My First Book of French Words

November 1, 2009
K-Gr 3-This simple bilingual picture dictionary is illustrated with attractive, colorful photos. Each themed spread introduces 10 words, first in English and then in French, followed by the approximate French pronunciation. There's a brief explanation of "la," "le," and "les," though they're all equated with "the" (there's no mention of masculine/feminine, singular/plural). The 130 words cover family, body parts, clothes, toys, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, food, farm, garden, colors, classroom, city, numbers, and useful phrases. There are a few odd omissionsthe kitchen scene, for instance, shows a spoon, knife, fork, plate and bowl, but no cup or glass. Overall, this book is appealing, useful, and easy to comprehend. Similar titles are Neil Morris's "First French Words" (Oxford, 2007) and Natacha Diaz's "Larousse Picture Dictionary" (2002). However, both feature overly busy drawings and lack pronunciations."Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY"

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