Teaching children a second language can empower children to learn new cultures and improve academics as they learn and grow well into their adult lives. Teaching your child French allows them to learn one of the most beautiful languages spoken worldwide.
There are many ways to teach your children a new language, with each child benefiting from a wide range of learning styles. For children, lessons are just one piece of the puzzle. Practicing their new language skills by reading a book in the desired language can help give kids a great intro to the language and give them insights into French culture.
Benefits of Learning French Through Books
There are numerous benefits to learning French through books, especially for kids. Here are some of the most significant advantages:
- Vocabulary and Grammar Acquisition: Reading books in French exposes children to a wide array of vocabulary and grammar structures, allowing them to learn and absorb these elements in a natural and enjoyable way.
- Cultural Awareness: Books often provide insight into the customs, values, and traditions of French-speaking societies, which can help kids better understand and appreciate these cultures.
- Improved Reading and Comprehension Skills: As kids read more French books, their reading and comprehension skills will improve, enabling them to tackle more complex texts over time.
- Enhanced Listening Skills: Reading books aloud or listening to audio recordings of French books can help children develop their listening skills and improve pronunciation.
- Boosted Confidence: As kids successfully read and understand French texts, their confidence in their language abilities will grow, motivating them to continue learning and exploring the language.
Criteria for Selecting the Best Books to Learn French
When searching for the best books to learn French, consider the following criteria:
- Age Appropriateness: Choose books that are suitable for your child’s age and reading level, ensuring that the content and language complexity are appropriate.
- Engaging Storylines: Select books with captivating and entertaining storylines to keep your child interested and motivated to read.
- Cultural Relevance: Opt for books that provide insight into French culture, history, and traditions to give your child a well-rounded language learning experience.
- Illustrations: High-quality illustrations can help bring the story to life and make the reading experience more enjoyable for kids.
- Language Complexity: Choose books that gradually increase in difficulty to help your child progress in their French language skills.
With these criteria in mind, let’s dive into our must-read books for kids to learn French.
Top 10 Must-Read Books for Kids to Learn French
There are many great French classics and new tales to dive into that span across all ages. These 10 must-read French books your children are sure to enjoy as they embark on learning a new language.
Le Petit Prince (Little Prince) – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Le Petit Prince is a beautiful story about a pilot who crashes in the desert and meets a young boy that has traveled far from his home on an asteroid with a single rose. The book is filled with life lessons about friendship and loss and is a great choice for intermediate learners.
Asterix – René Goscinny & Albert Uderzo
While books are wonderful for immersing your children in the language, comic books add images to bring a visionary element to classic stories. Asterix is a historical classic French comic set during the Roman Empire. The story follows the main hero, Asterix, who travels the world during the era of Julius Caesar. Asterix is a fun, entertaining comic book for beginners and kids of all ages.
Fables de la Fontaine – Jean de La Fontaine
The Fables de la Fontaine is a collection of fables written in the 1600s. These stories are considered some of the quintessential tales from French literature, following animal characters that appeal to all ages teaching valuable morals and lessons.
Auzou – Hansel et Gretel$8.95
Madeline – Ludwig Bemelmans
Madeline is a beloved French classic that tells the story of a young girl living in a boarding school with eleven other girls. Madeline is spirited, adventurous, and joyful and often finds herself making mistakes or in an unfortunate situations. The important lesson of the story of Madeline is to teach children that it’s okay to make mistakes as long as they learn from them and grow.
T’choupi – Thierry Courtin
T’choupi is the perfect book for ages one through five to promote learning French. These stories follow T’choupi, a young penguin, as he navigates problems that many children may encounter as they navigate learning, family, and life and find positive solutions. If you’re starting your little ones to learn French early, the T’choupi book series is an engaging and fun way to learn.
Les Malheurs de Sophie (Sophie’s Misfortunes) – Comtesse de Segur
This children’s book follows Sophie as she lives in the French countryside with her parents. Split up into chapters, each with a different tale, Sophie gets into mischief, often with her cousin Paul. This story is a great intermediate book for school-age children with a more advanced understanding of French.
Le Loup – Orianne Lallemand
Le Loup is a book series following Wolf’s many adventures. Many stories in the series follow a young wolf facing many situations, hardships, and experiences young children face in everyday life. With colorful images and a wonderful imagination, the Le Loup series is filled with great stories for babies through age eight.
Contes de la rue Broca (Stories of Broca Street) – Pierre Gripari
These easy-to-read stories feature thirteen tales of magic about the people that live near Broca Street in Paris. The stories are captivating from beginning to end and feature different characters throughout each story. The Contes de la rue Broca is great for both beginners and intermediate learners of the French language.
Arsene Lupin – Maurice Leblanc
For children that love a good mystery story, the Arsene Lupin series follows a gentleman thief and a master of disguise on his many adventures. These stories are an exciting read for intermediate French learners who love a good mystery.
Barbapapa – Annette Tison & Talus Taylor
An illustrated children’s book is about a unique species, Barbapapa, that can change into different shapes. Follow these creatures on their many adventures, from visiting the zoo to getting their own home. The Barbapapa series are great for young children up to age six.
Using literature is a great way to enhance your children’s French lessons and create an exciting element as they immerse themselves in the culture. These books are a great way for your children to improve their language skills and learn about French culture and history.
Whether your child is just starting to learn French or is already proficient, our best books to learn French are sure to captivate and inspire them on their language learning journey.