Mr. Hulot at the Beach

by David Merveille

Mr. Hulot is back in this wordless picture book celebrating the comical misadventures of a day at the beach! Created and played by French comic actor and filmmaker Jacques Tati, Mr. Hulot is a beloved character in France. David Merveille’s meticulously designed comic strip style illustrations capture the imagination and good nature of Mr. Hulot as he navigates the hilarity of a missing shoe, a disgruntled fisHermann, a mistaken pipe, and more. Like Merveille's earlier book, Hello, Mr. Hulot, Mr. Hulot at the Beach is a visual treat and a true delight to the observant viewer.

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Childrens, Summer

56 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2015

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic wordless book that evokes retro poster art. A story about a day in the life of someone; days that may not make an impression on you at the time - but years later they come back to you. I have lots of beach memories like that...taffy, corn dogs, concerts, rides...they have all melded together into what I call 'the beach day' in my memory. This book captures this perplexing paradox for me.

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweetly old fashioned, laugh-out-loud funny and absolutely delightfully European looking and feeling, David Merveille's wordless picture book Mr. Hulot at the Beach (Monsieur Hulot à la plague in the French original) actually rather reminds me (and in a positive manner at that) of Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean (not at all surprising in my opinion, since Jacques Tati and how he tended to play his Monsieur Hulot on film always did remind and does remind me quite obviously and strongly of the latter, of Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean and yes indeed vice versa).

A fun and sometimes a bit frenetic day at a typical French beachside, with Mr. Hulot getting himself into all kinds of scrapes (like losing his footwear to a seagull intent on making Mr. Hulot' shoe into a nest for her chicks and finally, Mr. Hulot drifting off on an inflatable raft and then coming ashore across the Channel, no longer in France but of course and bien sûr now in a typical British seaside resort town) but also always having the patience and goodwill to play games with a lonely little boy whose father obviously would rather be fishing, Mr. Hulot at the Beach leaves or rather should leave readers (or better viewers, watchers) with warm feeelings of both gentle humour and much nostalgia for bygone days, where a day at the beach generally meant playing in the sand or in the ocean, with perhaps a ball or a kite as toys but not usually the motorised boats and other techno gadgets that one often encounters today, I have found (and even though I am usually not that much of a fan of wordless picture books) David Merveille's Mr. Hulot at the Beach entertainingly delightful and a true reading and viewing pleasure. And indeed, my only mild criticism is that I for one do kind of wish that in the "English" version (quotes are mine considering that Mr. Hulot at the Beach is actually generally wordless), Mr. Hulot were still Monsieur Hulot, as I just cannot see him as a Mister but as a Monsieur.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

A wordless story about a French dude getting into slapstick misadventures at the beach doesn't do anything for me. It's based on a movie character portrayed by an actor named Jacques Tati (1907-1982) in the 1950s and '60s, fitting into a cinema continuum that connects Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp to Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean. I hadn't heard of him before today, but a quick scan of YouTube clips convinces me that I'd find the films as boring as this book.

This is the second in a series of books, but I shall not be seeking out the first.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utterly charming! See Manybook's excellent review as I felt much the same (except that, unfortunately, I had never heard of Monsuier Hulot before, despite being a fan of such films.) Also reminded me a bit of Mr. Hobbs' Vacation.

[Nick Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated with grey tones that suggest the look of classic B/W cinematography. The "narrative" is slight but pleasurable, featuring a series of slapstick progressions that make up a day at the beach - in this case, St. Marc-Sur-Mer, the beach made famous in LES VACANCES DE MONSIEUR HULOT (Jacques Tati, 1953).

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really lacking the verve and clarity of Hello, Mr. Hulot. In this book, as the title explains, Mr. Hulot goes to the beach. He struggles with distractions, like a bird taking his shoe and a rainstorm and a lost pipe. It's all quite tame and rarely clever. The black-and-white illustrations are a tad sad - give me the color of Hello, Mr. Hulot!

