Rick Charette book as fun as his music

Bangor Public Library’s grand finale concert for its summer reading program was almost a washout. Just as Maine composer-performer Rick Charette was about to start his first song, the occasional ominous raindrops blended into a steady drizzle.

The concert was moved to a third floor lecture hall. The half-hour delay and the crowded conditions in the new location did not dampen the spirits of Charette’s fans. From preschoolers in crisp flowered dresses and Winnie-the-Pooh shorts sets, to shorts and T-shirt clad preteens, they sang the choruses and performed accompanying gestures — jumping on a trampoline, blowing and popping pretend bubble-gum bubbles, transforming their arms into alligator jaws — with obvious enthusiasm.

The same appeal with which Charette entices fans of ‘N Sync and Backstreet Boys to uninhibitedly join mothers and younger siblings in odes to mud and bubble gum extends to his first picture book, “Alligator in the Elevator.” Toddlers and preschoolers demand to hear it again and again. Beginning readers are aided and encouraged by its repeating chorus and clue-filled illustrations. Even older children who have graduated to chapter books read it cover to cover.

In the book, a succession of children waiting for the elevator are greeted by an alligator operator. Initially apprehensive, each gaze softens as they make their floor requests. A curly-haired girl invites the beast to have lunch. A bespectacled boy says he wants to be its friend. Eventually children bounce on its tail and legs. At the end as the children exit, an older woman enters the elevator and seems less than pleased with her new escort.

The illustrations by artist Heidi Stetson Marino compliment the text perfectly. The children’s faces — the lively pixie smile of the blonde, curly-haired girl, the astonishment of the gap-toothed, bespectacled boy, the bewilderment of the freckled, carrot-top tyke who declares that he’s going to the fifth floor and he’d like to get there alive — are priceless. The alligator’s own mobile features convey expressions ranging from curiosity to coyness and even delight.

The song which the book was based on was inspired by Charette’s teen-age son, Jacob, then 2 1/2. They were running errands at the University of Maine.

“When I told my son we were going to take the elevator, I noticed a look of terror on his face as he looked up at me and said, `I don’t want to go in the alligator.’ … As we were riding home in the car, the idea of `an alligator in the elevator’ popped into my head and both of us started singing.”

For years Charette wanted to transform the song into a picture book.

“Music helps children make the leap into reading. The illustrations give clues to kids that reinforce the words.”

Charette’s singing career started when he was a student teacher. Assigned to teach his class songs, he presented them with a folk song and his own creation, “Bubble Gum.” The latter went over much stronger. His professors encouraged him to pursue his musical interests.

Charette tries to perform each song with the same excitement of singing it for the first time. “I look at faces a lot. The kids are really engaged. Time just stands still.”

He greatly enjoys talking to fans after shows. “Kids sing to me. They’re so proud of themselves for knowing the words. I see older kids in their teens and twenties who still feel connected. This brings them back to their childhood time.”

In the 16 years he has performed, Charette has become less self conscious, more willing to trust in himself and a higher power. Now he possesses the contentment of someone who really loves what he’s doing while embracing the future. “I have no idea where [my career] is going to go from here. The best is yet to be.”

Charette is working on a videotape with a music-oriented concert format. He’s also pursuing his book writing career, working on a couple of stories that are not song related. Eventually he would like to see his music in a film.

His wide range of goals gives his fans, young and old, a great deal to look forward to.