Column: We're never too old (or too young) to hear a good story

I recently read a picture book called “Do Like a Duck Does,” written by Judy Hinkley and illustrated by Ivan Bates, to a kindergarten class. In the story, a fox brings up the end of a line of ducklings, headed by a mother duck. He insists he is a duck, so Mother Duck puts him through a series of trials to prove he is one.

Fox must stick his head into muddy water and eat bugs and slimy things. Yum, yum, yum, calls Mother Duck. In spontaneous unison, the kindergartners said, “Yuck, yuck, yuck!”

Such is the joy of reading to children.

As a school library supervisor, I don’t usually read to students every day. But I do take every opportunity to do so. I will read to any age group. Recently, when I filled in for an absent staff member, I read Mo Willems’ latest book “Nanette’s Baguette” to students from kindergarten to grade six.

Willems is a wildly popular author/illustrator who is best known for his series featuring “The Pigeon” and “Elephant and Piggie.” In this recent title, Nanette is a frog-like child who is entrusted with the important job of fetching the day’s bread from the bakery. This is the first time she goes on her own.

Nanette meets friends along the way, like Georgette, Mr. Barnet and Bret (with his clarinet). She buys her baguette from the baker, Juliette. The bread tastes so delicious that she can’t help but eat it.

Then, she is “beset with regret.”

You get the picture. Read aloud, the book is a hoot. And the expressions on the kids’ faces when they realize what is happening is priceless.

But the book is not just simplistically hilarious. To set the stage, we discussed what a baguette is, and the fact that the word means “baton” in French. I had a globe nearby so we could see where France is. Although the book is not set there, Willems makes many references to French culture. Nanette is dressed in a schoolgirl uniform. Her beribboned hat reminds readers of “Madeline,” in the classic series of books about a little girl who lives in a Parisian convent, written by Ludwig Bemelmans.

Nanette’s mother is wearing the type of French fisherman pullover sold by L.L. Bean. (I own one myself.) Mr. Barnet is wearing a beret. The characters appear to be frogs—which could be taken as a slur against the French. (My husband, Paul, who traces his ancestry to France and is proud of it, says there’s no need to be touchy about it.) I make the connection by explaining that frog legs are considered a delicacy in French cuisine.

The artwork in the book also provides a point of discussion. Children will notice it has depth. But when I prompt them to consider how the art was made, some will realize that Willems crafted the settings out of wood and paper.  I explain that they were photographed, and then “digitally integrated” with real objects and illustrations. Fascinating!

The book also provides me with an opportunity to discuss Willems’ other books, and I found that older students often then sought out his books, which they hadn’t read in several years. “I want to read this to my little sister,” one fifth-grader explained.

Willems’ “Elephant and Piggie” books are a delight to read to five and six-year-olds. They deal with typical childhood dilemmas in a far from preachy manner. They, too, are a laugh riot.

In “I Really Like Slop,” for example, Piggie is whipping up a batch of her favorite dish. She even has a few flies to help her. Piggie really wants Gerald the elephant, her best friend, to try the slop. He is repulsed, but finally he takes a taste. It is disgusting, but he’s glad he tried it.

Throughout his experience, Gerald is turning various colors and spinning in space and his eyes go all crazy in various ways. Children just eat it up.

My students aren’t the only ones to benefit from read alouds. I recently read the picture book “The Night Gardener” to grades two, four and six. Written and illustrated by brothers Eric and Terry Fan, it tells the story of a mysterious man who comes to Grimloch Lane and trims trees into extraordinary topiaries. The residents are amazed and come out of their gloom. They gather together, and celebrate.

A young man, William, follows the Night Gardener and the man invites him to help out. The next morning, William awakes to find the old man has left him a gift—a pair of pruning shears.

William, an orphan, now has the skills and tools to earn a living.

This is a magical book, beautifully illustrated, and can simply be taken at face value. A mysterious man comes to town and his work helps residents rediscover joy.

But once I began asking students when they thought the book took place, I discovered its deeper meaning. The illustrations indicate it is set in the 1930s. I base this observation on the fact that my father, born in 1929, dressed like the boy William when he himself was young—in short pants and a flat cap.

The 1930s was the era of the Great Depression, a time of great sadness, fear and deprivation. I did not make this connection when I read the book quietly to myself. But by reading it aloud, I, and my students, enjoyed a more fulfilling literary experience—and I was reminded why we are never too old to hear a good story.