Book reviews

So, as I'm fairly sure you've guessed by the title, this page is going to be where I review the French children's books that Little Imp and I (and her big sisters) read.  I must thank Tallulah of bilingual babes (http://bilingualbabes.blogspot.co.uk) for the idea of adding such a page to my blog!

The advantages of reading aloud to your child from birth have been well documented over the years - promoting speech development, pre-reading skills, logical thinking skills, social interaction and concentration to name but a few - and, of course, there are obvious advantages to reading to your child in a second language as well as your native one.  You don't need to be fluent in French to read a French picture book but if you don't feel confident enough with your own language , there are audio versions of most books available to download or borrow from the library.  Even if you do choose the audiobook route in French, you needn't worry about the advantages gained through the interaction of reading together.  Simply "read" a physical copy of the book along with you child whilst you are listening - it doesn't even have to be a French text version - you can still interact with one another, commenting on the pictures, lifting the flaps, etc.

I hope that you will enjoy reading about these books - some of which you will be familiar with in English and some of which may be completely new.

Keep your eyes peeled for the first review which will be of Rod Campbell's Dear Zoo/Cher Zoo and should follow shortly!

Emma :o)

Review 1:  Dear Zoo/Cher Zoo by Rod Campbell



"Dear Zoo" written and illustrated by Rod Campbell.  Dual language versions published by Mantra Lingua.

Age range: 1-4yrs

Dear Zoo was first published 30 years ago and has proved such a popular choice with children and parents alike that it is now available in 18 dual langugae versions!!

The story is about a child that writes to the zoo asking for a pet.  He is sent one unsuitable pet after another - the elephant is too big, the monkey too naughty, etc.  Until finally he recieves the perfect pet, a puppy, and decides to keep him. 

Each page has a lift the flap box disguising the animal and as you read your child can guess what will be in the box - with some clues given on the box labels.  The illustrations are simple and colourful and very appealing to young children.  They are also beautifully uncluttered, meaning that even the presence of text in 2 languages on the pages doesn't look too much.

The repetitive nature of the text is great for little ones, both in English and French as they quickly pick up the words and start to join in with telling the story.

Little Imp and I love reading this story and our rating is 5/5!

If you would like to get hold of you own copy, or see if you can reserve a copy from the local library, the ISBN number for the French and English version is: ISBN 9781844441730

Happy reading! :o)

Review 2:  Où est mon renne?/That's not my reindeer

 

 



Où est mon renne? is one of the Usborne "Touchy-Feely" range or as they are called in French "Les tout-doux Usborne".  The whole range in French is titled Où est mon/ma...?" just as in English they are all titled That's not my...  written by Fiona Watt and Rachel Wells and translated by Renée Chaspoul.

The book is a board book and is great for young toddlers as there is only one sentence on each page - also a bonus for older children learning French, my eldest has been enjoying the fact that she can read a story to Little Imp in French.

The book is lovely and bright which attracts your little ones attention in the first place and then on every page there are lovely touchy-feely bits which introduce different textures, and of course in this version their names in French.  The texture relates to the sentence, so for example:

"Ce n'est pas mon renne... ses oreilles sont trop douces"

 

 

Again, with older children you have the opportunity here to look at a bit of grammar - adjectival agreement for example - if you wish.

The repetitive nature of the text makes it easy for little ones to pick up and soon start reading along with you, and the tactile nature of the book makes the adjectives really easy to learn and to transfer to other objects/materials.

Little Imp and I have really enjoyed getting in the festive spirit reading this book this week and we give it 5/5 as a must have Christmas book for young toddlers.

 

If you would like to get hold of you own copy, or see if you can reserve a copy from the local library, the ISBN number is: ISBN 9781409500094

Review 3: Books about transport

So, I decided to group together the transport themed books that Little Imp and I have shared and here they are:

First up, Où est mon tracteur? (That's not my tractor).  As I have said previously, I love these touchy-feely books in both English and French versions.  They are perfect for a child of Little Imp's age to engage with and provide a great introduction to some lovely adjectives.

In this particular book, I even learned some new French vocabulary myself - not being previously familiar with the various parts of a tractor!!



If you wish to purchase a copy, or request it from your library, the ISBN number is: ISBN 9780746049839

Our second choice is a bilingual English-French first words style book called Transport - Le Transport.  It has nice bright pictures that are appealing to toddlers and introduces transport vocabulary in both languages.  There is a pronunciation guide for the French if you need it and so no prior knowledge of French is required for this one.  A good introduction to simple transport vocabulary and cute little teddy bears throughout which are engaging for little ones.  An inexpensive book that Little Imp enjoys looking at both with me and alone.  The ISBN number for this book is:
ISBN 1902915682

Finally, our third book on a transport theme is another by Usborne.  We really like the Farmyard Tales set of books from Usborne in English and have recently read one of them in French.  Just like the English stories, it has lovely big pictures and the story is simple, this version also has sounds which made it a big hit!  Le train à vapeur tells the story of a train ride where things go wrong and the train gets a puncture!  A lovely little story book which Little Imp really enjoyed and we will definitely be adding to this collection in French.  The ISBN number is: ISBN 9781409536147

  

 

Happy reading! :o)