I received an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Diamond Book Distributors for providing it.
It was a cute book, with an even cuter cover, and that's exactly what pulled me in. Pistouvi is a whimsical tale about Jeanne and her best friend, the eponymous Pistouvi, an anthromorphic fox, living together inside a treehouse, in a world where if you listen to birds, you’ll turn into one. The entire story has an uncanny omen about it. The narrative was slightly obtuse, sinister, and dream-like, and the chapters were not being directly linked to each other. In fact, it was just made of small vignettes with no specific plotline to follow and that don't generally resolve. But I'm a sucker for beautiful world-building and thought-provoking unpredictable storytelling, and this definitely had those. It was allegorical, with dreams within a story that already felt like a dream.
The best thing about Pistouvi is the artwork! It's simply gorgeous, with beautiful black and white drawings, expressive characters, and a hint of manga. I especially absolutely loved the wind spirit, a mother figure in this world. The whole thing gave me Studio Ghibli vibes. The characters had clear and evocative body language and their facial expressions gave such raw, intense emotions. I guess I just wish there was more to the story, but overall, I loved it. I'm not sure I'd recommend it to everyone though since most people might not like it because of how opaque the story feels, but if someone is open to a graphic novel with basically no plot and an eerie atmosphere, but that has an exceptional art and magical realism, this would be the perfect cozy read!

Pistouvi is a peculiar story! Pistouvi is the tale of a little fox and his best friend Jeanne, who have the end of childhood bearing down on them. The entire story is permeated with an ominous eeriness- the feeling of being alone in deserted woods and dark clouds start to roll in menacingly. The artwork is simply gorgeous, particularly the wind spirit. However, I found the plot to be scattered and overly filled with metaphors. Pistouvi is a very nebulous and twisted story. There are no neat conclusions to be found here, only mysteries. The murkiness surrounding the plot leaves the reader with a bittersweet feeling. I would recommend this if you’re bored of traditional coming-of-age stories and want to think deeply about what it means to exit childhood. The ending of Pistouvi will definitely stay in your mind after the last page. While this story had an unusual structure, I know I’ll be thinking about it for quite a while. Pistouvi releases on November 10, 2020. Thank you to Merwan, Bertrand Gatignol, Diamond Book Distributors, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really short and sweet.Must read for tweens and up.I really loved the simplicity and the impactfulness of this book.

Many thanks to Diamond Book Distributors for providing me with an e-ARC of this book!

Unfortunately this was not for me. I was drawn to this title because I love foxes, however, I found the story a bit convulted and confusing at times. I acknowledge this could be a me problem and sure there are people who may not find that they have this issue. The art was well done and very emotive which I appreciated.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Um, do I need to have taken drugs to understand this book? Because I honestly don't have a clue what I read. I am so so confused right now. The blurb sounded awesome, and while I did get some tiny itty bitty bits of that... mostly I was just utterly confused and I just had no idea what was going on. I just went along with it in the hopes that it would get more clear, would make more sense, would maybe get better. The art is at times pretty terrifying (and with that I mean the faces, they remind me a bit too much of horror stuff I read), but at other times also quite pretty. Another confusing thing. I am sure there is someone who will love this, but not me. Definitely not me.

This comic is told through a series of vignettes in which we follow a young girl, Jeanne, and her fox friend Pistouvi. Together they get into some antics like bothering the local birds and the Tractor Man. Their friend the wind tries to help guide them as best she can but both Jeanne and Pistouvi have to grow and learn, together and apart. The art in the book is really the selling point for me. I found the story itself a bit convoluted at times and felt like there were metaphors that were going over my head. Neither of our main characters are too likable in my opinion which also made it hard to fully get invested in their relationship.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an eARC.

I like the illustration. I just wish there are more to the story.

Alright, this is not my cup of cocoa. At all. There are undoubtedly plenty of readers out there who will dig the allegorical trip that is this book, but I am not one of them.

The illustrations are very intriguing, but, again, not my preferred style.

This book... I am just left wondering what I have finished reading. I just don't know.

What a strange, dreamy experience. Pistouvi is a little anthropomorphic fox who lives in a treehouse with a young girl named Jeanne. He's obsessed with finding and eating new bugs and creatures — even though he talks and wears clothes, he's very much an animal, given to intense enthusiasms but more than a little bloodthirsty on the hunt. There's a mother figure in this world, Wind, who appears to actually be the wind — she's lightly drawn and fluid compared to everything else in this world, and she's warm and nurturing and helpful. The father figure is Tractor, a giant who's seemingly one with the giant tractor that's constantly plowing up the land and planting fences. He's threatening and alien where Wind is loving. All of this reminded me a fair bit of Cory Doctorow's weird novel Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town, where the main character's mother is a washing machine and his father is a mountain — broad symbols of cleaning and remote towering remove, respectively.

