Mr. Mergler, Beethoven, and Me

Gr 1–3—An unnamed child narrator and her father, newly arrived from China, are enjoying a park near their home when they meet "an old gentleman." Baba and old man strike up a conversation and then call the narrator over to their park bench. It turns out that the older man, Mr. Mergler, is a piano teacher and the narrator is a self-taught pianist for her church. After she sings for Mr. Mergler, he tells her father "'Something tells me she understands the magic that music can bring to her life. If she does, that is all the payment I will need.'" The two meet for weekly lessons and the narrator's skill and confidence grows, under the scowling gaze of a bust of Beethoven. Cinq-Mars's pretty, impressionistic illustrations in a soft palette of pale greens and pinks create a tender mood. Seated at the piano, teacher and student close their eyes and leafy branches of pink flowers grow from the keyboard. After some months, there is a shock—emphasized by the stark absence of flora in the illustration—when the narrator learns that Mr. Mergler is very sick and can no longer teach her. He sends her a farewell and gives her the bust of Beethoven. The final spread indicates that the narrator still plays the piano and still seeks to please Mr. Mergler (and Beethoven) with her art. The text, "inspired by a true story," includes endnotes about Mr. Mergler and Beethoven.