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 book, L'Album d'Ad le, 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 Sorci
res Special prize for his contribution to literature.
Alyson Waters is a translator of modern and contemporary literary
fiction, criticism and theory, as well as art history. She teaches
literary translation workshops at Yale University and at New York
University, and now at Columbia.
"[A] visual jaw-dropper . . . The immersive illustrations by a
veritable children’s literature superstar in his native France are
a crazy salad of “Where’s Waldo?,” Hayao Miyazaki, classic
Hanna-Barbera and Maurice Sendak, splashed with a hallucinogenic
vinaigrette."
--Catherine Hong, New York Times Book Review
"Ponti once again unleashes his extravagant, surrealistic
imagination and love for oversize formats . . . [He] fills every
inch of the pages with antics, creating a visual impact that’s like
a mash-up of Minions, Miyazaki, and Where’s Waldo? . . . The party
itself is positively eye-popping, with attendees who include a
plethora of beloved, generation-spanning figures from children’s
literature and popular culture . . . Like all birthday parties, the
overall experience is a little overwhelming, but there’s no doubt
that the proceedings are animated by a generous and genial creative
spirit."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review
"It’s not so much that Claude Ponti goes off the path. One gets the
impression that should he see such a path, he might drown it in
chocolate syrup or set it on fire via lightning bugs. Now I
have seen Ponti’s latest book to come to America and it is, to put
it plainly, a trip. Blaze and the Castle Cake for Bertha Daye does
not adhere to any societal or cultural norms . . . it defies
description."
--Betsy Bird, School Library Journal's Fuse 8 Blog
"Blaze and the Castle Cake for Bertha Daye showcases the artistic
and erudite storytelling talents of author Claude Ponti. A unique
and prized selection for a story hour entertainment, Blaze and the
Castle Cake for Bertha Daye is an original and unreservedly
recommended addition to family, daycare center, preschool,
elementary school, and community library picture book
collections"
--Midwest Book Review
"Ponti is a master at wordplay . . . This story offers so much more
than just a story. It offers an extension of one’s imagination,
sense of adventure and the beauty of words."
--Momma Braga
"The detail of the illustrations in this oversized book is truly
astounding. A child could spend long minutes on just one page
but the busiest, most intriguing of the two-page spreads is the day
of the party where untold amounts of cartoon characters can be
found, perhaps hundreds. The illustrations are packed with
color and imagination."
--Katrina Yurenka, Youth Services Book Review
"Blaze and the Castle Cake for Bertha Daye by author and
illustrator Claude Ponti is ideal for classroom story telling and a
popular addition to elementary school and community library picture
book collections."
--Midwest Book Review
PRAISE for Claude Ponti’s My Valley
"A mix of comical vignettes and broad vistas illustrate an account
of the lives and misadventures of a clan of tiny Twims.... Action
with immersive, full-page or larger land- and seascapes that seem
to go on forever while offering multitudinous crags, glades and
foreground features to investigate." — Kirkus Reviews (starred
review)
"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."
— Sarah Hunter, Booklist
"Ponti’s dreamy paintings of towering trees and distant hills are
worth lingering over. . . Fans of immersive fantasy worlds will
feel that they have discovered a treasure."
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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