Poppy and Buddy publishes bilingual picture books. Narrated by children who are native speakers of their language, the flagship Poppy and Buddy series introduces readers aged 2–7 years to a second language while also developing skills in their first language. All titles are available as print books with an interactive app.
Featured series
The Poppy and Buddy series
The Poppy and Buddy series features illustrated bilingual picture books for children aged 2–7 and an interactive app. Each book has a QR code to enable narration of the two languages by children who are native speakers, creating an engaging reading experience while promoting language acquisition. The Poppy and Buddy books support preschool curricula by promoting simple vocabulary, basic sentence structure and grammar, and formulaic expressions for commonplace objects, actions, and experiences. Enabling children to see the pictures and words and hear the narration in two languages provides a solid grounding in second-language acquisition while supporting first-language development.
A beta version of the Poppy and Buddy app has been tested in New Zealand by the University of Auckland’s Early Learning Lab and was shown to improve language comprehension by 40% for a child’s second language and 20% for their first language (based on a study of four-year-olds engaging with the app for 5–8 minutes per day, over three weeks).
Featured authors and illustrators
Richard Hoit
Richard Hoit is a well-known New Zealand illustrator who has been working in children’s books for over twenty years. During this time, he has worked on a wide range of projects locally and internationally for publishers from Pearson to McGraw-Hill, Cengage, Oxford University Press, National Geographic and Sunshine Books. Richard studied art and art history and has had a passion for drawing and painting all his life. He enjoys the challenge of interpreting scripts from whimsical to moody and humorous, and making them come alive.
Contact
Jeff Brown
Founder, Poppy and Buddy
jeff@poppyandbuddy.com
