The Valentine Children's Summer Adventures - Tapa dura

Thirty ways to say what’s what in another language means more smiles in schools. Double the number and spell them right, and a child has a head start. Double again, and say them aloud the way they’re meant to be said, then picking up a language can be more fun than work. That is the true treasure in Dianne’s inspired story set long ago and far away in France. As she shares with readers the adventures of the Valentine children and their animal companions, Dianne conjures a tapestry in two languages, weaving into the story words in French that work their own wonder. New words and phrases and names arrive on the page not just with meanings but clear signs on how to say them out loud. 

Scene by scene the treasure grows. By the end of the adventures the reader will be familiar not just with magical France but also with over 120 French words for flowers and animals, colors and flavors, good things to eat, family and friendship and everything you need to join the Valentines’ adventures in a setting outside the true and real, hewn-stone city of Carcassonne. 

Dianne brings French out of the classroom and into the home. Relish in the rich imagery of memorable illustrations and use them to fix the French words and names in your head. 

Dianne turns a task of learning into an enjoyable experience. This is the first of a trilogy.