________________ CM . . . . Volume XXIII Number 32. . . April 28, 2017

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Don’t Move! = Ne bouge pas! = ¡No te muevas! (See & Say).

Anne-Sophie Tilly & Julien Chung. Translated by Yanitzia Canetti.
Toronto, ON: Annick Press, 2017.
36 pp., board book & pdf, $9.99 (bb).
ISBN 978-1-55451-893-7 (bb), ISBN 978-1-55451-894-4 (pdf).

Preschool / Ages 2-4.

Review by Dave Jenkinson.

**** /4

   
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Hurry Up! = Dépêche-toi! = ¡Apúrate! (See & Say).

Anne-Sophie Tilly & Julien Chung. Translated by Yanitzia Canetti.
Toronto, ON: Annick Press, 2017.
36 pp., board book & pdf, $9.99 (bb).
ISBN 978-1-55451-891-3 (bb), ISBN 978-1-55451-892-0 (pdf).

Preschool / Ages 2-4.

Review by Dave Jenkinson.

**** /4

   

excerpt:

Have you seen

As-tu vu

¿Has visto a ...?

The

le

el ... (From
Don’t Move! = Ne bouge pas! = ¡No te muevas!)

 

As can be seen in the titles of these two board books, their contents are in English, French and Spanish. Don’t Move! = Ne bouge pas! = ¡No te muevas! begins with a question, the one in the above excerpt. On the page facing the text, just part of an animal can be seen, but turning to the next pair of facing pages reveals both the name of the animal in English, French and Spanish (monkey/singe/mono) and a cartoon-like illustration of the animal. The following pair of pages then begins the process anew, but now just the definite article is repeated, with the rest of the question being implied. In all, Tilly and Chung introduce youngsters to seven different animals: monkey, rhinoceros, chameleon, toucan, crocodile, warthog and pink flamingo. Because each of the animals has a different coloured background, this board book could also be used to teach colours. While the meaning of the book’s title initially appears unclear, the final double-page spread provides the needed clarification as owl can be seen taking a photo of the animal septet who, of course, must not move.

     In Hurry Up! = Dépêche-toi! = ¡Apúrate!, 14 animals are, one-by-one, seen “hurrying up”, but why? Young readers may anticipate the worst as several of the animals appear to be looking behind them as if something might be chasing them. As was the case with the previous board book, the closing double-page spread provides the answer – mouse is about to begin reading “The Jungle Book” aloud. That’s it’s “The Jungle Book: that mouse is reading explains why the buffalo shown is a Cape buffalo and not a North American bison. In this book, the text is limited to just the name of each animal, with the English word backgrounded in yellow, the French in mauve and the Spanish in green. Chung’s illustrations of the animals are most effectively rendered in just black and white, with the animals sometimes appearing against a detailed background. Tilly and Chung achieve some subtle humour by including a snail and turtle among those hurrying up.

     Both of these multi-lingual board books are excellent in developing youngster’s vocabulary and would be especially valuable in bilingual preschool settings.

Highly Recommended.

Dave Jenkinson, CM’s editor, lives in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
Hosted by the University of Manitoba.
 

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