Babar's French/english Wordbook
PreSchool-Grade 2-A simple, colorful introduction to 500 words in English and in French. Part of the presentation is straightforward: colors, shapes, seasons, numbers, fruits and vegetables, etc. Other pages tell mini-stories (e.g., "The Days of the Week" revolves around a trip to Paris). Although attractive, the book's usefulness is limited. No pronunciation guides are included and no verbs appear in the index. The selection of terms is often odd. For example, "Babar and His Family" omits words like mother, father, baby, uncle, and aunt; "Tools" (which also covers occupations) lists cobbler and tailor, but not doctor, dentist, and teacher; and "Look at Me" leaves out body parts such as hair, nose, mouth, fingers, and toes. Angela Wilkes's Mon Premier Livre des Mots en Francais (DK, 1993), Heather Amery's The First Thousand Words in French (Usborne, 1980), and Michele Kahn's My Everyday French Word Book (Barron's, 1981), though not flawless, are far more comprehensive than Babar.?Ann W. Moore, Guilderland Public Library, NYCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.