Adele & Simon :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Perfect - so evocative and beautiful.

2008-08-11
Whether you've been to Paris or not, this book will make you homesick for the city. The detailed, crisp drawings are almost more important than the story. I could look at Adele and Simon for hours.

Beautiful artwork

2008-05-29
I bought this for my grandkids who are about to enjoy a trip to Paris. The artwork is taken from real Paris streets, sights, and neighborhoods. Even though the story is geared for my youngest(age 7), the pictures will give my oldest(age 11)and idea of what to expect.

Didn't Care for the Story

2008-01-10
This book is beautifully illustrated and the concept behind the picture book is creative (similar to "Where's Waldo" and liked the notations of the streets in Paris). However, I disliked the story or lack of. Basically, the story follows a boy who lost items throughout the book. There was no climax or resolution. I didn't think this book was well written and returned it.

Nice book

2007-12-28
I loved very much this book, it's well written and the illustrations are wonderful and it's a great way to show Paris to children.

Finely drawn illustrations kept my children intrigued

2007-12-02
We initially checked this volume out from the library on the merit of many reviews I had read. As we were not disappointed I now have this precious volume hidden in my closet until xmas morning!
As an adult I loved the history and detail integrated into the book, but my children and I read it with equal fascination trying to find all the things Simon drops along the way. Having a boy and girl myself they seemed to appreciate even more that sibling dynamic -- my younger son laughing at Simon's losses and my (older) daughter feeling Adele's exasperation along the way. I highly recommend this book as one to add to you home library to treasure for years.

Charming children's book

2007-10-14

When Simon’s older sister, Adèle, picks him up from school, he has his hat and gloves and scarf and sweater, his coat and knapsack and books and crayons, and a drawing of a cat he made that morning. Adèle makes Simon promise to try not to lose anything. But as they make their way home, distractions cause Simon to leave something behind at every stop. What will they tell their mother?

Detailed pen-and-ink drawings – filled with soft watercolors – make a game of this unforgettable tour through the streets and scenes of early-twentieth-century Paris. Illustrated endpapers extend the fun by replicating a 1907 Baedeker map of Paris.

Delightful

2007-09-24
This is a delightful book that I purchased for my five year old granddaughter. She enjoys looking for the lost items.

Simon keeps loosing his things and imagine my surprise when my granddaughter decided I should be called Simon since I had misplaced my glasses and found them again.

Beautifully Illustrated

2007-07-30
I discovered this book at our local book store and fell in love with it immediately. My 3 1/2 year daughter found it equally enthralling and she loves to pick out all the lost items along the tale of the story. The historic locations really set this book apart.

What I found most interesting however is the section in the back of the book. It has mini-illustrations of each page and provides information on the location of each backdrop, when things were built, etc., and other historical tidbits, some regarding why children like [that particular park], for example. My daugher loves that section as well and always chooses a couple for me to read aloud to her. It's a great addition to a children's library.

An unqualified masterpiece...!

2007-07-29
I'm a big fan of Barbara McClintock's work, and this is perhaps her finest book to date, a gorgeously detailed romp through Paris in the pre-World War era. Adele and Simon are a sister-brother pair whose afterschool adventures take them to various Parisian landmarks, and along the way Simon loses almost all his school supplies and half his clothes, with Adele, the older sister, desperately trying to maintain some semblance of order. Both the writing and the artwork are of the highest order: this is an intelligent, beautifully rendered children's book -- a real class act. (ReadThatAgain!)

Outstanding book in a lovely Parisian setting

2007-03-26
This is a wonderful book about a big sister and her little brother who is constantly losing things. What is especially enchanting are the wonderfully detailed illustrations. Look for each lost item on each page. There are also a few of McClintock's hidden surprises within the pages.