Do you know of any Classic Children's French Books?

[PeterMollenburg]

I'm looking for some French children's books written by French authors. Something in the vein of Narnia (eg The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe) in terms of difficulty/age level, but the topic does not have to be anything similar, but something with a bit of adventure would be great. My daughter is enjoying the above book in English - my wife reads her a chapter every so often, and my daughter has now requested something similar which she is calling 'a chapter book' in French. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

[guyome]

Hector Malot's Sans Famille maybe? I really enjoyed it as a kid/young teenager (and it's probably well worth a reread even as an adult). The language may be slightly outdated here and there but, having read a couple of pages just now, it doesn't seem to be a big problem.

[Speakeasy]

I have no suggestions for specific titles. However, you might wish searching amazon.FR using “livres pour enfants de”, specifying the age of your child/children, as shown in the image below (simply touch on the space bar following "de" to show the list). The Amazon Customer Reviews are often a fairly reliable indicator of the quality or appropriateness of a specific item.

amazon.fr (livres pour enfants de ..).JPG

[yong321]

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Le Petit Prince is a good one. It was extremely popular, and is still widely read. But honestly, I would say adults probably enjoy reading it more than young children, even though it's meant to be read by children.

I read it along with its English (trans. Trumpet Club, 1988) and Chinese versions, and found some questionable translations. For example, "je découvrirai le prix du bonheur" was translated as "I shall show you how happy I am", "marchands d'amis" as "shop anywhere where one can buy friendship", etc.

[PeterMollenburg]

Hector Malot's Sans Famille maybe? I really enjoyed it as a kid/young teenager (and it's probably well worth a reread even as an adult). The language may be slightly outdated here and there but, having read a couple of pages just now, it doesn't seem to be a big problem.

I shall take a look when I get a chance, thank you, guyome!

I have no suggestions for specific titles. However, you might wish searching amazon.FR using “livres pour enfants de”, specifying the age of your child/children, as shown in the image below (simply touch on the space bar following "de" to show the list). The Amazon Customer Reviews are often a fairly reliable indicator of the quality or appropriateness of a specific item.

amazon.fr (livres pour enfants de ..).JPG

Yes I did this kind of search with FNAC (I prefer it to Amazon, but still use amazon for searching etc and reading reviews) and became quickly exasperated after discovering much of what I was finding were translations. I shall try amazon as well. Cheers, Speakeasy!

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Le Petit Prince is a good one. It was extremely popular, and is still widely read. But honestly, I would say adults probably enjoy reading it more than young children, even though it's meant to be read by children.

I read it along with its English (trans. Trumpet Club, 1988) and Chinese versions, and found some questionable translations. For example, "je découvrirai le prix du bonheur" was translated as "I shall show you how happy I am", "marchands d'amis" as "shop anywhere where one can buy friendship", etc.

Yep, I have this one. My daughter enjoys it somewhat, but as you touched on, it's probably better for adults or children who are almost adults in terms of maturity level. Thanks, nonetheless, yong321


Still frustrated - four five times I've had to sign in in the space of under 10 minutes!!! Stupid ^&&%% BS (you can see I'm a master at IT)


More book suggestions welcome!

[iguanamon]

I searched for les meilleurs livres en français pour les enfants and found this website list (with links) that may help Quels sont les meilleurs livres et albums pour enfants du moment ?

La littérature jeunesse ne se résume pas qu’à “Harry Potter” et aux “Animaux fantastiques” de J.K Rowling ! La preuve avec cette liste des albums, romans et livres pour enfants et ados préférés de la rédaction et sortis ces derniers mois. Que ce soit pour les touts petits (3-6 ans), les jeunes en âge de lire (7-12 ans) ou les ados (13-16 ans), vous trouverez forcément leur bonheur parmi ces livres écrits et illustrés par des auteurs comme Rebecca Dautremer, Manon Fargetton, Philip Pullman, Blexbolex, ou encore Nicolas de Crécy.
My loose translation- warts and all- Children's literature isn't just about "Harry Potter" and J.K. Rowling's "Fantastic Animals"! The proof is with this list of the favorite albums, novels and books for children and teenagers released by the editors in the last few months. Whether it's for young children (3-6 years), the young people of reading age (7-12 years) or teenagers (13-16 years), you'll certainly find their happiness amongst these books written and illustrated by authors like Rebecca Dautremer, Manon Fargetton, Philip Pullman, Blexbolex, or Nicolas de Crécy.

Most of the authors appear to be French. I clicked on some of the links but you have to be signed up to read the reviews. Still, that shouldn't present a problem with searching the titles elsewhere on the web. French wikipedia is good for this, as well as goodreads. If you have to have a physical copy, I find abebooks to be a good source for both used and new. Maybe even the Alliance will have some in their library.

I also found a free and legal site for kids where you can read on the screen ebookKids. I'm sure there will be a lot of translations here but some look to be originally French or at least French themed. There was one on Mardi Gras and another has a maple leaf on the cover titled "Le Canada". May be worth investigating, if not for you at least for French-learners looking for an easier way to get into reading. Looks like some of these have decent audio with them.

[rdearman]

Le Petit Nicolas
Mes Premiers J’aime Lire
J’aime Lire
Max et Lili
Bosley’s New Friends
Fantomette
Ratus
Martine
La belle lisse poire du prince de Motordu
La sorcière de la rue Mouffetard et autres contes de la rue Broca
Les Contes du Chat Perché
Voyage au Pays des Arbres

Les sortceliers by Sophie Audouin-Mamikonian

L'Alliance des Trois by Maxime Chattam

Songe à la douceur by Clémentine Beauvais (Auteure)

Sous la lune de Corbeau by David Bouchard

D'un monde à l'autre #1 by Pierre Bottero
Les Frontières de glace #2 by Pierre Bottero
L'île du destin #3 by Pierre Bottero

[DaveAgain]

A YouTuber did post titled "5 livres de notre enface", the books she highlighted were:

Les livres :
Les Trois Brigands - Tomi Ungerer
La Belle Lisse Poire du Prince de Motordu - Pef
Le Bon Gros Géant - Roald Dahl
Les Contes de la Rue Broca - écrit par Pierre Gripari et illustré par Claude Lapointe
Fifi Brindacier - Astrid Lindgren

But if you read the comments under the video, other people chipped in with their faves.

[guyome]

I shall take a look when I get a chance, thank you, guyome!

You're welcome! I hope you'll find something that your daughter enjoys.

[Ice Blue]

Le petit Nicolas and Les malheurs de Sophie. Peggy Sue et les fantômes is also a really cool series about a young girl who can see strange ghosts. I found those stories perfect when I was younger I would even like to re-read them now! I have very fond memories of Le Jour du Chien Bleu, Le sommeil du Démon and Le Papillon des Abîmes.

https://www.amazon.com/Peggy-Sue-fant%C3%B4mes-Jour-chien/dp/2259194303

I was also a very big fan of L'Oeil des dieux, by Ange. It's light science-fiction with lovable and believable young characters.

https://www.amazon.fr/LOeil-dieux-Ange/dp/2740410948