The book you read together, pointing

The pointing loop

This is the whole method, compressed into one interaction:

1. Your child points at something in the picture.
2. You name it, in French, and only in French.
3. You wait. Three full seconds. Longer than feels comfortable.
4. If they say it back, in any form, you repeat it correctly and warmly.
5. If not, you move on. No test, no pressure.

It requires almost no French from you, the noun and the patience. That's why the book is the strongest part of Le Dodo for a parent whose French is rusty.

Why not just use a French picture book?

You can, later, and we'll show you how. Most French picture books, though, are written for native-speaking parents, long sentences, past tenses, wordplay. This one is written for you: present tense, concrete nouns, every word depicted in the picture so no translation is ever needed. And it uses the same vocabulary as the bedtime routine, so the book reinforces the ritual instead of adding to it.