Hīznobyūtī is a remarkable piece of children’s literature. A captivating story that truly pulls the heartstrings. You can’t help but feel transported into the world created by Ponti.
~ Momma Braga
Synopsis
“He’s no beauty!” exclaim the parents and siblings of a small fuzzy critter as he hatches from his shell, and just like that Hīznobyūtī gets his name. Wherever he goes, only ridicule awaits him. Hīznobyūtī hides himself away, working on his inventions, until one day he receives a message from the stars. Somewhere out there on another planet, someone is calling out to Hīznobyūtī. So off he sets. Through his travels, Hīznobyūtī learns the secrets of the universe: how to communicate with trees and birds, how to plant a mountain and how to wake up the sun, and how to nourish his own questioning mind.
#MelAndNikkiReview
Hīznobyūtī is a remarkable piece of children’s literature. A captivating story that truly pulls the heartstrings. You can’t help but feel transported into the world created by Ponti.
The ability to really immerse yourself into a book is an incredible journey. Hīznobyūtī is such an amazing character who through a hard journey discovers how incredible he really is.
For this #MelAndNikkiReview, we give this book 5 stars out of 5! A children’s story that encompasses lessons to learn, kindness, empathy, forgiveness and self-discovery. An intriguing read for young readers and a great book to have some great conversations with kids on bullying and on discovery on how amazing one can be!
If you would like to purchase a copy of this beautiful book, click here.
About the Author
Claude Ponti is a French illustrator and children’s author known for his inventive and playful use of words and the symbolic nature of his illustrations. His first
L’Album d’Adèle, written for his newborn daughter, already displays the associative and dream-like presentation of children’s interior lives that characterizes many of his works. Ponti was awarded the 2006 Sorcières Spécial prize for his contribution to literature, which now includes over seventy books of all types and for all ages. Elsewhere Editions has published three books written and illustrated by Claude Ponti: Blaze and the Castle Cake for Bertha Daye, My Valley, and Hīznobyūtī.
Along with My Valley and Hīznobyūtī, Alyson Waters has co-translated Ponti’s Blaze and the Castle Cake for Bertha Daye and Ponti’s forthcoming Meeselphe, with her daughter Margot Kerlidou. She is also the translator of Jean Giono, Louis Aragon, Eric Chevillard, Rene Belletto, Yasmina Khadra, and many others. Alyso has received an NEA Translation Fellowship, a PEN Translation Fund grant, and the 2020 French-American Translation Prize. She lives in Brooklyn.
Until next time…Happy Parenting!
~ Momma Braga
*Please note that this book was provided in exchange of an honest review. All opinions expressed are our own.
