Books for a 7 year-old struggling to read French

November 25, 2024 10:10 PM

My grandson in Quebec is having some reading issues. I would like to provide some fun, easy-read books. Possibly a series, with pictures but not a picture book.

He grew up speaking English but is now in his second year at a French school. His mother is fully bilingual and he gets daily help. I think a book or two with humour, silliness, or animal stories might get him more interested in reading. He is mad about dinosaurs and trucks.
Thanks for any and all suggestions.

posted by Enid Lareg to Education (8 answers total)

If his school has a librarian, they would LOVE to answer this question.
posted by kate4914 at 10:35 PM on November 25 [2 favorites]

Are comics ok? If so, Asterix & Obelix!
posted by inexorably_forward at 12:14 AM on November 26 [3 favorites]

Best answer: That period of time when your second language isn’t yet to where you get all the humour is hard. But I would say Superchien (Dog Man) or Capitaine Bobette (Captain Underpants) to the rescue - if you’re sure he’s up to it. You can also get him to pick from the Scholastic Canada French selection. These are largely in translation but that helps with the in-jokes that are harder to get while your fluency develops.
posted by warriorqueen at 4:12 AM on November 26 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Look for books by Elise Gravel! She’s a Quebec author of kids’ books for that age group, and she writes very funny books about a range of topics. We had Le Rat, one of a series about ‘gross’ animals (there’s one about worms, one about bats, one about toads etc.) and they are available in English and French.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 6:12 AM on November 26 [1 favorite]

The magazines j’aime lire and tobogan are pretty great if you can get ahold of them or afford the subscription. j’aime lire has comics+one story that isn’t a picture book but has some illustrations for context. Tobogan is more based on comics and games. Super high quality, entertaining content. I wish my kids hadn’t aged out!
posted by umbú at 6:13 AM on November 26

Books in translation are a good thing, because they are usually easier for the kid to translate back into English than text which has never been in English. They are especially a good idea if they are the French version of a story the kid has heard or read before. If he tries to read "Blanche Neige et Les Sept Petits Nains" he will have no trouble at all figuring out what a nain is from context because he will be familiar with the English version.

Err on the side of easy rather than challenging him. Chances are he is at the stage of consolidating current French language reading skills rather than expanding them, and needs to practice what he can already do before trying to work on harder material. This is normal for kids learning to read. That's why they tend to binge read very formulaic chapter books. They gain fluency when they do it. It should feel like fun, not homework.
posted by Jane the Brown at 7:12 AM on November 26 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I'm not 7, but I found the Chien Pourri books (which are recommended for ages 6-8) funny and charming. The series is about a stinky but happy stray dog and his various adventures with his fleas and his cat friend Chaplapla. There are associated stuffed toys and an animated series if that's the sort of thing that your grandson would like.
posted by mskyle at 8:10 AM on November 26 [1 favorite]

I'm also not 7, but I've been learning French and the Super Chien books are fantastic - genuinely amusing even for adults. My nephew in French immersion who's around that age also loves the Les Legendaires comic book series.
posted by Gortuk at 1:34 PM on November 26