Leo Le Chat Comes to Play!

Delightful storyline and simple, colorful illustrations provide the basis for a child's first introduction to the French language, and the lift-up tabs provide interactivity that holds the child's interest, while reinforcing the lesson.

It is well-known that children are little sponges when it comes to learning new languages, given the opportunities, and this book offers a fine introduction to French. Each page introduces one or two new phrases, repeated in French and English. An example:

Let's ask him to come.

Viens.

Come.

Viens ici.

Come here.

Then, Léo's response, first in French on top of the flap, then in English underneath.

D'accord

OK

The story evolves as Léo is asked if he wants to play, then asked to sit down. The plot thickens and twists as Léo takes things into his own paws and gets into a bit of mischief, and the child listening to the story will no doubt soon be repeating the words in French.

For the non-French-speaking adult reader, the back of the book contains a list of, not only the words introduced on each page, but the names of objects seen in the illustrations, along with a pronuciation guide and the correct article to use with nouns.

A nice bonus at the end of the lessons is a little game, Suis-Moi! (Follow Me!) It gives the words for actions such as walk, jump, run, both in English and French, then suggests that the children play, first using the English words, then when they are used to the rules ("freeze" when the leader says "arrête!" (stop!), play it again in French.

I'd give anything if this book had been around when my own children were young. Perhaps by now we'd all be accomplished in French!