Founded in Montreal in 1998 by Frédéric Gauthier and Martin Brault, Les Éditions de la Pastèque grew from a deliberate act of optimism. Where others saw a struggling medium, the two publishers bet on a more personal, more formally adventurous approach to bande dessinée. Their first title, Spoutnik 1, appeared that December, and over the following decades the house built a catalogue of more than 400 books spanning graphic novels, illustrated children's titles, and documentary comics. The work is distinguished by tight collaboration with its creators and a conviction that form and content are inseparable, a sensibility that has earned the press Joe Shuster Awards, the Grand Prix Grafika, and recognition as one of North America's best children's publishers. Now affiliated with Bayard Canada, La Pastèque retains its editorial independence and team while gaining broader reach for authors it has spent a quarter-century championing.