Hanna Skupniewicz-Tolbinski & Kate Poulter
g n i z a m A Smells
of Paris
a It was
2
g on l y da e On
. o .. g a
beautiful city.
.. a n
d it was
Jack was a little brown mouse who lived in a hole near a French cafĂŠ in the middle of New York City. His mother was from Paris and every night she told stories of the beautiful city where she had grown up. She described everything, especially the wonderful scents and aromas of the city. These stories and smells made Jack long to visit Paris himself.
o w f ... full o
m s ul
f r e nd
. . . s l l e
PARIS
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One day a woman came to Jack’s cafÊ carrying a big, flowered bag. She was waiting for a taxi to take her to the airport where she would fly to France for a vacation. Jack jumped into her bag just as the woman stepped into the taxi. Jack was on his way!
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Soon Jack fell asleep. He woke up just as the plane landed in Paris.
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Jack poked his head out of the bag and caught his first glimpse of Paris. He was very hungry, so when he saw a cafĂŠ, he scrambled out of the bag and fell onto the sidewalk. As he sat rubbing his left ear, he saw the flowered bag disappear into a taxi. Jack looked around and met the kind and concerned eyes of another young mouse. 6
“Je m’appelle Françoise,” said the French mouse, “I saw you fall. Comment ça va? Are you all right? Can I help you?” “I’m Jack,” said Jack. “This is my first moment in Paris, the land of my mother. I want to find the smells my mother described to me. Will you please help me find them?” “Je connais trop bien Paris!” * * Françoise said.
*”How are you?” **”I know Paris very well!”
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“We can go together and I’ll be your guide!” Françoise took Jack by the paw. “First stop,” Françoise squeaked, “is the Eiffel Tower!” “Oh my goodness!” said Jack when he saw all of Paris spread out before him.
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“C’est trop beau,” agreed Françoise and together they looked at the immense city. Jack sniffed the air above Paris. He smelled the way the sunshine sparkled on the Seine and the scents rising up from the city far below. “This is very beautiful, but it is not the way my mother described Paris. It was something different.” “We will go down,” said Françoise. “It is easier to find smells when we are on the ground.”
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Together they scrambled down the tower and Françoise led Jack to a café where a man was brewing some strong, hot chocolate. “Smell that,” Françoise said, and Jack sniffed. “This chocolate smells rich and delicious, but it is not the smell of my mother’s Paris,” said Jack.
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Next Françoise took Jack to a bakery where some fresh bread was just coming out of the oven. The friendly baker tore a piece off of a baguette and tossed it to the little mice. Jack and Françoise nibbled the piece and Françoise asked, “Is this the smell you were looking for?” “It is very crunchy and tasty, but it is not exactly right,” said Jack. “Let’s look somewhere else.” “Cherchons encore,” agreed Françoise.
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r y e v s s t i icky t I “
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Then the mice found some cotton candy, some ... Barbe à Papa. “C’est très collant et doux ... comme un nuage dans le ciel,... It is very sticky and sweet ... like a cloud in the sky,” said Françoise, as she cleaned her fur. “It is,” agreed Jack, “but it is not what my mother described.”
. . . and sweet 13
The mice continued on their search. Next they went to a beautiful garden. Françoise nibbled off stalks of savory herbs for Jack to try. “How is the basil?” Françoise asked. “It is spicy,” said Jack, “but not my smell.”
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“How about garlic?” Françoise wondered. “Pungent, but not the right smell,” said Jack. Day after day they sniffed herbs and spices and cakes and fruit. Everything was interesting and delicious, but nothing was exactly right.
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Finally it was almost time for Jack to return home. The last night, Jack and Francoise fell asleep in an old hat, holding each other’s paw. They were so tired that they didn’t wake up when a young artist picked up his coat and easel and carefully lifted his hat and carried it to his little room.
u p o . . s . c h n e e o se... i n o
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... c
ro i
n a ss
. . . ts
es e h c ort
f e u q Ro
d a re b . . e.
The mice slept while the young man ate his dinner of bread and cheese. A tiny bit of rind fell near the sleeping friends. In the morning Jack woke up and looked around. He gently shook Franรงoise awake and together they wondered where they were. 17
is t i “
o alm
ke i l t s
a green
frog!
Then they smelled something extraordinary.
“What is that smell?”asked Jack.
“It seems to be coming from that green and slimy crumb of something!” “Look,” said Françoise, “it is almost like a green frog! 18
It is slippery, sticky and smells slightly like socks.” Together the friends sniffed and nibbled the tiny crumb. “It is my smell!” said Jack. “And I can also smell it coming through the window,” said Françoise. “There must be more nearby!”
ig l s lls
” . s k c e so
ik l y h tl
me s d n cky a
i ery, st p p i l s s i It
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They ran down the stairs and squeezed under the door. Just across the street was a café with a mouse hole at the bottom of the wall.
“There it is!”shouted Françoise. “I hope it is the right place,” said Jack. They ran over to the mouse hole.
Inside was a little old mouse. The old mouse rubbed his eyes and squeaked, “Is it possible? Are you related to my Simone, my daughter?” Jack bounded forward, “Grand-père!” he exclaimed, “I am Jack! Simone is my mother and she told me all about you!”
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Everyone was very happy. There were aunts, uncles and cousins everywhere, kissing and hugging Jack. Françoise was about to slip away when Jack pulled her forward and everyone hugged and kissed her, too. Then they had a magnificent feast. Grandfather gave Jack a handkerchief filled with the delicious, stinky cheese! “You’re welcome to live with us always, my boy,” Grandfather declared.“Will you stay with us?” Before Jack could answer, a taxi pulled up and a lady stepped out, carrying a familiar flowered bag. Jack bowed to his grandpa and said, “I am so happy because I found the smell I was looking for, I met my new family, and I explored this beautiful city. But most of all, I fell in love with Françoise!” 23
Together, Jack and Françoise jumped into the lady’s bag and waved goodbye. “We will go back to New York to meet my mother. See you again soon!” 24
The adventures of Jack, a little mouse who searches through the city of Paris for the elusive smell of his childhood. Along the way he discovers something more!
Hatobooks is both an independent small publishing company and a graphic design studio in Paris. Hanna Tolbinski is a graphic designer, illustrator and the author of several books for children. She has also published two lighthearted books for adults about French gastronomy: “Cooking with French Expressions” and “More Cooking with French Expressions.” These books are a must-read
Kate Poulter lives in the state of Idaho. She is a children’s librarian and a writer. She enjoys reading, writing, walking in the hills with her dog, and knitting.
for anyone who is a fan of France and French cooking. Bilingual : English, French. Avaiable at www. hatobooks.fr
© 2017 Hanna Skupniewicz-Tolbinski Hatobooks Isbn: 979-10-94659-04-5