Lao uses a phonetic alphabet and writing system, so after you learn the letters, reading is mostly a question of practice. These cartoons and captions make it fun to learn the consonants; we have other books for the vowels.
Each page has a big cartoon and a smaller one, each with a caption in which all the words (or almost all, for the least-used letters) start with the consonant being learned. The title, "Gope Gae Gadum" translates as "The Frog Opens Buttons"; we adapted it to get an appealing English translation.
by Uncle Sasha, illustrated by Seng Xaysawan
First published in 2014 :: Lao language :: 32 pages :: Paperback :: A5
This book was made possible by a sponsorship from Judith Keene and Doug Ewart of Canada. Thank you!
Books that need a sponsor and how to do it.
Sample pages from The Frog Unbuttons Its Shirt
My favorite is "Ling lao luang." It means, "The monkey is reading a story."
