The Thousand Secrets of Chicks (“Mille secrets de poussins”), by Claude Ponti

Claude Ponti’s overflowing imagination has delighted children since his first book Adele’s Album (“L’album d’Adèle”) (1986), nearly thirty years ago. Now 70 years old, this Lorraine native who began his career as a press cartoonist remains an insatiable storyteller.

The author of an impressive number of children’s books, his works masterfully blend visual beauty, humour and wonder. A delicate and harmonious alchemy which places this author among the great masters of children’s literature.

In this picture book The Thousand Secrets of Chicks (2005), Claude Ponti immerses us in the world of these adorable little yellow creatures led by Blaise, the masked chick. Far from being a dull lesson in natural science, The Thousand Secrets of Chicks turns out to be an entertaining treasure hunt.

This astonishing encyclopaedia, which never takes itself seriously, tells us the secrets of the mysterious life of chicks who “are born in chicken eggs, laid by Olga Ponlemonde in her tree”. Their farmyard is transformed into the location of surprising activities where the visual abundance is wonderfully enhanced by the delicacy and inventiveness of the writing.

Chicks are an iconic element from Claude Ponti’s works. They have been present in most of his picture books since the very first, written for his daughter Adèle in 1986.

Since then, these little birds have been at the centre of his creative universe. In 2005, he revealed the many faces of these little creatures in The Thousand Secrets of Chicks.

Recognised in France as one of the greatest authors of children’s literature, Claude Ponti's works are now distributed around the world in 13 languages.

Each translation must be carefully crafted to preserve richness and creativity of his texts. So observed his editor, Isabelle Dharty: “For his books to resonate internationally, they need very good translations because Claude Ponti’s word games and expressions can be complicated and are often subtle."