Reading and learning about a place before you visit is a great way to drum up excitement for the trip. You will have a better experience if you recognize the sites and know basic history. Learning the local language, even just a couple of key phrases, can make visiting a foreign country more enriching. Try reading some children’s books about your destination for the best possible travel experience for you and your kids.
I originally planned on writing this post several years in the future when the children are older and money is free-flowing, and we could actually GO on a trip to Europe. With the pandemic and recent shutdowns, I doubt we’ll be traveling overseas anytime soon.
When I was in elementary school, my sister and I flew to Paris to visit our friends Madelynn and Lili for a week. Their parents had taken a yearlong sabbatical and they lived in an apartment in the city. In preparation for the visit we did chores for spending money, learned a little French (to this day the phrase Je ne comprends pas is ingrained in my head!), and read books about France.
Preparing for the trip was half the fun! When you know a little about the place you are visiting, it’s so much more exciting to see the things you’ve been learning about.
Once we arrived I recognized the Eiffel tower and other cultural icons from books we read. My mom speaks French, and we were able to learn several phrases from a French-language book for kids. We were introduced to French culture and food from a non-fiction book for kids. Did you know that French children typically have a half school day on Wednesday? I was excited to try French foods because I had been introduced to them before the trip. We tried escargot and my sister had a pain au chocolat from the local bakery at least twice a day. Being about to learn about France through books and other avenues before the trip really helped us have the best trip possible.
That trip was a wonderful experience and I want to give my kids the same opportunity one day. Even though my family can’t go to France right now, we can still travel vicariously through the books we read. Here are some of our family’s favorite children’s books to discover France through reading.
Classic Books in English and French
These classic children’s books have text in both English and French and are a fun introduction to the French language.
Am I Small? Je Suis Petite, Moi? This adorable book by Philipp Winterberg is a classic written in both French and English, letting tiny readers get used to the French language while still following the story.
The Bear book series by Stella Blackstone are a fantastic resource to learn vocabulary. The series focuses on Bear as he goes about his day and introduces basic words. The bilingual version is written in both English and French, a great way to introduce the language and learn some words.
Il Fait Comment Le Caméléon? is a French book for little kids and is great for teaching animal names and sounds. Although the book is entirely in French, the story is easy to pick up. It will help if the adult reading knows basic French to help with word pronunciation. The best part is discovering how the French say animal sounds (French cows go Meuh!)
French Language Learning Books
Here are my two favorite French language books for younger kids. I love that they focus on essential phrases instead of grammar and conjugating verbs.
First Phrases French by Lonely Planet Kids. Lonely Planet produces fantastic guidebooks and I’m happy to hear they’ve published some for kids. I like this book because it focuses on phrases that kids can actually use while traveling. So many school curriculums focus on grammar and reading, which is great of course, but it’s nice to have some easy-to-remember phrases that are worth knowing.
My French Sticker Dictionary. What kid doesn’t love stickers? This book is aimed at children ages 3-6 and features clear and colorful stickers and illustrations in settings like the zoo and in the classroom.
And to tie into the above, pick up a French/English sticker set to stick to everyday household items. You stick the sticker on the lamp or window or dog and whenever you look at that item you see the French name. My mom had these when she was learning Italian and as a child I remember randomly seeing little stickers hiding on our lamps and tables.
Children’s Books Set in France
These picture books don’t teach the French language or list popular tourist sites. They are simple children’s books that happen to take place in France. These are great books to read if you want to get a feel for French life and atmosphere without the stuffiness of reading a guide book.
The Happy Lion by Louis Fatio is about a friendly lion who one night decides to visit the townsfolk of their small French village. (They visit him during the day, he must return the favor!) The book has a sprinkling of French phrases throughout the text (“Bonjour, Lion!”), and illustrations by the author’s Caldecott award-winning husband, Roger Duvoisin.
