from his children’s novel La cabane de Léo, author Gabriel Anctil offers a workshop on building and construction. Young participants, both girls and boys, will play with words and ideas as they explore tools, building trades, and the joy of creating. An inspiring activity to spark imagination and foster creativity. This series is made possible thanks to financial support from BMR.
To complement these library activities for young people and their families, we also provide a suggested reading list.
MEET GABRIEL ANCTIL, WORKSHOP HOST
Born in Montreal in 1979, Gabriel Anctil is a screenwriter and author. He has written for numerous television shows, was at the heart of the radio series Sur les traces de Kerouac (Ici Radio-Canada Première), and is the author of the children’s book series Léo (Dominique et compagnie).
For as long as he can remember, Gabriel Anctil has lived surrounded by words, books, and images. Through them, as a child, he discovered the profound joy of being told stories. Many years later, he decided to invent his own, hoping that young and grown-up readers alike would find just as much pleasure in reading them.
Gabriel loves traveling, sports, and the outdoors. He is passionate about comic books, hockey, soccer, movies, and Indian restaurants. He studied film, works in television, and published his first novel for adults in 2012, Sur la 132 (Éditions Héliotrope), which received an enthusiastic response from both critics and the public.
He has countless projects in mind and two wonderful sons who inspire him every day.
HERE ARE THE DATES FOR THE NEXT LIBRARY WORKSHOPS
Saturday, October 4, 2025, 2:00 p.m.
Saul Bellow Library, 3100 St-Antoine,
Lachine borough.
Sunday, October 5, 2025, 2:00 p.m.
Robert-Lussier Library, 1 place d’Evry, Repentigny.
Saturday, November 22, 2025, 2:00 p.m.
Du Boisé Library, boul. Thimens,
St-Laurent borough
Sunday, November 23, 2025, 2:00 p.m.
Beaconsfield Library, 303 boul. Beaconsfield.
Saturday, November 29, 2025, 2:00 p.m.
Benny Library, 6400 Monkland.
ACTIVITIES TO DO IN CLASS or AT HOME
DISCOVER THE LIBRARIES HOSTING ACTIVITIES
Saul Bellow Library
The Saul Bellow Library stands out for its modern architecture, state-of-the-art equipment, and welcoming, comfortable spaces. Along with the Saint-Pierre Library, it is part of the Lachine library network.
In 1984, this library in the Lachine borough was renamed after Saul Bellow, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1976. Born in Lachine, he is considered the writer who best captured the experience of immigrants discovering America.
Robert Lussier Library
Deeply rooted in the heart of the Espace culturel, the Robert Lussier Library embraces its role as a key player in the promotion and animation of reading. It contributes to quality of life and personal growth for citizens of all ages by democratizing access to information, knowledge, and culture.
As a place of discovery, social integration, and lifelong learning, the library fosters the development of information and technological skills through specialized staff, stimulating spaces, and innovative equipment.
Its service offer reflects the key missions of public libraries as stated in UNESCO’s Universal Declaration: information, literacy, education, and culture.
The library also offers a digital collection via services and platforms such as pretnumerique.ca. For more reading suggestions, check out the YouTube channel of the Repentigny Library Network.
Benny Library
Located in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Cultural Centre since 2016, the Benny Library offers a collection of 130,000 items, over 40% of which are in English.
It features cutting-edge facilities that provide self-service access to hundreds of video games, films, newspapers, comic books, as well as an extensive collection of e-books, CDs, and DVDs. The library also includes a FABricathèque (Fab Lab).
Du Boisé Library
The Du Boisé Library in Saint-Laurent is located near the wooded area of Marcel-Laurin Park. It offers materials for all ages in French, English, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic.
As part of the Montréal library network, the Du Boisé Library allows you to reserve items from other libraries in the system and have them delivered to your home branch.
Beaconsfield Library
Founded in 1951 in a simple broom closet thanks to the initiative of a group of volunteer mothers, the Beaconsfield Library quickly expanded, moving from a bookmobile to a park chalet and a pumping station before settling in 1968 at its current location on Beaconsfield Boulevard. Municipalized and staffed by professionals as of the 1960s, it was enlarged in 1985 and continues to thrive through citizen involvement. Today, it offers a vast collection and a variety of services, supported by a qualified team and dedicated volunteers.
READING SUGGESTIONS (IN FRENCH)
Des suggestions de lectures sur la construction, les maisons, les cabanes et les outils.
Pour les plus jeunes enfants
Yasmin aime construire, Saadia Faruqi (textes) et Hatem Aly (illustrations), Scholastic, 2019
Léa Lapin et le concours de cabanes, Steve Richardson (textes) et Chris Dunn (illustrations), Éditions Caurette, 2021
La cabane de Carmelito, Marie-Christine Olivier (textes) et Jean-Christophe Raufflet (illustrations), Éditions Bordas, 2024
La cabane, Sandra Edinger, Éditions L’École des loisirs, 2021
Le petit menuisier, Lars Klinting, Albin Michel jeunesse, 2017
La cabane de Liselotte, Anne Clairet, Éditions Auzou, 2019
Le loup et les trois petits cochons, Ariane Gauthier (textes) et Mika (illustrations), Québec Amérique, 2025
Malourène et les trois petits cochons, Laurent Chabin (textes) et Jean Morin (illustrations), Éditions Michel Quintin, 2012
Les trois p’tits jambons, Daniel Laverdure, Soulières Éditeur, 2016
Quel fouillis!, Mireille Messier (texte) et Julie Cossette (illustrations), Éditions ERPI, 2009
Pour les enfants un peu plus âgés
L’horrible cabane dans l’arbre, Mika, Boomerang, 2024
Théo chez l’architecte, Sylvie Provost (textes) et Annie Harrison (illustrations), Éditions Pierre Tisseyre, 2007
La cabane à 13 étages, Andry Griffiths (textes) et Terry Denton (illustrations), Bayard jeunesse, 2024
Construis ta cabane, Louis Espinassous et Sébastien Chebret (textes) et Amandine Labarre, Milan, 2021
Notre cabane, Amélie Billon Le Guennec (textes) et Solenn Larnicol (illustrations), Éditions Kilowatt, 2015
Le concours de cabanes, Camille Garoche, Éditions Little Urban, 2022
La cabane dans l’arbre, Henriette Major (textes) et Alain Gagné (illustrations), Éditions Pierre Tisseyre, 2006
Le livre animé du chantier d’une maison, Anne Blanchard (textes) et Didier Balicevic (illustrations), Éditions Tourbillon, 2023
Le grand livre des outils, Raphael Martin (textes) et Pronto (illustrations), Éditions de la Martinière, 2014
Les animaux, ces architectes : Quand la nature inspire nos constructions, Christiane Dorion (textes), Yeji Yun (illustrations), Éditions Multimondes, 2025
