Customer Reviews

French Playground

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Right from the start, this jazzy cd catches the ear of kids and adults
alike. Whistles and bird chirps get your attention before the music
even starts. There are no sappy voices or computerized instrumentals
present on so many kids' CDs. Putumayo obviously put as much
production value into their children's CDs as they do their adult
offerings. French speakers and non-French speakers alike will be singing or
humming along quickly.

Pascal Parisot's cut "Wonderful" mixes French and English in a
techno-pop tune that everyone in our house loves to sing and
dance to. The voices have been synthesized to match the instrumentals
in a very cool way. There are tunes that give a nod to the French
greats--"Clic-Clac Oh C'est Beau" has hints of Edith Piaf. But France
is far from the only country where French is spoken and the songs on
the CD come from around the French-speaking world including Haiti,
Mauritius, and Montreal.

The CD comes with a thoughtfully written booklet which includes an
introduction and credits along with a paragraph about each song written
in both French and English with kids in mind. Each song's lyrics are
also printed in both French and English.--Amy O'Neill Houck

This is a fantastic collection of cool songs that are entirely enjoyable for all age groups! The CD is currently on repeat in my stereo's CD changer because I happen to love it so much. My son is only 4 months old, but he appears to like the melodies and he enjoys my enthusiasm as I sing along, dance and make faces for him.

To address the negative review, I think that's just a misunderstanding. Take "Mr. Bibendum" for example. It's a song about a guy who is big because he enjoys fine food (not McDonald's junk) and who has stopped letting society tell him how he should feel about his body- his wife likes him and that's all that matters! I found that to be a surprisingly positive message from a song coming out of France where, let's face it, anybody who's lived there can tell you they can be less than diplomatic about things like weight and appearance.

As for "Wonderful," it's a song about a guy who doesn't want to melt into the background, who wants to make something of his life whether "in sports or business," and who wants to be extraordinary so that people will take notice of him. What's wrong with that? Again, I think this is a misunderstanding- especially since the English translation differs very subtly in feeling from the original French.

Other songs have wonderful messages like environmental conservation, family togetherness, finding happiness in small things and appreciation of nature.

This is a CD full of such cute songs- some playful, some touching, all very catchy. You will definitely find yourself singing along!

This is a great collection of original, contemporary songs in French from many parts of the world. I think it's the best Putumayo CD ever. People seem to enjoy it no matter their level of French! The music & lyrics are alive, relevant, full of interesting images, textures, voices. The songs have a way of introducing people, points of view, places, sort of like you're going around the world meeting interesting people everywhere you go, hearing their stories.

Kids under the "age of reason" will just like listening and probably want to know the gist of each song. Meanwhile the parents will enjoy the miracle of music that appeals to them as much as to their kids. There's something for every age and if understanding the lyrics makes older kids think a little, then FANTASTIC.

If you are looking for wonderful REAL French music with world flavor, this is it. If you are looking for plastic tunes that feed your kids a sanitized list of vocabulary, nope, this is not it. There is nothing I find offensive in here, but there is funny, real, tongue-in-cheek stuff, descriptive of our world and of real people.

A mon avis, c'est une excellente collection. Catchier, more upbeat and more consistently appealing than other Putumayo French music collections, in my opinion. I pop it in and can't help but sing along. I teach French (KG-6th grades) and my students enjoy it too. The lyrics are clever. I don't know what that one reviewer was talking about.

very smart selection. We have a 2 mos old at home and parents (1 french and 1 american - both bilingual) and baby love it. music quality is very good and is fit for adults and kids alike. lyrics are very interesting and positive, not the dumb-down or sugar-coated message kids usually get. some of the artists have a very successful mainstream/adult pop career (fersen, benabar). whoever commented that the lyrics were not suitable for kids doesn't get the cultural context that a word for word translation doesn't convey (e.g., right mr bibendum is fat but boy does he sound happy. it's seen as a quality to enjoy food "epicurien"). i find myself huming the songs while i am away from home.

This CD is awesome! I bought it because I am speaking french to my grandson...I babysit for him several times a week and every song on this CD is great! He can't wait for me to put on the CD (he's almost one) and we sing and dance and the tunes
are so catchy...LOVE IT!

I love having this for my little one to listen to at bed time. It's not my favorite cd from them, that would be world playground, which I used to play all the time for dancing at the child care center I worked at. I like that it includes a booklet with translations and also songs in creole french!

I'm a beginner French learner. I got this product for pronunciation practice. It has lyrics for the songs in the package. You can follow the lyrics when you try to sing. There are 4 easy, 4 intermediate and 4 difficult songs, I can say.

We listen to this CD all the time. I like that it has english and french lyrics enclosed and the music is really upbeat and lively.

We all love this album at our house. My son is 15 months old. It is different from anything else we have and has quite a variety within itself. It is a bit more mellow than the other albums we have in the Playground series (World and World 2), and there are many times, such as mealtimes, when that makes it a better choice.

In response to a previous reviewer's complaints about the lyrics: I appreciate that this, and the other Playground albums, are a bit more sophisticated than other things that are on offer for children. In my opinion there is nothing that is inappropriate. There are things that, when my son is old enough, will be great grounds for discussion. Personally, I think "Clic-Clac C'est Beau" has a great message for kids. They live in a time when they really need to know how people impact the world around them.