KIRKUS REVIEW
Little ones learn their ABCs en français.
The French vocabulary for little readers’ favorite animals is the focus of this board book. Each page features a charmingly illustrated animal with their French designation in bold and the English translation below. The alphabetization is based on the French vocabulary, so A is for abeille (bee), P is for poule (hen), V is for vache (cow), and so forth. Some explanation of why these familiar animals are not filing under their customary, English letters will be in order, and such cognates as dauphin, éléphant, and hippopotame will provide further opportunities for discussion about language nuance. There is no pronunciation guide, so success depends on caregivers’ pre-existing understanding of French. The bright, rounded animal illustrations will easily draw in even the youngest readers, and the bold, circus-style typography is certainly a plus. The book’s final pages feature all the animals in an alphabetical parade. Despite the title’s emphasis on the ABCs, this book will work best for those toddlers who’ve mastered their ABCs and are looking to expand their vocabularies.
A solid-enough step into the French language. (Board book. 2-5)
