The Lion in the Lake/ Le Lion Dans Le Lac
Sheldon Oberman, Scott Barham, illus., $14.95 cloth ISBN 0-920541-36-5, 56pp., Peguis Publications, 1988
There are already so many wonderful alphabet books on the shelf that it hardly seems possible that any newcomer could deserve a niche. Yet here is a book that by its originality and charm merits a permanent place in that elite collection.
The Lion in the Lake/Le lion dans le lac, created by two Winnipeg artists. is a member of that rare species, the bilingual alphabet book that works well in both English and French. Sheldon Oberman's simple instructive text is enhanced immeasurably by Scott Barham's bright, whimsical illustrations. Together the two men create a volume that amuses while it informs. The letter C, for example, is represented in both languages by a cat and canaries (le chat and les canaris). The accompanying picture shows a boldly striped cat intensely eyeing two understandably wary canaries in a cage.
The production qualities of this volume are exceptionally high: the colour reproduction is crisp, the paper stock is sturdy, and the type is hold and well designed. The result is a book that's a pleasure to both the mind and the senses.
Because the book can be read with equal satisfaction in either English or French, it has to some extent removed itself from the ongoing debate over the educational value of bilingual books, that is, the question of whether dual-stream books encourage the young reader to translate rather than accept each language for itself. One of the strong points of this volume is that it celebrates the commonalities of the two languages rather than emphasizing their differences, a step that may well reinforce the learning experience in both languages.
Educational disputes aside, this book will delight and instruct the
early reader in the fine and wonderful composition of our shared alphabet.
- by Anne Gilmore. an Ottawa writer and editor.