Product Description

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?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #484367 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .14" h x 7.46" w x 8.02" l, .23 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Amazon.ca
Nothing goes better with a bowl of hot carrot soup than freshly baked bread. So Monsieur Saguette, the hero of this winsome picture book by celebrated American children's author and illustrator Frank Asch, leaves his pot of soup to simmer and walks to the local bakery to buy a baguette. On his way home, the unassuming Saguette gets caught up in a series of daring rescues--saving a cat from a tree, a baby from an alligator, a man from a robber, and himself from an open manhole--all with the help of his crusty (er, make that trusty) baguette.

Asch, whose more than 60 books for children include such classics as I Can Roar Like a Lion and I Can Blink Like an Owl, as well as the popular Moonbear preschool series, uses rhyme and repetition to great effect. Each of Monsieur Saguette's adventures ends in the same way, with the resourceful little Frenchman tossing off his act of kindness ("'It was nothing,' said Monsieur Saguette. 'Goo goo,' said the baby"), while the internal rhyme of baguette with Saguette makes this amusing story pleasing to read yet never cloying. Asch's gentle illustrations (created in Photoshop) suggest a fanciful French townscape where it is not unusual to encounter a conductor leading a marching band with a baguette. Indeed, much of the charm of Monsieur Saguette and His Baguette comes from its Frenchness. Monsieur Saguette wears a jaunty beret, removes his neck scarf only once--to transform his loaf of bread into a flag for help--and shows a European reverence for the maxim "waste not, want not." Even his crumbs are put to good use: "'Now you too can enjoy my baguette,' he said to the birds on the street. 'Bon appétit!' And the birds replied, 'Tweet! Tweet!'" (Ages 3 to 7) --Lisa Alward

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
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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.

[This is quite the giggle-inducer.

[Almost every page has something laugh-out-loud funny: another improbably situation ... a goofy punch line ... a visual tickle. [Youngsters ... should proclaim, “C’est mangifique!

This wacky tale with its kid-pleasing humor is sure to elicit giggles ? [a lighthearted romp through the streets of Paris. Bon appétit!