#2 Le Petit Nicolas et les Copains by Sempé and Goscinny

Not a dystopian thriller this time, just a book written for children ages 8+. My dad suggested I read in different languages as well, so I'm going to try to do that. The only caveat (is that how you use that word?) is that I am 10x slower reading in any language that is not English. I decided to start with a short French book for this reason.

This book is only 142 pages (with big font) but it took me 4 days to finish it. It's cool to know I can still read in French, even if the vocabulary is very basic and the syntax is quite childish. It was harder to enjoy it, since I stumbled on a word every few sentences, and because it was a kid's book. But I enjoyed the challenge, and overall it made me very nostalgic. (I love nostalgia)

The book's narrator is little Nicolas, a very sweet child who keeps getting in trouble with all his friends. The author does a great job of thinking like a child, which made me miss my kiddos. Kids have such a sweet way of seeing things. Half the time that they get in trouble they don't mean to do something bad, they just want to play and explore the world. They forget rules or that their actions can have consequences. I like that about kids. I also like to talk to kids about that, I love to see them realize the consequences, to help them see where they come from before they act. It's such a sweet gift. In that way this book is a sweet gift, perhaps a great book to understand kids first if your initial reaction is to get mad at misbehavior.

I am excited to read a grownup book now though.

Page count: 142

Total Pages: 674