This was an odd little book that at times reminded me of Dr. Seuss, and then the book "Where the Wild Things Are", and then the animated "Alice in Wonderland" and sometimes all three at once. The illustrations are fantastic and wild and really add to the story, which ends up being a good thing because, I am sorry to say, the story is lacking. The IDEA of the story is magnificent; Meeselphe decides to leave her world and travel to the world below her to see what she can see and the illustrations really bring that part of the story along. It is the actually telling of the story that is...off. It is often jumbled and flip-flops around and I did get lost a couple of times [and re-read several pages more than once]. I am not sure if it is due to the translation, or just how the story was actually written. I think children will love the illustrations and the idea of the story, but the actual story itself, with all its topsy-turvy telling, will probably leave them [and their adults] scratching their head.

I cannot NOT recommend it because the illustrations are magnificent and Meeselphe, with her amazing hair, is a charismatic, adventurous character and children will love her, but know that the story is just off and flippy-floppy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Claude Ponti, Alyson Waters - Translator, Margot Kerlidou - Translator, and Archipelago/Elsewhere Editions for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the art style and the story. I really liked Meeselphe as a main character and all the creatures she met while exploring her world. I am so glad I picked this up.

Oh those wackanana mind-bogglers. Or, in other words, Claude Ponti books – whose response from me has gone the whole gamut from 1 star to 5, sometimes probably between the same pair of covers. Here the title character seems to wake up one morning intent on finding out just how bonkers her creator can get, and so descends to ground level, where some things imitate that duck/rabbit illusion, and copious beasties dislike our heroine knowing the answers to their riddles – and therefore leave a threat to come on a certain double-paged spread…

Actually, scratch that – the threat is inconsequential, as is all of this. This is Ponti on the trippy, lucid dream kind of path, with Daliesque landscapes engaging with Escheresque twists, Moers-like animal characters – and the whole debate, about whether Meeselphe's hair is any good or not (generally it reminded me of those ceramic doll things whose hair is grass or herbs you have to water and cut as needed). The mind boggles as to what came first, the script or the illustrations, which here are designed to be seen as one humongous long chain. It's a grand image of a Carrollian nutjobbery that really can divide an audience. And when it seems to be clever-clever with no real benefit to the reader, is when it gets a lower mark from me. Two and a half stars on this occasion.

A lot of fun. Art is bright and cheery creating a feel of joining the adventure. I enjoyed it and think my kids would have as well.

4 stars

I feel like I just read the graphic art version of a Cirque du Soleil show.

I haven’t seen psychedelic illustrations like those in Meeselphe since the days of Zippy the Pinhead and Yellow Submarine. It was bizarre and fun and creative, just so very French.

Every page has something curious and exciting to discover: Are those rabbits growing in the field, alongside carrots as tall as buildings? Why yes! Is His Pointlessness a hand-shaped bird? Sure! There are so many weird and wonderful things to identify.

Will this trippy and fluid book speak to a small child, in the way that Where the Wild Things Are or an intentionally odd Dr. Seuss book might have 60 years ago? There's only one way to find out, and I don't think we should underestimate the imaginations of our children.

I found myself not understanding what this book was about beyond exploring a world that has been previously unexplored. The illustrations were great but some of it was confusing especially since she was somewhere she had never been, yet she knew where to go and what to do.

Weird and zany. Great art. This book reminded me of Dr. Seuss, without the lyrical verse. A celebration of discovery, difference, and self.

That being said, the language in this one will be difficult for young children to tackle on their own. Also, many of the secondary characters make fun of the protagonist, giving it an awkward bullying-is-okay vibe. Bullying is not okay.

Great art, super goofy, I just didn't love all the content.

Meeselphe is a unique story with an eccentric artistic style. It reminds me of some of the books I grew up with, a very traditional art style that feels uniquely European. The language is a higher level than most children’s books but that’s not a bad thing, it’s never too early to start introducing vocabulary to young readers.
I haven’t seen a book like this in a long time and I quite enjoyed it.
Thank you for the eARC!

I liked the overall concept of the plot, the confident protagonist, and the riddles; however, I fear some things may be lost in translation and the adventure was difficult to follow. Perhaps this is better suited for older children.

Thank you to NetGalley and Archipelago for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This storybook is such a whimsical playful one with our little character Meeselphe trying to explore the world. I feel the story depicts the different kind of people and environments every child would encounter: likeable and warm caring people as well as not so likeable harsh people. I find the little story quite fascinating. I love the playful language used. Meeselphe has hair different than most kids for which she would be either judged or be accepted as she is. I like the concept and I feel is appropriate for the age group. However, there are some harsh adult like characters who tend to use some strong words. Parents and teachers would be able to take care of these areas while reading the story to the young ones I feel.

I find the illustrations really good. It gave me a strong feeling of Alice in Wonderland!

Thanks you, Archipegalo/Elsewhere Editions, for the advance reading copy.

Thanks for the eARC! Such an interesting little book with trippy illustrations and very playful, funny dialogue. Meeselphe goes on an adventure away from home and although they try to intimidate, Meeselphe is confident and answers their riddles easily. Loved the illustrations!

A delightful, funny story for young children, telling the adventures of a little girl who explores the land outside her home for the first time. She meets many creatures, some funny, some cute and some dangerous, but always she is filled with curiosity and interest. The illustrations are beautifully drawn. I loved the use of repeated alliteration, which added to the pleasent sound and rythm of a number of pages! The inclusion of riddles was lovely, too, as one can give the chance to children to have a go before revealing the answer.

Meeselphe Is written by a French author and is directed as a children’s book.

While the illustrations are whimsical, the story is difficult to follow. I read it several times and it felt to be all over the place. We’ve seen other nonsense riddles from authors like Dr. Seuss, but where those stories had rhymes, this story is lacking.

I can understand the language translation might have changed the dialogue, but I can see children having a hard time connecting to the story and concept.

Older students might enjoy it more than younger, as this can be challenging to read and pronounce the words.

Thank you NetGalley for an opportunity to read and review.

The format of this was weird and it kinda was hard to read. I found it hard to follow and keep my attention.

The story is interesting but it was hard to follow at times. I did really enjoy the illustrations, very attention grabbing.

This might be hard for a young reader to try independently but it was a very fun little story. Meeselphe is also a hard name -- I didn't figure out how to pronounce it. But the tale is told with blocks of story and it would be a very fun book to read to a little group.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

The art in this children’s story is so vibrant and captivating. It really helps with the storytelling. The flow of the story was however lost in translation which as an adult I could get through but as a child would need more structuring and whimsicalness to make it captivating to them as they read it. Other than that it is a cute little story and if I saw it on a book shelf at a bookstore I would absolutely pick it up and give it a chance.

I was confused most of the time during this book. The language and verbiage was hard to follow.
The illustrations were cool