Description
In this humorous, rhyming children's book, the illustrators have made the spirit of France come alive with their vibrant illustrations. They have done a wonderful job depicting the architecture of the Louvre Art Museum and the iconic monuments, the Arc de Triomphe ("Napoleon's gate") and Eiffel Tower. In this second book of the series, the chums have sailed in Chicky Cheruba's tuba to Nice, France where they lay on the beach enjoying the sun. Next they go to Paris where they eat pastries and crepes near the Napoleon's gate while looking at their guide book and wondering what to see in this great city. First they decide to go to the Louvre Art Museum and spend time looking at the famous Mona Lisa painting, where Chuck Chuck Chicky makes a little scene among the other museum goers. Then they climb the steps to see the statue of the Winged Victory of Samothrace, which Ring-a-Right tries to imitate while wondering what happened to this ancient statue's missing head. This is all in good fun. After a little time at the Louvre, the friends visit the Eiffel Tower, and here is where Ring-a-Right and Bear get into their usual mischief. They take the lift (elevator) to the top of the tower and Ring spreads his wings and soars, then lands with a "plop". Bear follows his example, but he jumps with a colorful parachute. At the bottom they tumble together with a "flip and a flop". The chums' main reason for going to France is to learn how to dance. They meet Francoise Benois, a dance instructor, and binge on truffles and toast at her maison (house) by the Seine river. Next she tries to teach the chums to dance. But they line up in their own unstable way, vertically, with Bear at the bottom and the two chicks at the top. They tilt left, then right, and then tumble down. While this is going on, Ring-a-Right is spinning around because he likes to spin when he's excited. Into the jumble of the other dizzy chums he crashes. Francoise Benois, who is serious about her dancing, is red-faced and says to the chums, "Au revoir, go away". And the chums leave that day for their next international adventure. There are some French words and phrases in the book which are explained on a page in the front along with the English pronunciations. It is just a small introduction to the French language for children.
