Hīznobyūtī

On a beautiful adventure by himself, [Hiznobyuti] learns the secrets of the universe: how to communicate with trees and birds, how to wake up the sun, and how to see himself for who he truly is – a hero! When he returns from his journey, Hiznobyuti's family rejoices and apologizes for not understanding how beautiful and important he was to them all along.

An ugly monster sets out on a wonderfully strange journey of self-discovery... Ponti's illustrations—equally rich in warm feeling and surreal, precisely drawn figures and details—give the tale wings... He adventures, slaying a much-larger monster with one colossal sneeze, temporarily transforming himself into a tree, "communophoning" with the stars, and saving a dead planet by waking its sun (and a princess on a nearby satellite), among other heroic feats... Itzabyuti thruenthru.

Claude Ponti's Hiznobyuti (pronounced 'he's no beauty') is an absolute delight. Hiznobyuti's family is thinks he is so ugly and always in the way that they send him away, and he heads off looking for the voice that contacted him for his help. His journey is off the wall bonkers, tapping into the sort of storytelling logic that usually only children are imaginative enough to think up. LOVED IT

A great tale of gaining confidence through a quest. Hiznobyuti finds his place in the sun. Stunning illustrations - the creatures look like cousins to the Twims in My Valley.

Hiznobyuti is a truly fantastic children’s book that every child should definitely check out!

A wonderfully strange, poignant, and empowering tale of finding one's own place in the world. Bullies abound, but kindness, empathy, and forgiveness loom larger for our long-snouted hero.

Hīznobyūtī’s saga of discovery takes him past the challenges of a monster with hammers for hair, or the difficulty of “filling a bottomless pit with a leaky pot” for the old witch Sissyfus...Of course, when we finish, Dean says, “Read that again.” And so we do. Why not? We’re already settled into the couch. As my grandson sits beside me, I feel the echo of my son or daughter when we’d read together, and the even more distant echo of my father, who taught me, with a single book, the power of a human voice channeling the delights of a story, and the surprise of imagination that held it all together.

Hīznobyūtī is a fun and inspirational story, yet there are poignant parts as well... teaches young kids and reminds adults to be courageous, forbearing, kind, persevering, compassionate and most especially, to be forgiving.

Alyson Waters did an amazing job at keeping the original flavour of the text while making it accessible in English... It’s a beautiful story... Apparently Archipelago (the publisher) are planning to get more Ponti books translated in the near future and I couldn’t be more excited! I think the world needs to know more about Ponti!

Ponti's beautiful, intricate illustrations contain strange details hinting at larger stories. The guileless narrative sounds like it came directly from the brain of a child with a vivid imagination...

My Valley marks a particularly exciting addition to the world of translated literature...lush with colorful and stark imagery that readers of all ages will find infinite secrets in. This is a truly unique addition to any storybook collection.

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.