Here are the French DVDs that my kids have been watching over the last six months or so:
- Le Petit Nicolas: cartoon version of the classic stories by Jean-Jacques Sempé and Rene Goscinny. I hope that this will motivate the kids to read the original books in a few years!
- Pierre et le loup. This combination live-action/cartoon interpretation of Peter and the Wolf, starring Kirstie Alley, Ross Malinger, and Lloyd Bridges, was originally produced in English and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program and numerous other awards in 1996. My disc has seven language choices: French, German, Italian, English, Dutch, Hebrew, and Spanish.
- Thomas le Petit Train: French translation of the popular Thomas the Tank Engine television series. I wouldn't let the kids watch this in English, but my oldest somehow adores Thomas anyway, and the rich language makes it worth watching in French.
- Kirikou: cartoon films by Michel Ocelot. The magical baby Kirikou saves his village from a series of disasters orchestrated by a powerful witch who seeks to destroy him. Refreshingly different from anything ever produced in North America--nudity and all! Ocelot also produced Azur et Asmar, a fascinating story of brotherhood across cultures and social classes.
- L'alphabet des tout-p'tits, with Francis Perrin: teaches the alphabet in French through songs and simple cartoons.
- La Princesse au petit pois and La Chèvre de Monsieur Seguin: classic tales by Hans Christian Andersen and Alphonse Daudet in updated cartoon versions.
- L'histoire du chameau qui pleure: an amazing view into the lives of a nomadic Mongolian family. The film (not really a children's movie, but the kids like it almost as much as the adults do) tells the story of a young camel who has trouble giving birth to her first baby and then refuses to nurse him. A violinist is brought in to help. The dialogue is in French, so there are no sub-titles to read.
(Don't forget that you will need to acquire a region-free DVD player in order to watch these DVDs if you live in North America or elsewhere outside of Zone 2 (Europe, Japan, South Africa, Middle East).)
I have recently ordered a copy of the Asia for Kids program After School Chinese and will post a list of our other recent Chinese discoveries soon!
2 comments:
Thank you for sharing this list! I hadn't heard of many of the titles. I've also added a link to it on a new page on my blog called "French Teaching at Home."
Sarah, thank you! I'm glad you found the list useful. I hope to get some book lists up soon.
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