Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch

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Many of you may have heard of the children’s book Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli, but if you haven’t it’s a must read.  One of my teacher friends shared it with me years ago.  It’s a testament to how one small act of kindness can change a persons life.  Mr. Hatch is a lonely man who has the same drab routine every day.  One day Mr. Hatch receives a package from his postman.  The package contains a heart shaped box of candy with a note that says “Somebody Loves You”.  This ignites a spark in Mr. Hatch which causes a chain reaction of events.  He wonders who could have sent him the package.  All of a sudden he has a pep in his step and starts interacting with his neighbors.  Mr. Hatch starts to notice his neighbors, helps them out, and changes up his daily routine.  Then one day Mr. Hatch gets a visit from the postman who says he made a mistake and the box wasn’t for him.  Mr. Hatch goes back to his old lonely routine and everyone becomes concerned about him.  Of course the story can’t end this way.  His neighbors surprise him one day and show him just how much they love him.

When I was in junior high I didn’t have a boyfriend yet, but a few of my friends did.  It was Valentine’s week and you could buy roses to give to someone.  I received a rose from an anonymous admirer who was most likely one of my friends, but I’ll never forget how that felt.  It drove me crazy wondering who it was, but then eventually I just became appreciative that someone thought of me.  I never did find out who gave it to me.  I know I’m loved.  We all are, but sometimes we just need a little reminder. I hope this Valentine’s Day you give your loved ones a reminder and perhaps even extend love to a stranger.

I found this video of Actor Hector Elizondo reading the book on you tube  if you’d like to share it with your family.  I’m a huge book person so I still think it’s worth buying the book to keep in your library.

This post links to an Amazon affiliate link.  Should you decide to purchase the book I would receive a small amount with no additional cost to you which helps pay for my website costs.