Gracie, A Bilingual Adventure in the Blue Ridge Mountains is a story about a dog named Gracie who goes searching for a friend. The book can be purchased in German/English, French/English, and Spanish/English. Children will be drawn in by the whimsical, watercolor illustrations throughout the book. At the end of the book there is a Look-and- Find of Ashe County, North Carolina foliage that is found throughout the book. The paperback version of the book is $15.00, and the hardcover books are $25.00. E-books can also be purchased for $6.99. The book is 36 pages in length. This book is based on a true story adventure.

This bilingual book is intended to be used for children ages 1 to 4 with help from an adult. Children ages 5 and up with basic reading skills may be able to read the book on their own or with some assistance from a parent. The book uses simple and repetitive words that make the book easy to read. The foreign language is written in black and the English is written in green. They are written one on top of the other. These books are ideal for both the home and the school setting. Here is an example from a page in all three of the books.

French/English

Voici Gracie. Gracie est un chien.

This is Gracie. Gracie is a dog.

German/English

Das ist Gracie. Gracie ist eine Hündin.

This is Gracie. Gracie is a dog.

Spanish/English

Ésta es Gracie. Gracie es una perrita.

This is Gracie. Gracie is a dog.

There is a FREE audio download of Gracie, A Bilingual Adventure in the Blue Ridge Mountains for all versions of the book. This is such a wonderful way for children to be able to listen to the book being read aloud as they follow along in their books. There is music and sounds such as dogs barking, cats meowing, and animals snoring. Repetition is great for kids. They will love the audio version.

I think that Gracie, A Bilingual Adventure in the Blue Ridge Mountains is a wonderful way to introduce young children to different languages. I loved the audio feature. It reminded me of my record player and books that I had as a child. My daughter loved all three of the books. She had fun listening to all three of the audio versions of the book. By listening to the audio versions, she was able to catch on to how to pronounce almost all the words for each of the languages on her own. The illustrations are charming and will draw in young children. You and your children can go to the website found in the heading and read all about the real Gracie. I would recommend this book to parents and educators looking for a way to introduce a foreign language to their young child.

-Product review by Jennifer Ladewig, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, June 2020