Welcome back to #WorldKidLit month! Today we will be looking at two picture books by French author and illustrator, Claude Ponti.

Ponti’s book feature fanciful illustrations and even more fantastical language – his books have been translated into 13 languages, but as FranceLivre noted, he can be a headache for translators, as the French in his books is full of imaginative spellings, innuendo, and invention. (He credits Lewis Carroll with inspiring some of the nonsense found in his writing.) The English editions of his books have been published by Elsewhere Editions. Ponti has written more than 80 books in French, including several books for adults. He has also turned some of his characters into topiary art at a garden in Nantes; Ponti also founded Le Muz, an online museum featuring children’s artwork. Its mission is to “conserve, preserve, and promote” children’s art from France and around the world.

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My Valley (2017), written and illustrated by Claude Ponti, translated by Alyson Waters. (Originally published in French in 1998.)

My Valley is the story of the Twims, whimsical, long-lived creatures who resemble a cross between monkeys and mice. In their valley, children sometimes fall from the sky, buildings develop branches and can walk, and the giants are sometimes quite sad. The text is expanded and enlivened by the pictures, which are extraordinarily detailed. The book is oversized, and the scale helps create a feeling of vastness in the Twims’ valley. Though the pictures could be enjoyed and discussed with readers of any age, the text is long and quite complex for a picture book, and would be enjoyed best by older readers.

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Hiznobyuti (2018), written and illustrated by Claude Ponti, and translated by Alyson Waters. (First published in French in 1993.)

Hiznobyuti is the story of an “ugly duckling” in a family that does not value him because of his (minor!) differences. He assumes that his name is “He’s no beauty!” because he hears that over and over again when his family is speaking about him. After a long time living in a cupboard under the kitchen sink, he decides to leave his unkind family behind and explore the world around him. As one would expect from Ponti, both Hiznobyuti and the world outside his home are full of wonder and nonsense. Kirkus called it “wonderfully strange“. As with My Valley, the illustrations make the book – the text can ramble a bit, but the pictures are curious and alive. The pictures could be enjoyed by readers of all ages, but the text would be better appreciated by older readers.

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Kim Beeman is currently living in Rome. Before moving to Italy, Kim spent over a decade in Asia, working as a librarian at Shrewsbury International School in Bangkok and Tanglin Trust School in Singapore. She also co-founded the International School Librarians in Europe conference, and is a member of the advisory board for the Librarians Knowledge Sharing Workshop. Before working in school libraries, Kim worked as a cookbook librarian at The French Culinary Institute in New York City for many years, where she completed the professional culinary program and was certified as a sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers.  [LinkedIn]