I’m Hector Elizondo, and today we’re going to enjoy a special story together. It’s called “Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch,” written by Eileen Spinelli and illustrated by Paul Yalowitz. This story is a favorite of my granddaughter, and I think you’ll love it too!
Mr. Hatch is a tall and thin man who doesn’t smile much. Every day, he wakes up early and walks to work at a shoelace factory. He eats lunch alone, and after work, he buys a newspaper and a turkey wing for dinner. He lives a quiet life, and people say, “He keeps to himself.”
One Saturday, Mr. Hatch finds a surprise on his porch—a package wrapped in brown paper! Inside, there’s a heart-shaped box filled with candy and a card that says, “Somebody loves you.” Mr. Hatch is shocked because he doesn’t have any friends. Who could have sent this?
Feeling happy, Mr. Hatch laughs and dances. He puts on a colorful tie and some aftershave and goes for a walk, hoping to meet his secret admirer. At work, he shares chocolates and talks to everyone. He even helps Mr. Smith at the newsstand and finds Mr. Todd’s daughter, Melanie, when she’s late coming home from school.
Mr. Hatch starts baking brownies and shares them with the neighborhood kids. He even makes lemonade and plays his harmonica, turning his yard into a fun place for everyone. He forgets about finding out who sent the valentine because he’s too busy having fun and helping others.
One day, Mr. Goober, the postman, tells Mr. Hatch that the package was delivered to the wrong address. Mr. Hatch is sad, thinking nobody loves him after all. He goes back to his old routine, not smiling or talking to anyone.
The neighbors miss the cheerful Mr. Hatch. They remember all the kind things he did for them. Mr. Goober comes up with an idea to cheer him up. On Saturday, Mr. Hatch finds his porch decorated with hearts, bows, and candy. His friends hold a big sign that says, “EVERYBODY LOVES MR. HATCH.”
Mr. Hatch is touched and realizes he is loved after all. He smiles, laughs, and joins his friends, feeling happy and loved.
This story teaches us that kindness and friendship can make a big difference in our lives. Even small acts of kindness can bring people together and make everyone feel loved. So, let’s be like Mr. Hatch and spread joy and kindness wherever we go!
Kindness Jar: Create a “Kindness Jar” at home or in the classroom. Every time you do something kind for someone, write it on a small piece of paper and put it in the jar. At the end of the week, read all the kind acts together and see how many smiles you have spread! Discuss how these acts made you feel and how they might have made others feel.
Secret Admirer Activity: Just like Mr. Hatch received a surprise package, choose a classmate or family member to be your “secret friend” for a week. Do kind things for them without telling them who you are. It could be drawing a picture, writing a nice note, or helping them with something. At the end of the week, reveal yourself and talk about how it felt to give and receive kindness.
Neighborhood Helpers: Take a walk around your neighborhood or school and look for ways you can help others, just like Mr. Hatch did. Maybe you can pick up litter, help a neighbor with their groceries, or make a card for someone who might be lonely. Share your experiences with your family or classmates and talk about how these small actions can make a big difference.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hello, I’m Hector Elizondo. You’re watching Storyline Online brought to you by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation and BookPALS. Today I’ll be reading a very special story, a favorite of my granddaughter when she was younger.
“Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch” is the story today, written by Eileen Spinelli and illustrated by Paul Yalowitz. Get ready; this is a good one.
Mr. Hatch was tall and thin, and he did not smile. Every morning at 6:30 sharp, he would leave his brick house and walk eight blocks to the shoelace factory where he worked. At lunchtime, he would sit alone in a corner, eat his cheese and mustard sandwich, and drink a cup of coffee. Sometimes he brought a prune for dessert. After work, he would make two stops: at the newsstand to get the paper and at the grocery store to buy a fresh turkey wing for his supper. After supper, he read the paper, took a shower, and went to bed early.
“He keeps to himself,” that is what everyone said about Mr. Hatch.
One Saturday, when Mr. Hatch stepped onto the porch with his dustpan and broom, he got a surprise—a package wrapped in brown paper. He had never spoken to the postman before.
“Thank you, Mr. Goober,” he said. Mr. Goober smiled. “You’re welcome. I always enjoy delivering packages.” Mr. Hatch tore the brown paper off. Inside was a white box, which he opened to find another box. This one was heart-shaped—all satiny red with a pink bow on top. It was filled with candy. Something fluttered to the porch floor. It was a little white card. He picked it up. It said, “Somebody loves you.” Only then did he remember that this was Valentine’s Day.
Mr. Hatch wondered, “Now who would send this to me?” He was all alone. He had no friends. And yet someone had sent him a valentine. Who? He put the box on the coffee table and tried to do some dusting, but every time he left the room, he had to keep peeking to see if the box was still there. He dusted and dusted, and the dustcloth seemed to whisper: “Somebody loves you…” At last, he exclaimed, “I’ve got a secret admirer!” And then he did something he had never done before: he laughed. He laughed and danced and clapped his hands. Then he took a piece of candy from the box and ate it.
Mr. Hatch changed his shirt and found some old aftershave in the bottom drawer. He splashed it on his face. He picked out a yellow tie with blue polka dots and put it on. And then he went for a walk. “Maybe,” he thought, “I will meet the person who sent me the candy.” Of course, no one had ever seen Mr. Hatch wearing a tie, or smelling of aftershave, or smiling. So he got a lot of attention.
On Monday, it was back to work. At lunchtime, Mr. Hatch sat in the middle of the cafeteria. He spoke to everyone and passed out chocolates from his heart box. On the way home, as usual, he stopped at the newsstand. Mr. Smith handed him the usual newspaper.
