THE CHILDREN'S BOOK REVIEW, TREVOR LAURENCE JOCKIMS

What to expect: Travel, Fun, Adventure, Culture, Bilingual . . . Paris!

Paris Hop! is a wonderful journey into the sights, sounds, scents, and linguistic adventures of the City of Light. This unique cross-generational narrative introduces the reader to Grandma Goldie and her granddaughter Aimee as they head to the first stop on their itinerary—La Tour Eiffel—where they hope to see Paris sparkle in the sun from the “tippity-top of the tower.” But right from the start, they get happily sidetracked. The book is suspenseful and full of forward movement as readers will wonder if the characters will make it there in time because of the many detours they take along the way: Notre Dame, an art market, a cruise down the Seine, and many other famous sights … not to mention stops to enjoy some delicious food, too! The rhyming story draws the reader in, not only by highlighting the many sights of the city, but also because Grandma Goldie and Aimee have just one day to see Paris. Alas, as the sun sets, they finally arrive at the Eiffel Tower. And that’s when they discover something wonderful: Paris sparkles at night, too—beneath the stars! The brisk pace of the writing beautifully captures the energy of the city, and grants readers the sense of discovery and excitement that travel can bring, especially to a great city like Paris.

An additional benefit of this delightfully illustrated book is the integration of the French language into the text of the story. This bilingual aspect is never forced—it effortlessly contributes to the book’s fast pace and to the sense of playfulness, versatility and fun that permeates through the book. For instance, discussing their trip to a bakery, the text proclaims, “… smell the air/Croissants!Éclairs!/Baguettes with apple butter … Oui-oui, s’il vous plait,/Non-non, we can’t stay/We haven’t time to putter!” In this way, the wonderful story also serves to integrate some very useful French phrases and vocabulary, perhaps as a way to further encourage readers to undertake the exciting trip to the city themselves!

As an excellent invitation to travel to Paris, or as a way to go there during nightly reading time, Paris Hop! is a lovely book that is certain to charm parents, grandparents, and children alike — c’est magnifique!!

A IS FOR AGING, B IS FOR BOOKS, LINDSEY McDIVITT

In Paris Hop! (MB Publishing 2014, ages 4-7) delight in all the distractions Paris offers as a grandmother and granddaughter explore it en route to the “tippity-top” of the Eiffel Tower. What begins as a race to reach it within the hour quickly becomes a meandering immersion into the many pleasures of that lovely city in spring time. Naturally the pair is first tempted off their path by baked goods at a boulangerie.“

But . . . smell the air—
Croissants! Ẻclairs!
Baguettes with apple butter . . .”

French words are sprinkled throughout and explained in a glossary (from Au revoir to Voilà) at the beginning of this charming picture book.

Illustrations by Renée Andriani show this grandmother ready for anything in her Capri pants and sandals—she leads her granddaughter from painters to puppet shows, from river boat rides to Notre Dame, from the Mona Lisa to modeling high fashion together in a boutique."​

KART KIDS

“For young linguists, ‘Paris Hop!’ makes language come alive in a fresh and entertaining fashion, with a visual flair . . .”

MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, D. DONOVAN

Paris Hop pairs fun drawings (by Renee Andriani) with a story of Paris (will Grandma and her granddaughter make it to the top of the Eiffel Tower in time to see Paris sparkle in the sun?) which mixes French words with a lively rhyme to invite young readers to tour Paris and understand the rudiments of another language.

Now, this is an intriguing change for the picture book format, where bilingual approaches tend to be few and far between. Paris Hop works especially well because it pairs its appealing drawings with words for parents to read aloud, inviting kids to draw connections between very common French phrases and their meaning: "Oui-oui, s'il vous plait,/ Non-non, we can't stay — / We haven't time to putter!"

The introductory glossary of terms includes pronunciations as well as definitions, so parents needn't already know the language. In this way adults completely new to French receive a fine story that will also educate them with a few basic French words.

With its whirlwind tour of the City of Light, Paris Hop succeeds in capturing the culture, scenery, sights and sounds of the city while absorbing the cases where French words (such as 'critique') have become part of the American language.

From art galleries to cafes and puppet shows, adults reading aloud to young learners will find this a lively, accurate portrait of Paris; all packaged in an accessible and involving format perfect for any age of newcomers to the language!

GREEN DOOR DESIGN

“The rhyming of this book is beautifully done with catchy sentences that your child will love. ‘Today’s the day we see “Paree” from the tippity-top of the tower . . .’ The illustrations are simple and yet effective, and capture Paris perfectly for the imagination of a child.”

READERS' FAVORITE, 5 STARS, CHERYL SCHOPEN

Paris Hop!, written by Margie Blumberg and illustrated by Renée Andriani, is a story about Grandma taking her granddaughter to the Eiffel Tower on a visit to Paris. They are determined to see how the city looks with the sun shining over it, but they continue to get distracted by the other wonderful places and sights of “Paree,” such as museums and clothing stores. Will they be able to make it there before the sun sets? And if they don’t, how will their day trip to Paris end?

This was a cute little story that children and their parents (and grandparents) will thoroughly enjoy. While children will enjoy the entertaining rhyming quality of the book, they will also have fun learning common French phrases. Parents don’t need to worry about mispronouncing or not understanding these phrases because there is a very helpful glossary in the beginning of the book that clearly states the meaning and the pronunciation for each word and phrase. And the actual story is just so charming. I adore the idea of a grandmother and her granddaughter exploring Paris together. Children will get to experience the culture of Paris through the many stops this young girl and her grandmother make. Plus, the illustrations make it that much more delightful. The vibrant colors and adorable images will keep children engaged and wanting to read the book over and over again. Margie Blumberg definitely has a new fan, and I’m sure that Paris Hop! will be among my daughter’s favorites.​