Reviews for My First Book of French Words

The average rating for My First Book of French Words based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-08-05 00:00:00 Martin Savage Translated by Translations.com The book begins with two notes for help, including the suggestion to look at the phonetic spellings and a simple explanation of the French articles (le, la, les, du, de la, and des) used before all nouns. Following this, each page has photographs with a theme, with individual items tagged with the English word, the French word, and the noted attempt at phonetic spelling. Themes include family, body parts, clothing, toys, items found in different rooms in the house and school, food, farm and city scenes, gardens, and colors. The selection of items is consistent with young children's scheme of importance, and the use of real photographs will make the book consistent with curriculum demands of many preschool classrooms, including Montessori schools. The biggest drawback to the book is the attempt at phonetic spellings. It is evident that Kudela did not consult a native nor even a fluent speaker. Because of the difference in mouth positions and particularly the use of nasal pronunciations, I have never recommended phonetic spelling aids, other than the international phonetic alphabet, to my French students. Such spellings often lead to misunderstanding when the user attempts to communicate with a native or knowledgeable speaker. This book is far from an exception to this suggestion, particularly since the author offers no explanation of the phonetic spellings, these spellings are not consistent among each other for same sounds, sometimes are simply incorrect, and she offers no explanation or assistance regarding the common differences from English to French, such as the nasals. Children in particular need such guides as they are not familiar with phonetic spelling conventions for certain sounds, but even adults will have difficulty with these phonetic spellings. On the positive side, some of the spellings will be useful. And since the book is intended for young children, a knowledgeable adult could easily use the book side by side with a student or students since the items in each picture are sufficiently separated to avoid confusion as a user points to individual objects.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-03-13 00:00:00 Brandon Galloway This series is an excellent introduction to languages. I have read French, Russian and Japanese with my little daughter. It's fun hearing her try the words and seeing her excitement about learning. Thanks!