Mon Ton: The Old Man and his Treasure is a children’s book by Vance Bell. Set in a small village that rests in the shadow of the Mon Ton Mountain, Bell introduces us to a magical world, rich with imagination.
Bowdean recently turned eighteen, and for some reason, he can’t get the Old Man out of his head. He’s expected to become a man now and he’s confused. He finds himself drawn to the Old Man (whom no one really knows). In fact, he remembers the day the Old Man spoke to him. His mother was taken aback. The Old Man rarely spoke. Bowdean decides to follow his instincts and attempts to discover more about this strange man.
Bowdean started to speak, but the Old Man raised his hand to silence him. “First, my name is Haigan. Second, I knew you were coming because it was time for you to come.” The Old Man smiled and continued. “I come from a land very far from here, that was over three hundred years ago. Yes, I did start visiting the village when the first produce stand opened, but I was living here long before the village was started. As a matter of fact, I started the water flowing into the valley, so people would stop here.”At this point Bowdean stood up and started for the door.The Old Man said, “Stop!”At this Bowdean turned around and said, “I don’t like to be made fun of, by anyone.” He again started for the door.The Old Man moved quickly, placing himself between Bowdean and the door.“Wait” Haigan said with his hand leaning against the opening. “Please, sit back down and let mecontinue. When I have finished if you still wish to leave, I will not try to stop you.”Bowdean laughed at this. “You think you could stop me from leaving?”The Old Man simply waved his hand and moved back to the table. “No, but I don’t think you are really ready to leave.”
Haigan, the Old Man, informs Bowdean that it is his destiny to go on a quest. He trains Bowdean on the tasks that he must complete and informs him of the many scrolls written in the old language that are crucial to the completion of the quest. The quest forces Bowdean to become a man as he is challenged physically and mentally. As the Old Man says, “For some people, using their brain can be harder than using their body.”
The Old Man and his Treasure is the first in the Mon Ton trilogy. I would recommend Bell’s work for reading to young children (age 4-6). I’m sure that an older child would find interest in the story, but if they were to read it themselves, might get lost in some of the descriptions, particularly the descriptions of action. That said, Bell has definitely crafted an imaginative world of magic and charm for children to dream.
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