A Book of Coupons – Batchelder Award novel

Bibliography:

Morgenstern, Susie. 2001. A BOOK OF COUPONS. Ill. by Serge Bloch. New York, NY: Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-670-89970-4.

Plot Summary:

Monsieur Noel is a new teacher at Marie Curie School in France.  As the children enter the class on the first day they are shocked their new teacher is not young and athletic but old and fat.  Monsieur Noel does not greet the class like any other teacher would but instead he greets them with his big booming voice and tells the class he’s brought a present for each child.  Each child is presented with a book of coupons to be used at any time during the current school year; once the school year ends the coupons expire.  The children are shocked to read that the coupons can be used for such things as sleeping late one morning, skipping a day of school, sleeping in class one time and eating in class one time!  The principal, Madame Incarnation Perez, soon discovers the coupon books and sets out to force Monsieur Noel into retirement.  Monsieur Noel teaches the students many lessons in a very unconventional, fun way that has the children wanting to be in class!

Critical Analysis:

Monsieur Noel and Madame Incarnation Perez are well developed characters; anyone who has gone through school, regardless of what country, can probably imagine a teacher or principle that reminds them of these two characters.  The children reacted just the way you would expect children to react when they see that their teacher for a whole year is not a young, athletic person that they can admire but old and fat.  They are disappointed and think this is going to be the most boring school year and they will never get to go to recess or the gym.  Principals are often seen as mean and looking to yell at people and get them in trouble and Madame Incarnation Perez lives up to that stereotype! 

This story is identifiable to children and adults who have been in a school classroom because it’s true to life; the addition of Monsieur Noel and his fabulous coupons adds an exciting element to a rather bland classroom setting.   Even though the setting is France, the translation of teachers, school and children is easily transitioned into an English translation.  The idea of giving coupons for skipping school, sleeping late and eating in class are universal things that all kids want to be able to do regardless of where they live. 

The style of writing translates well from French to English; obviously children in America don’t say Monsieur or Madame when addressing adults.  The one phrase that stood out to me that is not very American is “making love,” this is not a term found in children’s books often or something that is discussed in children’s books unless it’s a specific type of book.  It is known that the French are much more open when discussing this topic unlike Americans.   

The black and white drawings in this book add a nice element to the story.  This is a traditional chapter book but it’s nice to see drawings to help express or emphasize parts of the story.  It’s not common for elementary school children to read Charles Dickens so it’s nice to have an illustration emphasizing the dramatic element in Dickens’ work.  The illustrations add to the overall story, they do not distract or cause wonder of whether the book is closer to a picture book, it’s a nice addition. 

Overall the book is well written, the story and lessons learned are very valuable.  I like when Monsieur Noel asks the class who he admires most, the students without any coupons left or the ones with all their coupons left?  He explains that if the students used their coupons then they were living life, they were having experiences, getting out there and learning new things.  There is a great lesson to this story that many children need to remember.  There are a lot of adults who need to be reminded of this lesson too, this is a great book to read as a family as a reminder to get out and live life, have experiences and have fun doing it. 

I think the children in this book could have been a bit more developed, I felt like they were jumbled together as just a class of students with random names thrown into the text.  I would have liked to have felt as much of a connection to the children as I did Monsieur Noel.  I love how Monsieur Noel is described, it makes him such a huggable, loveable character, just like Santa as he states in the story.   Because this book was originally written in French I imagined I would see more of a French influence in the story but I did not and that was disappointing.  I would have liked to have learned something that was specifically French but nothing besides Monsieur and Madame jumped out as being “French.”

Review Awards and Excerpts:

ALA Notable Book

1999 Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book

Booklist Editors’ Choice Book

American Bookseller “Pick of the List”

Connections:

·         I would have children create a coupon book like Monsieur Noel and Charles created but create it for someone who would appreciate the coupons, possibly someone going through a difficult time.  I would have a discussion with the group to see what they felt the meaning of giving coupons to someone could mean and how it could positively impact that person.  A coupon book could be used by a child’s family to do fun things together, there are many different ways and reasons to create coupon books that can help someone or bring a family together.