SAVOIR-VIVRE

Un bouquet original

Instead of offering your hostess a bouquet of flowers or a bottle of wine, why not an exotic bouquet of litchis, or lychees? These delectable fruits were the favorites of Chinese emperors for centuries. Easily and simply peeled with your fingers, their taste is reminiscent of roses and muscat grapes. It's no wonder they are increasingly popular in France. Their peak season is November through January.


©2019 P. B. Lecron

REACH OUT

Now more than ever, we all need to reach out to others, or tendre la main. This illustration is one from the French children's story, Le Lapin et le Roi Grenouille, written by my daughter, Marianne Lecron. Appealing to both young and old alike, this conte carries on the old custom of telling fairy tales in an original story that renews the folklore tradition. And, it teaches a lesson in the importance of helping one another.

Vocabulary
tendre la main:  extend one's hand


Click here to take a peek inside! Or have a look at its English version, The Rabbit and King Frog.

©2019 P. B. Lecron

HOW DO YOU SAY PLATYPUS IN FRENCH?

One cannot help but be amazed to hear certain multisyllable French words roll off the tongues of primary school children here, like Vercingétorix, the Gallic hero, or ornithorynque, the word for platypus. Of late, I've had to practice pronouncing the latter because my daughter has published another French children's story, Le Lapin et l'Ornithorynque. 

This is the third book of our on-going mother-daughter project in which she writes contes pour enfants, and I illustrate them. Caring and being kind are always the predominant themes of her stories, with this latest hoping to inspire children to help others, no matter what their differences. Click here to take a peek inside!

Vocabulary

un conte: a tale

un conte pour enfant: a children's story

un ornithorynque: a platypus

©2019 P. B. Lecron

JUST ABOUT, NEARLY, ALMOST

Quasiment--it's so much fun to say

Quasiment is our French word of the day, because our upcoming and third children's book is almost, or quasiment,
ready to be published. Written by my daughter and illustrated by myself, it will feature our favorite character, Papa Lapin, and introduce more of his friends, including Madame Loutre, or Mrs. Otter, above.

Vocabulary
prochain, -e: next

Hands on for early literacy!
Reading children's books in a foreign language, at no matter what age, is a great jump-start for the acquisition of a second language! If you're learning French, or simply looking for a children's book in French, here is one of our own recommendations, complete with a charming text and watercolor illustrations: Le Lapin et le Roi Grenouille written by Marianne Lecron. Available on Amazon worldwide, in French and English. Click here for a peek inside!

©2019 P. B. Lecron