[Erin Buhr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminds me of an old time movie. Wordless and drawn in monotones, it tells the simple, but hilarious story of Mr. Hulot and his day at the beach. Mr. Hulot sets off to the beach to sit in a chair and read his newspaper. This seems doable in theory, but everything seems to get in the way of his relaxing day. This is like a delightfully soothing slapstick comedy brought to life. 3+

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

by David Merveille according to Jacques Tati
English translation copyright 2016 by NorthSouth Books (wordless; a few signs, but most of these are still in French, so interesting that it mentions translation)

Back cover notes that "Mr. Hulot is a beloved character in France . . . created & played by French comic actor and filmmaker Jacques Tati).

[Elissa Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

New favorite for my children's book collection!

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wordless picture book depicts a hilariously silly and fun day at the beach.

This book was featured as one of the selections for the July 2019: Seaside-themed books discussion for the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a silent book about Mr. Hulot, a character in a French comic strip. The main character, Mr. Hulot, appears to be going to the beach for the day, but he wants nothing more than to read his newspaper. The comic is about the many things that come between him and his paper. The illustrations are entirely in black, gray and white.

I think this book would be good for elementary through middle school. Due to the fact that it is a silent book and based on a comic strip, I think it would be fun for students to treat this as a short graphic novel and add thought bubbles and conversations. This would be a great introduction to a unit on graphic novels, and it would also be great to compare books from around the world.

[Danielle]

A wordless book that reads like an old-timey film. Full of comic pratfalls, poor Mr. Hulot just wants to read his newspaper at the beach!

[Doreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a blast reading this to my 3 yr.old grandson! He really seemed to love the silly pictures to which I gave a funny, running commentary. I had borrowed it from the library. I often borrow before buying in order to purchase only books that he really, really, really loves! I asked him if he wanted Nonni to buy him a copy. His answer, "Yes"! At this time, my daughter-in-law told me that they had read that book in the past and he didn't like it! WHAT??! So.....I would recommend this book to people who appreciate wonderfully illustrated children's books. And.....only buy it if the person reading it is ready to contribute silly, lively commentary, throughout!

***Between you and me, I'm buying it!!

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Hulot just wants to spend the day at the beach reading the newspaper (and apparently lying upside down in his beach chair). But a variety of welcome and unwelcome occurrences distract him. Eventually he falls asleep (normally on the chair) and is whisked away to another beach when the tide comes in.

Excellent illustrations (which is necessary for wordless books!)

[Manfred Moonlight Ackermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une histoire assez rigolote et rocambolesque. Il lui arrive plein de choses à Monsieur Hulot. Beaucoup d'interactions, alors même qu'il veut être tranquille sur la plage à fumer sa pipe et lire son journal, mais rien ne se passe vraiment comme prévu. Tout en noir et blanc, sauf le jaunâtre du journal. C'est une lecture amusante, sans aucune parole.

[StrictlySequential · Rating 3 out of 5]

205×305 FeltSpine = A.I. 04/2017 = D.L. 05/2017 = 16€ = eo

Goofy wordlessness involving him mostly getting baited to play by the nearby boy on a beach that's seemingly as gray-toned as possible doesn't suit me. His silvery tan hued newspaper is the only "color" (you get it) to be seen in a setting that -to my sensibilities- demands blue at least somewhere.

[Seema Rao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black and white illustrations make this feel like this is an old movie. Gentle story about the joy of going to the beach.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one isn't quite as clever as the first, but it retains the sweetness and humor. Obviously, I have fallen for Mr. Hulot, and will welcome him whenever he makes an appearance!

[Dee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Smoking sucks.

[elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just looking at the cover gets the movie soundtrack going in my head.

[ThePinkCarrot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute picture book. No words so it's perfect for kids to tell the story to you.

[Laureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved it! Mr. Hulot is the French version of Mr. Magoo

[Earl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A follow-up to this wordless picture book series based on a Mr. Bean kind of character this time focusing on Mr. Hulot's misadventures at the beach.

[Penny Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wordless picture book that made me laugh out loud! Beautifully done.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not living in France, I probably cannot fully appreciate Mr. Hulot.

Mostly gray tones, with only a yellowed newspaper does not make me feel that I am enjoying a day at the beach.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute! Wordless so children can tell themselves the story.

[Todd Glaeser · Rating 4 out of 5]

A word-less book that retains the charm of a virtually wordless movie.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming wordless story.