Everybody Bonjours!
By Leslie Kimmelman; illustrated by Sarah McMenemy
Knopf Books for Young Readers; $16.99
40 pp.; ISBN-13: 978-0375844430

Review by Amy Brozio-Andrews

In this delightful chronicle of a child's trip to Paris with her family, she explores all of the ways and all of the places in which you can use "bonjour," French for "hello." From the family's arrival at their hotel in the Latin Quarter through their sightseeing and shopping expeditions, the little girl and her family find that bonjour is appropriate in just about every setting.

With light and lyrical writing like, "When in Paris… everybody bonjours. From shores. In stories. On guided tours," accompanied by bright and colorful, spring-like artwork that's truly evocative of Parisian style, kids can vicariously enjoy an armchair traveler's trip to Paris. The girl and her family visit a soccer match, the Louvre museum, the Jardin des Plantes zoo, the Eiffel Tower, Garnier Opera, the Tuileries Gardens, the Avenue des Champs-Elysees and more, enjoying meeting people and sharing bonjours all along the way. From sales clerks to the woman making crepes at the crepe stand to a visit to the top of Notre Dame and a flower market outside the Sacre Coeur, friendliness and hospitality are the overriding themes of Everybody Bonjours!

Everybody Bonjours! is a sweet, brief introduction to a new place for young readers, one that emphasizes the similarities and not the differences between people, reinforced by the joyful homecoming of the family where they meet up with the girl's grandparents in the airport where bonjour becomes hello again. Leslie Kimmelman has included a brief "Out and About in Paris" guide at the conclusion of the book, specifying exactly where in Paris each scene is set and providing a bit of historical, geographical, or cultural detail (great for when kids have questions about the pictures and for looking up more information).

Everybody Bonjours! is a great read-aloud book for sharing -- there's even a small mouse who tags along with the girl on her trip, making for an impromptu game of hide and seek with the reader. Young readers can enjoy the story while slightly older kids can enjoy learning a bit about all there is to see and do in kid-friendly Paris.