Customer Reviews

Baby's First Steps in French

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My daughter is starting to struggle with three languages (French from me and Japanese with her mother, living in English-speaking New York City). And so when it comes to getting help, this CD was one of the best. She was fascinated with a few songs (notably Sur le Pont d'Avignon), but mostly (and this is one of the goals of the CD) she was exposed to a variety of French sounds, esp. the rolling R, which she does beautifully now. Given that I'm the only French speaker around her, and her grandparents visit only so often (at most twice a year for a few weeks), this CD was invaluable.

I couldn't care too much with the booklet that came with it, but I read it and it wasn't uninteresting, only I was familiar with the theories explained. But it serves as a nice reminder of how to best expose your child to sounds from another language, and should help English-speaking folks who want to use it for their children. The songs include various classics (Frere Jacques, Pont d'Avignon, Savez vous Planter les Choux, A la Claire Fontaine, and also spoken rhymes and more creative ones) in beautiful tones (nice electronic instrument, appropriate for children, and yet with a rich harmony). This is a CD that I also enjoy listening to, and also to remind myself of the lyrics---I'm afraid I'll have to learn them all over again. And I surprised myself humming them many times on the way to the playground.

Now we're going to start playing it again for her little brother.

We have a huge collection of French materials for small children, and this is by far the best. The music is good, the singers/speakers are natives, and the whole presentation is lively and fun. Our 18-month-old has been listening to this for a year and loves it. (Yes, she's actually learned some French words!)

This is a fabulous collection of rhymes and songs that are pleasant for both kids and adults to learn. My daughter is 2 and takes French at a language school. The teacher was very pleased to have this available as there is so little available for toddlers learning a foreign language

Unlike many language lullaby/rhyme/story tapes/CDs, this one is recorded by people who speak French as their FIRST language. It's a great combination of fun rhymes, traditional FRENCH songs (not English songs translated into French) and sound "drills." Even I'm starting to pick up these hard-to-learn-for-old-folks French sounds! :)

I just got this item yesterday and have not had a chance yet to go through the book but my first reaction is a little bit of disappointment.
I may not have read the exact description of the product but I was expecting a board baby book with lyrics and pictures and not a guide for parents that I am sure is nonetheless very interesting. We have another CD with a board book and it is truly amazing; The book is colourful and some of the songs are interpreted by children which is the second thing I was expecting from this product. It is so much fun to listen to those cute little voices instead of those quite boring adult voices.
The only thing I like about this CD is that it has a lot of songs and rhymes that I grew up with and I am glad that my son will be able to learn them because for most of them I had forgotten the lyrics.

I have used a few French learning CDs for my 3-year-old daughter, including this one and the Beth Manner CDs. My girl likes them all but I find this one the best in terms of quality of recording, clarity of speech, authenticity in accent, and being entertaining even for adults. I agree with the other reviewer that the thick booklet about learning theories is less useful (because I don't need to be convinced about the benefits of starting a foreign language early). The CD and the script book are wonderful tools for learning French while also being entertaining. This is the only CD among many I've used that I truly enjoy listening to repeatedly (even though I already speak quite fluently and am just using it for my girl). The songs are outstanding--the music and singing are of professional quality and I'm amazed this whole set (including 2 booklets and a CD only cost about $10). The French poems, songs, rhymes, etc. are all very authentic and beautifully recorded by native speakers who did such a fine job in making everything fun and exciting to listen to. I'd highly recommend this to anyone who loves the French language.

I really do like this cd, especially the companion text. However, I have noticed some errors such as rouge being orange instead of red.

This CD is wonderful! I find a lot of products for children 2 and older but this product is geared specifically towards children ages 2 and younger who are learning another language. My degree is in French, so I understand the CD, and I think that the things that it teaches are excellent! It exposes children to sounds specific to french, like the double l which is pronounced y, the ever-problematic french "r", as well as idiomatic things like "Trois" as the number three as well as "toi" used as the informal you. Best of all it is all done in a fun way through songs, rhymes, etc. I put this CD on every night when my daughter goes to bed and we both really enjoy it!! I think I'm going to buy the Spanish and Italian ones too!

I bought this cd for my daughter when she was 3 months old, she is now 7 months old, she seems to enjoy listening to the music. The music and rhymes are pleasant to listen to and I like the fact that the songs are of french origin and not american songs translated. I found the accompanying booklet very informative on language development in children.

I had taken French for a number of years and really wanted to be able to teach my children a foreign language as they grew. I got this CD along with the Spanish version and have been very pleased.

I like the songs as well as the practical dialogue interspersed without. The organization is great, especially how the sections are broken down into age specific language development. I was tickled to learn that a song I grew up singing -- Savez-vous planter les choux -- was on the disc as well.

Definitely entertaining and educational -- I'm learning as my daughter is, too.