Monsieur Saguette and His Baguette [Hardcover]

Frank Asch (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

This fresh and funny story is about imagination coming to the rescue. Monsieur Saguette, on the way home from buying a baguette to eat with his soup, uses his imagination to help himself -- and others -- in times of need by transforming his ordinary baguette into something extraordinary! A cat up a tree? No problem once our humble hero wields his trusty, crusty baguette. An alligator on the loose from the zoo? A robbery? A stalled parade? No challenge is too great or too small for Monsieur Saguette and his amazing baguette. But what will happen when this unflappable Frenchman finds himself in danger? (200403)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1–In a series of highly improbable scenarios, Mr. Saguette performs daring feats–rescuing a stranded cat from a tree, foiling an attacking alligator and a robber, and escaping from a flooding sewer in the nick of time. In each instance, his trusty baguette provides a handy solution to the impending disaster. After the eventful walk home, Monsieur Saguette consumes his baguette with relish. For those who can suspend disbelief and see it for the spoof it is, this wacky tale with its kid-pleasing humor is sure to elicit giggles. Asch's computer-generated illustrations with their whimsical, flowing lines and soft pastel colors are the perfect accompaniment to this lighthearted romp through the streets of Paris. Bon appétit! –Laurie Edwards, West Shore School District, Camp Hill, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Asch's lively, loose-lined illustrations are full of humorous bravado. Kids will adore the endearing escapades, and adults may think twice before cutting down on carbohydrates. (Washington Post )

[T]his is quite the giggle-inducer. (Kirkus Reviews )

[A]lmost every page has something laugh-out-loud funny: another improbably situation ... a goofy punch line ... a visual tickle. [Y]oungsters ... should proclaim, “C'est mangifique! (Publisher's Weekly )

This wacky tale with its kid-pleasing humor is sure to elicit giggles … [a] lighthearted romp through the streets of Paris. Bon appétit! (School Library Journal )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Kids Can Press (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1553374614
• ISBN-13: 978-1553374619
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,959,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank goodness Mr. Saguette never heard of Dr. Atkins!, June 15, 2004

By 

Daniel L Edelen (Mt. Orab, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monsieur Saguette and His Baguette (Hardcover)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 1/2 Sometimes a Baguette is More Than a Baguette, August 11, 2005

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monsieur Saguette and His Baguette (Hardcover)

Author/illustrator Frank Asch builds this basically one-joke book around the clever uses to which a man puts his baguette. Monsieur Saguette, with a stereotypical beret on his head and a kerchief embracing his neck, decides that he needs some bread to go with his pot of soup. Zuts alors! He is out of bread, so he walks to the local boulangerie (bakery) to buy a baguette (a long, crusty loaf of bread often known in America as "French bread"). The adventure really begins on the way home, as he wields his baguette to rescue a number of daunting situations. The premise is interesting, and Mr. Asch uses a palette of nicely soft colors (created using Photoshop software), but the book's details set a tone that doesn't fit the otherwise gentle trappings of this book for toddlers and early grade- schoolers.

The dissonance begins with the first encounter. A little girl is crying because her cat is stuck in a tree. However, her face isn't just sad, but angry as well, and the story doesn't suggest this feeling. With her puddles of tears and downward pointing eyebrows, it almost looks like an act, as if she hoisted (by its petard or something) the cat into the tree. Saguette uses the baguette as a ladder to reach the cat. If this sounds like quibbling, the next scene may convince you that Asch wasn't thinking enough of his potential audience.

"As Monsieur Saguette continued on his way home he came upon a chilling sight. An alligator has escaped from the zoo and is about to eat a baby... "Help! Help!" cried the baby's mother."

A confused baby sits in the middle of the street near an overturned buggy (an allusion to "Potempkin," anyone?) as a very large alligator with huge sharp teeth walks right up to it. The mother throws up her hands and screams. This is a very unsettling picture. OF course, Saguette props open the gator's mouth with the baguette, and all is well again. The baguette must be especially crusty because it is still firm enough to convince a robber on the Parisian quay (dock) that a gun is lodged in his back. The robber (who, by the way, is holding a real gun) begs "Please don't shoot... "I give up!" A gendarme takes the gun, and the robber, in a genuinely amusing throwaway says "I want to talk to my lawyer." In another not-quite-right scene, a marching band is not marching; instead, various musicians are playing games, holding hands, petting a dog, and generally looking as if they are relieved that they are not marching. Saguette asks somewhat incongruously, "What's the problem?" The bandleader has inexplicably lost his baton, but the baguette keeps time just as well. The parade resumes, and the musicians look just as pleasantly diverted as when they were on an unplanned break. These unvarying emotions are simply too facile.

Monsieur Saguette finally arrives at his little home (strange that this section of Paris is so rural looking) and thoroughly enjoys his lunch. He even throws the crumbs out the window for les petites oiseaux (birds) to enjoy. I would have liked that spirit throughout the book. Asch is obviously a skilled artist and storyteller, the pace is well measured, the simple story says much about imagination and creativity, and the colors are very pleasant. However, the few slips described here quickly decreased its appeal. (This review is dedicated to Madame (now, Docteur) Klein, who is invited to correct any errors here.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kids love it!!!, December 29, 2008

By 

RD (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monsieur Saguette and His Baguette (Paperback)

ORIGINAL POST (Dec., 29, 2008): 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.

UPDATE (Nov. 27, 2009): This book was recently read to a class of about 20 1st graders. All were enthralled with the story, asking questions, making comments (all good and insightful). They were captivated during the reading.