Monsieur Saguette and His Baguette

After reading the reviews for this book, I was a little apprehensive about buying it. Why would I want to expose my five and six year olds to an "angry" looking girl (per one reviewer), a baby about to be eaten by a gator or a robbery in progress? For that matter, what lessons would my kids learn about eating bread that's been stepped on by a feline, slobbered on by a reptile, handled by a stranger's bare hands,...? Anyway, this was much adoo about nothing, as is often the case when parents go through a neurotic phase. Both kids love the book. They ask to have it read to them quite often, and my older child also enjoys reading it aloud. As a matter of fact, eventhough one of my kids noted the expected "obvious" condition of the baguette at the end of the story, my other child retorted (quite logically) that it must have been packaged in plastic before leaving the boulangerie. Hmmm, good point.

My son is almost 3, and loves this book. We first read it at the library, and he loved it so much he would beg me to not return it at the end of our borrow period. We were headed off for a two week vacation, and he pleaded with me to bring it along, at which point we decided it should be a book we own. The story is silly, but very creative as you follow along the adventure of Monsieur Saguette as he returns home from the bakery with his baguette. Definately worth owning.

With so many children's books hitting the market every year, it takes a superior sense of fun to stand out. Frank Asch's hysterically bizarre "Monsieur Saguette and His Baguette" has the wit to do just that.The title character, a simple Frenchman with a predilection for soup and bread, visits his local boulangerie in search of his favorite staple. Baguette in hand, he then sets off on a series of rescues, saving the day with his all-purpose baked good. When France is crawling with crocodilians ready to consume infants, trust Mr. Saguette to find a way to wedge the gator's jaws open with his trusty lunch. Robbers stand no chance against his loaf; marching bands (France is loaded with them, right?) can only march thanks to this man's love for bread. Like "The Simpsons" inanimate carbon rod, Mr. Saguette's baguette continually saves the day. It's about as daffy as daffy gets.Everyone we've shared this book with has laughed at its wackiness. My wife wonders why Mr. Saguette would want to eat his baguette after a gator's slobbered all over it, but who's enforcing logic on this food-obsessed Frenchman?There's nothing not to like here, from the simple illustrations to the witty story. Author Asch has created a clever character who is both whimsical and sincere. I hope for all of us that we get more of this Gallic gourmand.Highly recommended for young children...and their parents, too.