Tag: French

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Words in a French Life

Words in a French Life: Lessons in Love and Language from the South of France by Kristin Espinasse is an absolutely delightful book to help increase both vocabulary and an understanding of French culture for high school and college-level students. It is also enjoyable to read.

The book is a series of essays — originally written as blog posts –about Kristin Espinasse’s daily struggles and triumphs as an American living in France with her French husband and family. Each essay focuses on a few related French words and phrases that tie together with events that occurred. I have never studied French, yet I found myself recognizing words and remembering phrases in ways I had never done with other languages I have studied.

If you would like to get a taste of what the book is like and find out more, visit Espinasse’s blog French Word A Day. Even if you aren’t studying French, it just might convince you to try.

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Touchstone (May 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0743287290
ISBN-13: 978-0743287296


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French For Cats

To start out our exploration of books useful for introducing young people to world languages, let’s take a look at two little books that are sure to spark an interest in French:  French for Cats: All the French Your Cat Will Ever Need and Advanced French for Exceptional Cats: Sophisticated French for a Cat as Smart as Yours by Henry Beard (and John Boswell) and illustrated by Gary Zamchick. Both books are written in English and French with a lighthearted humor that is sure to warm the hearts of cat lovers and language lovers alike.

Both are little books, only roughly four by six inches, but they pack a big dose of laughs. Just to be clear, there is a bit of “potty” (well, litterbox) humor and referenced to being neutered, so the reader range is probably mature middle grade to young adult.

The illustrations are pen and ink cartoons with watercolor, in keeping with the light tone of the books.

Example of text:

What I do
Ce Que Je Fais

I meow
Je miaule

I purr
Je ronronne

I sleep
Je dors

If you own cats, you know about that last one. 🙂

French for Cats works as a fun introduction to vocabulary for beginners and a brush up for more advanced speakers. Advanced French for Exceptional Cats even has a mini-session in grammar.

To get you in the mood, here is a video of another French cat, Henrí. Although the humor of the video is more subtle than the books, it still makes me laugh out loud. Look for videos like this one to hear French being spoken.

Although the first editions were printed in the 1990’s, the books were bestsellers and were reprinted, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a copy.

French for Cats: All the French Your Cat Will Ever Need by Henry Beard, John Boswell and illustrated by Gary Zamchick

Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: Villard; 1 edition (October 8, 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 067940676X
ISBN-13: 978-0679406761

Advanced French for Exceptional Cats:  Sophisticated French for a Cat as Smart as Yours by Henry Beard and illustrated by Gary Zamchick

Publisher: Villard; First Edition 2nd edition (October 27, 1992)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0679417648
ISBN-13: 978-0679417644

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Asterix the Gaul

Time for another humorous series of books that have been entertaining (and secretly educating) people for decades. 

I was first introduced Asterix the Gaul by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo in my high school Latin class many years ago. The text had been translated from the original French into Latin. Does that sound dry? A book about Gauls from Roman times written in Latin? Wrong! My classmates and I loved the spunky cartoon characters so much, we would spend hours trying to figure out what each was saying. I’m sure all my success in Latin is due to the foresight of our teacher to provide us with Asterix books.

Several years ago, I stumbled on an English version. It turns out that there is a whole series featuring Asterix and Orion publishers has been re-releasing the books. I immediately bought several for my then elementary-school-age son. He loved them, too. In fact he went in costume as Asterix the Gaul on Halloween, and was bitterly disappointed when everyone thought he was a Viking.

What’s to love:

  • Incredibly clever word play and side-splitting puns
  • A humorous overview of history and geography during Roman times
  • Sly references to classics, films and famous pieces of artwork

What a few parents may not love:

  • Cartoon violence in the form of fighting

Most of the violence is the direct result of the conflict between the Gauls and the Romans, which is historically appropriate. To me, it seems so over-the-top slapstick that it is not objectionable, but I did want to mention it for those that are sensitive to such things.

You can get somewhat of a feel for the flavor in the film version. (The books are better. They don’t have the dated feel.)

Although listed as for ages 9-12, the Asterix books are really for all ages. Our local library files them in young adult or sometimes in graphic books. If your child is learning a language or you want to brush up on the language you took in high school, you might consider the French or Latin versions as well.

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Publisher: Orion (September 1, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0752866052
ISBN-13: 978-0752866055

Asterix the Gaul is the first in the series.

A selection from the Asterix series in English

A selection from the Asterix series in French

A selection from The Asterix series in Latin