Book study: “Adèle and Simon”

A sister picks up her little brother from school and makes him promise not to lose anything on the way home. Can he do it? (Read on for activities, convo starters and more!)

Welcome to the second Petite Reads book study! (If you missed it, you can find the first one on “Mice Skating” here.)

In these monthly book studies, we take a deep dive into a particular picture book and explore some ideas, activities and conversation starters to bring the book to life.

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This month’s book is “Adèle and Simon,” a sweet book about a sister who picks up her little brother from school and makes him promise not to lose any of his belongings on the way home. As the pair wander through early twentieth-century Paris, Simon manages to leave something behind at every stop.

About the book:

Title: “Adèle and Simon”

Author/illustrator: Barbara McClintock

Recommended age: 2-6

Review: This book is fun! My two-year-old daughter, four-year-old son and I all love it equally—which can be a difficult feat. When my children demand I read this for the umpteenth time, I’m genuinely happy to do so!

“Adèle and Simon” is a treat for francophiles (each page features a different Parisian landmark), but the book isn’t overly French—you don’t have to be as crazy about France as I am to enjoy it. ;) There isn’t any French vocabulary thrown around, apart from a few names (although Monsieur Bonbon at the patisserie is my son’s favorite character). And the landmarks (Luxembourg Gardens, the Louvre, Notre Dame, etc.) are simply the setting—some books about Paris almost feature the city as a character itself, which is not the case here.

The story is simple enough for two year olds to easily follow, and the illustrations have enough depth and interest to keep even advanced listeners engaged.

“Adèle picked up her little brother, Simon, at school. Simon was waiting by the door.

He had his hat and gloves and scarf and sweater, his coat and knapsack and books and crayons, and a drawing of a cat he’d made that morning.

‘Simon, please try not to lose anything today,’ said Adèle.

Simon said, ‘I’ll try.’”

Look a little closer:

Each beautifully illustrated page is rich with detail. There is a lot to take in here! When you read this book, make sure you have time to linger over each page to find Adèle, Simon, and Simon’s missing items.

Some features my children really enjoy about this book:

• The endpapers feature a map of early twentieth-century Paris, with the sibling’s route and locations where Simon loses his belongings marked. My son loves to trace the children’s route home.

• Each page is a seek-and-find: Can you find Adèle, Simon and Simon’s lost belongings on each page?

• Madeline and her friends in two straight lines have a cameo! See if you can find them.

Learn new words:

Books are always a wonderfully easy way to expand children’s vocabulary. Here are a few words that caught my children’s attention:

• Knapsack

• Shrub

• Éclairs

• What it means to sign your name on a picture (When Adèle and Simon visit the Louvre, Simon shows his crayon drawing to his art teacher, who says that he should sign it.)

Have a conversation:

Ask your children:

• Have you ever lost anything before? What did you lose? Did you get it back?

• How does Adèle serve as a good big sister to Simon? In what ways does she take care of him?

• How does Simon show he cares about Adèle and is thankful for her help?

• What is your favorite page? / Which place on the route would you most want to visit?

Make it an experience:

My children love when real-life experiences parallel their favorite stories. Here are a few ways to bring Adèle and Simon’s journey to life:

• Walk home from school, or take a walk around your town, and make a few stops along the way. What adventures do you have? Maybe write them down/draw pictures of them when you get home.

• Visit your city’s version of one of Adèle and Simon’s stops (a park, museum, bakery, grocery store) and see if you encounter any of the same things Adèle and Simon did. Does your local bakery sell éclairs? Does your museum have dinosaur bones? Do your parks have puppet shows or library story-time sessions? What kinds of apples are at the grocery store?

• Challenge your children to collect their belongings when they get out of the car and bring them into the house. (Yes, we should be teaching our children this anyway, but the lesson might resonate a bit better when you pair it with Simon’s story.) ;)

• Visit an art museum (or look up pictures of famous paintings online), and recreate one of the paintings.

Thank you for reading this month’s book study! Let me know if you read “Adèle and Simon.” I’d love to hear what you think!

“We must not allow the clock and calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment is a miracle and a mystery.” — H.G. Wells