Perlette, the French water droplet

Baby and I spent the morning at our local library.

We live in a particularly multicultural area in Melbourne so our library has a huge number of books published in other languages (like Non, Non et Non which I wrote about earlier this week).

And I have found the most beautiful little book about a water droplet who drops down from the sky for the day – the only problem is, it’s in French.

It’s called Histoire de Perlette by Marie Colmont and for any French-speaking readers, I managed to find a free online copy of it here.

I’m tempted to translate it for Baby because it is such a beautiful story and I can’t seem to find it anywhere in English. Baby is only 18 months old so it’s probably good for me to read to her in French but neither of her mothers can so it is somewhat limiting.

What do you think about reading to children in languages they don’t speak? Does anyone actually have any knowledge about the educational benefits of doing this?

I know my friend, Olle would say the only way to learn a language is to live it, but does this still apply for babies?

In the mean time, the pictures of Perlette seem to keep Baby engaged but I’d love to hear if anyone knows anything more on the matter.

Who’s your daddy?

One Dad, Blue Dad, Brown Dad, Blue Dads

Johnny Valentine

Alyson Books

Success! At last!

Well, almost..

I may not have found a story with two mums but I have found a great story with two dads.

The result: One Dad, Blue Dad, Brown Dad, Blue Dads by Johnny Valentine. (And yes, that is a link directly to its Amazon page because I am totally willing to whore this one out).

The best part of this story is that, strangely enough, the focus of this story is not on the fact that Lou, the main character’s parents are gay.

The focus is on the fact that Lou’s two dads are blue.

Lou tells his friend all about his life with his two blue dads, explaining that they have a completely normal life, except that he can’t see his dads against the sky sometimes. Their blueness doesn’t rub off on him if they hug him too tightly and they can still eat cookies in bed.

This book appeals to preschooler’s sense of ridiculousness without being overly didactic. It encourages children to consider what other families might be like which makes it an important book for children with any number of fathers.

Now if only I could find one with two mums… As always, please send suggestions my way!