That kind of dream-logic stretches throughout the graphic novel, which consists of a series of vignettes that generally don't resolve, and questions that generally aren't answered. There are giant birds in this world, and their speech is threatening to Pistouvi, though Jeanne is apparently immune because she's a girl. She has an ocarina with magical powers; Wind has seeds with mysterious effects. At times, the way these things interact with the world, and the preponderance of strange little wide-eyed black spirits and vast, slow intelligences make Pistouvi feel like a Studio Ghibli story.

But it's ultimately more like a dream. (This even though there are multiple actual dreams within the narrative, and they're even more surreal — metaphor stacked on metaphor.) I see where people here are complaining that the story is too opaque because there are never clear explanations for most of its mysteries. But I found it all pretty haunting. The art is lovely, alternately highly detailed and immersive, and impressionistic and dynamic. The facial expressions and body language are very clear and evocative. The emotions are intense and real. This may not be a story for people who demand clear linear narrative, but it's certainly immersive for anyone who loves world-building and unpredictable storytelling, or just wild and creative visual design.

Title: Pistouvi
Bertrand Gatignol Merwan
Rating: 3 ⭐️

Ok so I don’t really know about this one. It was originally published in French several years ago and I think that translated into the flow@problem in English. Or perhaps I just had trouble understanding the story.

Jeanne is a little girl who lives with a mischievous fox named Pistouvi. But soon the birds (which are creepy as hell) show up and everything changes. This graphic novel kind of scared me. But I would recommend it if you’re into dark but still mild graphic novels.

I received this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. #pistouvi #

Pistouvi is a series of tales of a little girl and a fox in a fantasy world where if you listen to birds, you’ll turn into one. I didn’t understand this story, but I enjoyed it. It’s a cool allegory set in an interesting world,but while reading, I felt like I had missed the first volume. As soon as I let that sentiment go, however, and just read it without expectation for understanding, I enjoyed it a lot.

The wind is beautiful. Pistouvi is cute and mischievous, and Jeanne is a little girl who will have to grow up someday. I really loved the art. The fine line drawings are super cool, and the art really gave the characters, well, character.

If you can let go of needing everything to make perfect sense, definitely give this one a go, and just go with the flow. It’s a lot of fun that way. It’s out on November 10th, so keep an eye out for it.

A whimsical tale about a young girl and her fox friend. The narration was slightly dark and disjointed, but the overall atmosphere was mostly pleasant. I both loved the artwork and was equally unsettled by the ending and disjointedness at times. (Hence the three star rating.)

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a free Ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Pistouvi is less a book than an experience. Though there isn't much of a story, the characters are interesting and the art is lovely and fun. Our titular character is a playful but occasionally obstinate young fox whose best friend is a fearless human girl, Jeanne. The Wind is a beautiful yet mysterious lady who occasionally accompanies an enormous giant who drives a gigantic tractor. There's also an array of human-sized birds that can sort of talk!

There's a sense of whimsy permeating every page, but there's also an unshakeable sense of impending doom. A fox and a girl can't be friends forever, as the giant and his lady love often point out.

Just the same, Pistouvi and Jeanne have many adventures, and it was great fun to follow along! Some of them were even surprisingly harrowing!

The characters don't have much of an arc, and the plot is more or less nonexistent, but the pretty art and the fantastical atmosphere are worthy of 3 out of 5 stars!

An odd book spotted with stunning, atmospheric illustrations. While I feel like the story was reaching for something within Miyazaki’s realm, I didn’t get to know the characters or their world well, the pacing was disjointed, and the ending just didn’t have the weight I’d hoped for. That being said, I can imagine jr high and high school students falling in love with the character designs and graphic aspects of the presentation.

Over all this is a really cute graphic novel! The issue that I had with this was I didn't understand the ending and what happened. It might've just been a me problem but the end was confusing and felt rushed. Other than that everything else was really fun, but I had to read the synopsis after I finished reading to fully understand what happened. It as just a really fun time and a nice palate cleanser.

I am so confused what I even just read. I don't understand the purpose to the story... I usually love middle grades and share them with my kids, but in the case of this I don't understand what this story was trying to convey and I don't think they would understand either.

Its such a shame too because the artwork is beautiful and quirky. Unfortunately I don't know who I would recommend this book to.

<i>Free copy provided by Netgalley. Thank you.</i>
- read in English. Review both in English & French.

