My Valley

By Claude Ponti
Translated by Alyson Waters
Published in English by Elsewhere Editions in 2017 (original French in 1998)

Why we chose this book:
I am trying to look not just at American literature, but also translations. I found this French book that was recently translated into English; the cover caught my eye and the synopsis appealed. Elsewhere Editions, the publisher, provided a copy for review.

Mom's Review

Poochie-Blue, who is a Twims, shares anecdotes about his daily life.

Magical. Beautiful. Cozy. I want to praise this book through the roof. If it wouldn't destroy the book and prevent further readings, I would cut out its illustrations and frame them to hang on our walls. And can I move to the valley and live in a house tree? This arrived a few days ago and T has had both me and his father reading it almost nonstop. His dad finds it a bit "weird," but I adore it. I've been trying to put my finger on what exactly I love, aside from the art, and I think it is the combination of word and image.

The Twims are humanoid/rodent-like creatures, but cuter than I make them sound (see the photo below). They make me think of Mecki the hedgehog. The setting is an enchanting valley where trees grow into houses, Twims live hundreds of years, and the ocean is constantly filled by an overflowing bathtub. Two-page spreads contain short stories narrated by Poochie-Blue. We learn about what happens when he is angry, what he likes to play in winter, and what the Twims cemetery is like (a configuration of personal gardens).

I think that I like the short anecdotes so much because this story-telling format reminds me of my Oma (grandmother), who passed away last week. When I was little, she would tuck me in to sleep and tell me stories. My favorites were stories from when she was little. It would always be something short, like about the little goat her family had or what she would do after school. My Valley imparts that same feeling: a beloved family member imparting memorable snippets of personal history.

Son's Review
(age 3)

As we read the "hissy fit chapter":

Son: Read that page.

Mom: Is the hissy fit theater your favorite part?

Son: Yeah. I like that it is about getting angry.

Mom: Is there something you'd like to do if you visited that valley? ... Anything else?

Son: Dress as a snowman. Go to that theater.

Mom: How do you think he felt after the hissy fit?

Son: I don't know.

Mom: I think he felt a little better after getting all his anger out. Would you want to get your anger out in the theater?

Son: Yeah. You're supposed to make angry masks.

Mom: Is there anywhere else you'd like to go?

Son: No. Just that theater.

Mom: Would you want Poochie-Blue to come to your house? What would you say to him?

Son: Yeah. "You look so cute!"

Mom: I was wondering what else this book makes you think about.

Son: Happiness.

T selects the cemetery "chapter" to read:

Mom: Should we read the cemetery? Have you ever been to a cemetery?

Son: Yeah. Yeah, when Oma's funeral. Why did we have to do a lot of things for Oma?

Mom: Well, she was important to our family. I loved her very much, so when she died we wanted to get together with other people who loved her, to do special things to remember her and celebrate how much we loved her.

Son: When she died was she very very old?

Mom: Yes. She was 91 years old. That's very, very old.

Son: Let's do the review.

Mom: Okay. Question number 1: What's the most important thing to know about this book?

Son: That I love it.

Mom: What would you tell someone that this story is about?

Son: Love. I really love it.

Mom: What kind of kids might like reading My Valley?

Son: Lost children in the woods.
(There is a story about children who play at getting lost in the forest.)