Series

The two volumes that make up this series, likely used as props for the filming of "Chez Hélène," provide information on the scenographic processes used in this TV show devoted to teaching the French language to English-speaking preschoolers, often with the help of children's stories.

The first is a Belgian edition of the tale of Pinocchio. The front cover of this illustrated children's book is completely recovered with a construction paper collage displaying the title "Chez Hélène" and a cut-out of a hand-coloured illustration of a boy holding a pail. The back cover sports a similar collage showing a fish in water surrounded by cattails and tall grass. The book is missing pages, and some pages have been torn out and put back in a different order. Several pages have handwritten notes and traces of scotch tape, indicating the former presence of other papers.

The second volume is a hardcover notebook with the title Helene's Storybook printed in gold letters. It contains a series of handwritten notes, in no particular order, including Hélène Baillargeon-Côté's address at 3792 Wilson, in Montreal, and the names of Ateliers Legault, artist Jordi Bonet, Pierre Garneau, and Daryl and Delissa Novak. It also holds part of a script, along with several sketches done in ballpoint pen and some children's drawings done in coloured pencil. Evidence of scotch tape on some pages suggests that other documents, perhaps illustrations, were previously taped into the book and have been removed. In fact, these pages often have handwritten notes across the bottom that seem to have been descriptive labels (for example, "6 rabbits," "boat," "jump in the street?" "passengers?"), or could refer to specific characters, themes or songs used in the show ("For Susie," "The little hunter," "Tintin"). On the whole, however, most of the notebook is blank and several of its pages only have traces of scotch tape.