<b>IN ENGLISH</b> - Jeanne and her best-friend, a fox called Pistouvi, live together in a tree house. They have a special friend, the Wind, portrayed as a fairy-like woman, who appears when she is called by characters of the graphic novel. Birds are depicted as the enemy, so whenever the two protagonists see them they make sure to annoy them.

The best thing about <i>Pistouvi</i> is the artwork! Everything is in black and white, the main characters are cute and very expressive, and I loved seeing them surrounded by beautifully drawn nature (in the snow, in the forest, etc). The art is the main reason why I am giving this book 3 stars.

As for the story itself, I have to admit that I was a bit confused at first. There is no clear plot, it is rather a collection of episodes. You can feel that this is a story about childhood and growing up, but it is hard to understand it as such before you get to the ending. About the ending... It was really sad. But it somewhat gives a purpose to the story. Still, I would like to know what happens after.

You should only read this graphic novel IF you're okay with reading a book that has no plot but an eerie atmosphere. Big plus for the depiction of the surroundings which plays with the ambiguity between the real world and this surreal world, where things look normal - but at the same time, they aren't.

<b>EN FRANÇAIS</b> - Jeanne et son meilleur-ami, un renard qui se nomme Pistouvi, vivent ensemble dans une cabane en haut d'un arbre. Ils ont une amie spéciale, le Vent, personnifié en tant que femme qui fait penser à une fée. Elle apparaît à chaque fois qu'un des personnages de la BD l'appelle. Une nuée d'oiseaux est dépeint comme l'ennemi, ce qui explique pourquoi les deux protagonistes leur font la vie dure à chaque fois qu'ils les voient.

La meilleure chose dans cette BD est incontestablement l'art! Tout est en noir et blanc, les personnages principaux sont mignons et très expressifs du visage. J'ai aussi beaucoup aimé les voir entouré par une nature très joliment dessinée (dans la neige, dans la forêt, etc). C'est pour ça que j'ai mis 3 étoiles à cet ouvrage.

Pour ce qui est de l'histoire, j'étais un peu confuse au début. Il n'y a pas vraiment d'intrigue, c'est plutôt une collection d'épisodes/chapitres pas forcément en lien les uns avec les autres. On ressent que c'est une histoire portant sur les thèmes de l'enfance et le fait de grandir, mais ce n'est qu'après avoir lu la fin que l'on peut réellement s'en rendre compte. Pour ce qui est de la fin, elle était très triste. Mais elle semble donner un but à cette histoire. Quoi qu'il en soit, j'aimerais savoir ce qui se passe après.

Ne lire cette BD que si cela ne vous dérange pas de lire une histoire qui n'a pas de véritable intrigue, mais qui a tout de même une atmosphère mystérieuse. Un gros plus pour la représentation des environnements qui joue avec cette ambiguïté entre le monde réel et un monde irréel, où les choses paraissent normales mais, à la fois, ne le sont pas.

It was so cute and adorable!

Since it's comic book let's start off with the art style. It was really detailed and refined, but at the same time pretty simple which made it really fit the story.

Next thing - the plot. It had some holes in it and things I didn't really like, but I know that the target group - kids won't really see it and even as simple as it is, the subliminal message will get to them even better.

The thing I loved about it the most was how the author put so much meaning to a really short and simple adventures of a fox named Pistouvi and its best friend. Every chapter told a separate story, which is common among children books and it was long enough to add some moral to them, but short enough t0 keep the reader's attention (especially little ones ;))

There was one thing that I don't really get - the ending, like I don't know, maybe I'm too old to understand it? I think it may be some kind of metaphor that kids can get better or I'm just trying to build a background while the author just got out of inspiration and left it as it was. If anyone wants to try and explain it to me I'd be glad!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review #Pistouvi #NetGalley

I was excited to read this because the concept and the art looked great, but I was unable to open the file provided. I tried many times with Adobe Digital Editions, but the screen would glitch into white. The same thing happened when I tried accesing the story trough the NetGalley App, unfortunately. I am sorry, but despite me trying in many ways and mant times, it has become impossible for me to read this. However, I wouldn't want this experience to impact on the book's rating and thus I will rate it 5 stars.

It's a book for children and I love it! The art is so detailed and beautiful. There are some holes in the plot, but the kids aren't reading books like this to hear all the plot.

Graphic novels are poor with text and I'm giving 4 stars because every chapter can be a separate story. We don't need to understand why he was scared of the birds. Kids are scared of things and they can't really explain why exactly and I think it's okay.

The Pistouvi is a cute little fox whos in adventures with his best friend. They have a good and bad time together. I liked how it was showed that it's okay to not be okay and spend time just lying and sleeping. That you don't need do anything and your friends will understand that. And the next day can be different and beautiful with new adventures and possibilities.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. #Pistouvi #NetGalley