Children’s Book Review: Monsieur Pierre by Anne Dana

My toddler is responsible for most of the thoughts behind this review - I merely translated her enthusiasm into common parlance. 🙂

What a delightful book! I was contacted by the author on the basis of another children’s book review I had posted to Amazon - since I have a toddler who literally cannot acquire new books to read at bedtime fast enough, I eagerly agreed to receive a review copy. How could I not - who could resist an octopus with a beret and mustache?? It would certainly take a stronger will than mine to do so…

The story is pretty simple - as most children’s books are. With a larger message that isn’t - as many, but not nearly enough, are. Monsieur Pierre lives in a fountain in Paris. No one notices him, and he is lonely. Until, one day, a pair of vacationing children see him for the delightful individual he is, and change his life. It’s a lovely tale - in both word and image, with glorious illustrations of Parisian landmarks and the children’s home in California - with an even lovelier message about home and the heart and how families can be made as well as born into.

Monsieur Pierre faces a great deal of change, and manages it all with aplomb. And he does it in a straightforward way that children as young as mine (almost 4) can appreciate, and that older children (and adults) can see into and behind at additional levels. A success all around, in my book!