It is probably in this miserable childhood story where one should look for the origins of Renard's skepticism and irony, his skill in using litotes, his dense and precise styles.

The story of "Poil de carotte" is that of an unloved, redheaded child, the victim of an evil family.

François Lepic, nicknamed Poil de carotte, grows up with a mother who never likes him and a father who is indifferent to him.

Poil de carotte uses cunning to battle the daily humiliations he experiences and to stand up to the adult world.

So, tragedy notwithstanding, the reader enjoys delightful, amusing, comical, and moving adventures.