Madeline is a classic children’s book by Ludwig Bemelmans about the littlest girl in the boarding house exploring Paris with her classmates. The pictures are iconic – Bemelmans won the Caldecott Honor award for Madeline in 1940 – and they really make you want to visit Paris in the rain. At the end of the book a list of the architecture shown throughout the book.
Adele and Simon was written and illustrated by Barbara McClintock, a wonderful award-winning modern-day children’s book author. It is about young Adele and her brother Simon walking home from school. Forgetful Simon keeps losing his belongings all over Paris. The reader has fun tracking the kid’s journey and lost items all through Paris. The book includes a beautiful old map where you can follow the children’s path.
Claris: The Chicest Mouse in Paris celebrates the fashionable side of Paris. Young mouse Claris dreams of moving to Paris to follow her fashion inspirations. This is the first in the Claris Mouse series by fashion illustrator Megan Hess. The story is fun and the drawings, especially the outfits, are very well done.
French History
These books have elements of historical French events but are not necessarily about them. Kid’s historical fiction is a great way to set the stage for fun stories while also becoming familiar with historic events.
Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully tells the story of young Mirette, who helps famous but incognito tight rope walker the Great Bellini find his courage in 19th century Paris. The Great Bellini was a real-life wire walker famous for cross Niagara Falls.
I, Crocodile, written and illustrated by Fred Marcellino is a humorous book narrated by a stately and self-important crocodile who was taken from his home in Egypt and gained celebrity status in Paris. Napolean and his war with Egypt set the stage before traveling to Paris.
Zeraffa Giraffa. Reading these books is giving me a great little history lesson, I didn’t realize that Egypt and France were so closely tied. In a similar vein to I, Crocodile, Zeraffa Giraffa follows the story of Zeraffa the Giraffe who was gifted to the King of France by Egypt in the 1800s. If your child takes to this story, there are several other children’s books about Zeraffa. For younger kids, I recommend Zarafa: The Giraffe Who Walked to the King by Judith St. George. Zeraffa is based on a real-life story, the Paris Review wrote an interesting article if you are curious.
There are multiple kids books about King Louis XIV, but King Louie’s Shoes by D. J. Steinberg is my favorite to date. King Louis is sensitive about his short stature and tries multiple ways to make himself appear taller: by wearing big hats, large wigs, and finally, creating high-heeled shoes. The book paints a flattering picture of the king who learns an important lesson about earning respect. The end of the book has some facts about the Sun King (14, of course).
Children’s Guide Books
Guide books for kids are a whole different beast than guide books for adults. Young kids don’t need to know (or care) what time a museum opens or the best way to get there. What they want is basic information with little tidbits of history and culture distilled into small kid-sized bites. The best kids guide books create excitement and a thirst for more information while also being short and succinct. None of the guidebooks I’ve included here are really traditional, yet they introduce kids to some amazing sites and give them just enough information to leave them wanting more.
This is Paris is a very special book that should have its own category. Yes, it’s a guidebook, and yes, it was first published in 1959, but it’s one of my favorite non-fiction books to introduce children to the city of lights and all it has to offer. The illustrations you will immediately associate with traveling! Author and illustrator Miroslav Sasek is known for his travel books for children. This version has been updated with little notes to bring it up to date with the present day.
Stickyscapes Paris. One side of the sturdy fold-out book is a map of present-day Paris, while the other side is a historic and imaginative Paris. The Stickyscapes brand has a whole host of maps for different cities if you’re a fan of stickers.
Pop Up Paris is another Lonely Planet kids book. It’s only 8 pages and features six popups of iconic Parisian landmarks. Although the book is more about the popups than any kind of text, it’s a great resource for children who are visual learners.
Our children are too young for a trip to France (and with the Pandemic it’s a no-go anyway) but I still enjoy the idea of hyping up a country to inspire future visits and dream. Maybe one day they’ll grow up and travel the world, or maybe they’ll develop a love for one culture and want to visit a specific place. Either way, introducing children to different places is a great way to introduce a love of travel and appreciation for other countries.
I hope you enjoy exploring with these books as much as my family and I do. As always, thanks for reading.
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