Bonjour! Let’s Learn French

Bonjour!  Welcome to our review of Bonjour! Let’s Learn French, by Judy Martialay, a French and Spanish teacher in the USA.  You can read our review of ¡HOLA! Let’s Learn Spanish here.  The children still remember a few words of Spanish from that book, so I thought they would also enjoy Judy’s newest book.  Bonjour! Let’s Learn French is a picture book for children that introduces them to some simple French words and phrases in a fun and friendly way.

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Children love story books, so this is a good way to introduce them to a new language without a lot of pressure, and who can resist little Louis l’escargot?

This is a short story of Louis, a French snail on the beach who finds himself the king of a sandcastle build by some kids who were there for a day of fun.  It’s a fun story and I could see my kids build a structure for one of our plentiful neighbourhood snails.

But how can you introduce your children to a language you may not speak yourself?  Not to worry, there is an audio download available to accompany the book in which the French is narrated by a native French speaker so children will learn the correct accents and intonation of the language.  I’ve had the audio book playing in the background while the children are playing or working on other projects so the sounds of the language become familiar to them.

As you can hear, the story of Louis l’escargot is mostly in English so children can understand it, but it is peppered with French words after being introduced for the first time in English.  Some of the words can be a little hard to get your mouth around until you’ve practiced again and again…but then Paris wasn’t built in a day, either!  Like everything in life, perfection comes through practice and familiarisation.

Contents of Bonjour! Let’s Learn French

After the main story, there is much more to this book!

• A dictionary where you can find all the French phrases used in this book.
• French phrases – such as introductions, how are you, colours, and some additional words.
• A treasure hunt.
• A chart to use to encourage children to use a phrase a day in French.
• There’s a 2-page skit for children to have some fun.
• Culture Corner – learn about France as well as some other places that French is spoken.
• There’s a song to learn and sing.
• Art – make an impressionist picture while learning art techniques and the words for colours in French.

If you want to further immerse your children in French, listen to French music (I must bring mine back down from the attic), cook and bake – kids love to be in the kitchen!   Visit art galleries and appreciate French artists, or set up exchanges such as postcards, through Postcrossing.

Judy has written a special guest post for us about Giving Your Child an Early Start in Learning A Language (even if you don’t speak it), please click over and you’ll see some interesting and helpful advise.

Judy is a retired French and Spanish teacher.  She was Co-Chair of the Public Advocacy Committee of the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers for 10 years.  If you’d like to know more or would like to follow Judy and Polyglot Kidz, you can connect with her through her website, Facebook, and Twitter.