“I think I’ll have a pack of mints,” said Mr. Hatch, not as usual. Mr. Smith was shocked. “Was that you speaking, Mr. Hatch?”
“Indeed it was,” said Mr. Hatch. “I said I would also like a pack of mints. And if you don’t mind my saying so, Mr. Smith, you don’t look very well today.”
Mr. Smith replied, “You’re right. I don’t feel very well. I have a cold. I was supposed to go to the doctor’s this afternoon, but the stand has been so busy I haven’t had the time.”
Mr. Hatch smiled. “Why, I’d be happy to watch the stand for you while you go.” Mr. Smith could hardly believe his ears. “You would?”
“Certainly, just show me what to do.” And so Mr. Hatch ran the newsstand for an hour. He wondered if any of the women who stopped to buy a paper, or a magazine, or a candy bar had sent him the mysterious valentine.
When Mr. Smith returned, Mr. Hatch made his usual stop at the grocery store. “I’m a little tired of turkey wings,” he told Mr. Todd. “I think I’ll have a nice fresh slice of ham.” Mr. Todd weighed the meat and wrapped it.
“You look worried,” said Mr. Hatch.
“I am,” said Mr. Todd. “My little girl is late. She hasn’t come home from school yet, and I can’t leave the store to look for her until my wife arrives.”
“Goodness! Why didn’t you say so?” said Mr. Hatch. “I will go look for her.” And so he walked to school and found little Melanie Todd by the swings and brought her home.
“Thank you, thank you,” said the grocer. “Anytime,” said Mr. Hatch.
After supper, Mr. Hatch did not bother to read the paper. He decided to bake brownies instead. It would be nice to have brownies to share the next day with the people at the shoelace factory. As he baked, the warm chocolate smell of brownies floated through the neighborhood. Children gathered around Mr. Hatch’s house, sniffing the air.
“Well, I suppose the factory can wait,” said Mr. Hatch as he looked out the window. And he brought out two platefuls. “Now what are brownies without lemonade?” he said, and he stirred up a nice cold pitcher.
When the parents came to gather their children, they had some brownies too. It turned out to be a picnic in Mr. Hatch’s backyard. He dusted off an old harmonica and played songs he remembered from his boyhood. Everyone danced.
And so the days and weeks went by. When Mr. Hatch wasn’t smiling, he was laughing. And when he wasn’t laughing, he was helping someone. And when he wasn’t helping someone, he was having a party in his yard or on his porch. He seemed to have forgotten about finding the person who sent him the valentine.
Then one afternoon, Mr. Goober, the postman, came to his door. His face was very serious. “Come in, Mr. Goober,” said Mr. Hatch. “You look upset.”
“I am upset; I made a mistake some time ago. My supervisor is very angry with me. Do you—do you…”
“Yes, Mr. Goober? What is it?”
“Do you recall the package I delivered to you? On Valentine’s Day, I think it was.”
“Yes, I believe so,” replied Mr. Hatch, beginning to feel a little uneasy.
“I don’t suppose you still have it,” said Mr. Goober sadly.
“As a matter of fact,” said Mr. Hatch, “I still have the box. The candy is gone, though. Why do you ask?”
The postman took a deep breath. “I’m afraid I delivered it to the wrong address. It was supposed to go to another house.”
Mr. Hatch recalled tearing off the brown paper. It had never occurred to him to look at the address. He fetched the heart-shaped box and the pink bow and gave them to the postman. “I do hope your supervisor won’t be too angry with you now.”
The postman was heading down the sidewalk when Mr. Hatch called from his porch. “Mr. Goober, I forgot something!” He gave the postman the little white card. “Somebody loves you,” it said.
Alone in his living room, Mr. Hatch sighed. “Nobody loved me after all.” Then he read the paper, took his shower, and went to bed early.
The next morning at 6:30 sharp, Mr. Hatch left his brick house and walked eight blocks to the shoelace factory. At lunchtime, he sat in the corner by himself, ate his cheese and mustard sandwich, and drank a cup of coffee. After work, he stopped at the newsstand for his paper, but he did not speak to Mr. Smith. And when he ordered his turkey wing from Mr. Todd, he did not smile. Nor did he pat little Melanie Todd on the head or bake brownies or have picnics or parties or play his old harmonica anymore.
Everyone whispered, “What is wrong with Mr. Hatch?” Mr. Goober, the postman, told them. “We love Mr. Hatch,” insisted Mr. and Mrs. Dunwoody. “He gave us flowers for our garden. He helped to mend our back fence.”
Mrs. Weed nodded. “I love him too. He saved his bones for my dog.” Ruffy barked—she loved Mr. Hatch too. Mr. Smith told everyone how Mr. Hatch had watched his newsstand so he could visit the doctor. And Mr. Todd told everyone how Mr. Hatch had found his little girl. All the children in the neighborhood remembered Mr. Hatch’s wonderful brownies and lemonade. And most of all, his laughter.
“Poor Mr. Hatch,” they said. “What can we do?”
Then Mr. Goober announced, “I have an idea.”
On Saturday morning, Mr. Hatch woke to a bright and sunny day. He put on his old overalls and went out to the porch with his dustpan and broom. He couldn’t believe his eyes. All over the porch were red and white hearts and pink bows. There were boxes of candy on the chairs and yellow streamers flowing from the ceiling. And sticking up out of his mailbox was a shining silver harmonica.
The front yard was filled with people—happy, smiling people. They were holding up a huge sign with hand-painted letters. It said: EVERYBODY LOVES MR. HATCH.
Mr. Hatch dabbed at a tear with his handkerchief. “I do believe,” he sniffed, “somebody loves me after all.” And then he smiled. And then he laughed. And then he hurried down to be with his friends.
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I hope you find this version suitable!
