PLAY ME I'M YOURS

Here, there and everywhere

The street piano movement, around since 2008 in other world capitals, made its way to Paris this summer. The idea is to place second-hand pianos in public places so that passersby can stop to play them--between 9:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. Of course. This one is in the Jardin des Plantes and will remain there until July 8 when the 40 pianos installed around Paris will be packed up and lent to local organisations--until next year when they will again be installed outdoors. The pianos have all been decorated in varying degrees by local artists, and are played as well by the public to the same extents. Lots of fun for mélomanes.

Vocabulary
en libre accès:  free access
au coin de la rue:  at the street corner
un passant:  a passerby
une, un mélomane:  a music lover



©2012 P.B. Lecron

THE CUTEST CAROUSEL IN PARIS

It's the Dodo Manège in the Jardin des Plantes

Le Jardin des Plantes is a botanical garden established in 1635 under the reign of Louis XIII. Originally called le Jardin du Roy, the King's Garden, it--with all of its galleries, laboratories, menagerie, collections and library--was renamed le Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle during the French Revolution. Its menagerie, created in 1793, is the second oldest zoo in the world.

Vocabulary
un dodo:  a dodo, an extinct flightless bird found on Mauritius until the late 17th century
un manège:  a carousel, a merry-go-round; a riding school
faire un tour de manège:  to have a ride on a merry-go-round
une ménagerie:  a menagerie, i.e., a collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition


Children's Song
Listen to Le Dodo, number 20 on the list of this link by French children's entertainer Chantal Goya


©2012 P.B. Lecron

An update
If you or your children are learning French or English, then why not immerse yourselves in reading children's books? Easy to understand and with illustrations, they are great learning sources and a fun way to jumpstart the acquisition of a second language--even for adults! For starters, we'd like to recommend a children's story that gently teaches a lesson in helping others, Le lapin et la lune, écrit par Marianne Lecron, illustré par P. B. Lecron. Its English version is The Rabbit and the Moon. Both are available on worldwide Amazon sites.

Here's another recommendation!
We've been busy and have still another captivating children's story to recommend based on the adventures of Papa Lapin and his growing circle of friends: Le Lapin et le Roi Grenouille. This surprising and colorful story is also available in English: The Rabbit and King Frog. Both are available on Amazon. Click on the titles to take a peek!

©2018 P. B. Lecron