Nanette’s Baguette, Attachment, and Connection

I have a new favorite children’s book – it’s one that has been on my mind a lot recently.

As I’ve shared here at Story Warren, The Napping House, by Audrey Wood is an absolute favorite (http://www.storywarren.com/playing-favorites-the-napping-house/). And Mo Willems’ imaginative retelling of a classic tale, Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs, is also at the top of the list (https://storywarren.com/if-you-find-yourself-in-the-wrong-story/). But there is a new-to-me story that is taking up more and more room in my imagination, and I realized that I must share it with the Story Warren family. Its a seemingly simple story that I believe playfully offers a useful pathway for considering and approaching the widespread and widening connection crisis in the world and in the church.

So, before I jump into telling you about Nanette’s Baguette, instead of trying to butter you up, let me lay out some breadcrumbs (see what I did there!) for why this book really matters. In Relational Spirituality and The Connected Life, Todd Hall combines practical insights from psychology and spirituality to demonstrate how the attachment patterns we pick up in childhood, shape both our human development and our understanding of God as well.

While we often assume that information is the key to transformation, Hall’s work reveals that, in reality, it is secure relations that lay the real groundwork for transformation. He is careful to say that while these patterns are formative, we can certainly change – we are not stuck with them for life. But Hall points out that these filters may be more impactful than we often assume. Parenting (and discipling) in ways that take those attachment patterns seriously can put us on the path for forming resilient followers of Jesus who are able to create and maintain meaningful connections.

Those concepts had been baking in my mind and heart when my friend, David Bell, suggested I check out Nanette’s Baguette. In it, Mo Willems tells the tale of little Nanette, who is excited to be entrusted, for the very first time, with the big responsibility of going to the bakery and buying a baguette. On her way to the bakery, she sees her friends Georgette, Suzette, and Bret (with his clarinet!), before eventually handing her money to the baker, Juliette. Unfortunately, though, after purchasing the baguette, the temptation of the warm and wonderful bread proves too strong during her walk home. Nanette ends up eating the whole baguette herself… and, of course, it begins to rain. Beginning to fret, Nanette starts wondering if she will need to take a jet to Tibet. Instead, although still upset, she decides to go home where, beset with regret, she confesses to her mother that she ate the baguette.

This book is a lovely, playful exploration of forgiveness and accountability… and it is also a powerful demonstration of the power of secure attachment. Nanette’s mistake is met with love and acceptance by her mother. Nanette is given a hug that Willems describes as being warm and “wonderful. (Like a million baguettes.)”. Her mom follows that embrace by giving Nanette a chance to reset. They try again and together walk to the bakery where they buy a new loaf and end up sharing the baguette on the way home.

Willems book is good for children and parents, giving a delightful picture of loving reconciliation and secure attachment. Nanette’s Baguette can prompt important conversations about what we do and where we go with our regret.

This book can also, in my experience, spark conversations for followers of Jesus who want to meaningfully engage the world. It can help us consider how to connect with others in deep need of a reset. As Todd Hall has observed, “we are loved into loving.” This is a truth we see modeled in Willems’ book. On the back cover, there’s a final picture of Nanette and her mom. The story ends with them sharing the baguette on a park bench. That makes me think about a different scene where Christ breaks bread with his disciples and calls them to continue that practice. More than a final scene, the Eucharist is a foundation practice to help us stay attached to the right picture of what God is like.

I’m thankful for this children’s book and its warm and wonderful reminder of the power of connection that Christ followers can offer to each other and to a hungry world.

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Alan Howell

Alan and his family lived for many years in Mozambique, Africa and now they make their home in Tucson, AZ. In his role with Mission Resource Network, he loves helping Jesus followers love the nations and their neighbors well.

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