Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Three-time Caldecott Honor-recipient Willems celebrates the allure of fresh-baked bread in this tale of good intentions. Nanette is a French schoolgirl in a quaint straw hat and plaid skirt. (Ce n-est pas gentil to depict her as a frog, peut-être, even if the national allusion is lost on the readership.) Her mother hands her a coin and sends her to the bakery: -Getting to get the baguette is Nanette-s biggest responsibility yet. Is Nanette set to get the baguette? You bet!- She sees four friends, but cannot linger: - -Gotta jet! I-ve got a baguette to get,- says Nanette to the quartet.- Baker Juliette sells Nanette a loaf, and the girl samples a warm bite. Across four explosive spreads, punctuated by the -krack! krack!- of crunching, Nanette devours the treat, then droops home -beset with regret.- Willems builds multimedia collages of cut paper, comic illustrations, and photos, escalating from calm rectangular panels to pointed, starry shapes. His goofy wordplay and onomatopoeic display type amplify the hilarity, and temptation is demonstrably forgiven in a funny coda: Nanette-s mother finds baguettes just as irresistible. Ages 3-5. Agent: Marcia Wernick, Wernick & Pratt. (Oct.)

Starred Review ALA Booklist (Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Starred Review Mom asks Nanette, a young frog sporting a Madeline-style hat, to get a baguette. Elated ("Baguettes are warm. Baguettes smell wonderful.") with this new responsibility, she sets off, only to be distracted by Georgette, Suzette, Bret and his clarinet, and Mr. Barnett and his pet, Antoinette (a fly). Refocused by an unseen narrator, she arrives at Baker Juliette's, purchases a crusty loaf, and then finds herself unable to resist devouring the entire stick. Full of regret, Nanette contemplates moving to Tibet, but runs home to confess; luckily Mom understands, and the two set out to buy another loaf. Willems is a master of this genre: a simple story with a distinctive setting and a relatable childhood predicament; delicious wordplay (who knew there were so many rhymes for baguette?) that reads well aloud; and delightful illustrations that convey energy, emotion, and humor. Willems handcrafted cardboard-and-paper settings and characters and then photographed and digitally enhanced the scenes, resulting in artwork that feels animated. The use of textual art ("KRACK!" represents the sound of biting into a baguette, for example) adds to the overall appeal, as do small details such as a requisite cameo from the Pigeon. Stock up on multiple copies and be prepared to clean baguette crumbs from the book drop. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Best-seller, three-time Caldecott Honor Book winner, Geisel medalist (twice!) and honoree (five times!), Elephant and Piggie creator. You know what to do.

School Library Journal Starred Review (Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

PreS-Gr 2 The hilarious account of how Nanette, a young frog entrusted with her "biggest responsibility yet" ends up "beset with regret." Although Nanette meets her friends and "Mr. Barnett with his pet" on the way to buy a baguette for the first time by herself, she doesn't forget her task and emerges triumphant from the bakery. But the loaf is warm and "smells wonderful," and bite by bite, she devours it before she reaches home. Nanette's fear of facing her mom proves unfounded, though, when she admits her mistake and is enfolded in her mother's soothing embrace. The two set out together to get another baguette, and a surprise ending demonstrates that even adults can succumb to temptation. With few exceptions, the entire text contains words rhyming with Nanette . The French village, handcrafted with cardboard and paper and digitally integrated with other photographed illustrations, is home to Nanette and her frog community. Visual jokes fill every page: the pictures on the walls of Nanette's home, Mr. Barnett's pet, signs in a shop window. With lip-smacking delight, Nanette floats through double-page splashes of vibrant color as she consumes the baguette, then appears in a bull's-eye, eyes popping, mouth twisted, as she realizes her error. The background echoes her distress as it becomes dark and filled with black squiggles and the "KABOOM" of a thunderstorm, which leaves the girl "wet with no baguette." There is so much to discover and enjoy in this treat for eye and ear—even a hidden Pigeon. VERDICT For a storytime treat that children will devour, don't miss this shopping trip.— Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA