The French Connection/La collection française

PreS-Gr 3—With four DVDs and two CDs of music, this boxed set offers a well-rounded, engaging introduction to the French language. Each 35-minute DVD covers basic French vocabulary—the seasons, parts of the body, and foods—through the adventures of an animated mouse, Fritzi, and a human host, Marie. The program focuses on language immersion: all dialogue is completely in French. Marie speaks directly to the audience, slowly enough to be understood without sounding unnatural, repeating key phrases multiple times. Vocabulary words frequently appear on the screen, and most children will find it relatively easy to follow what is being said from context and visual cues. A diverse cast of children interact with Marie, enthusiastically demonstrating how to respond to her questions. Live-action video clips of kids playing in natural settings provide a backdrop for many of the songs and are interspersed throughout each episode. The accompanying CDs include songs from the DVDs, as well as traditional French songs and original songs in a variety of styles. However, viewers cannot select chapters, which may limit the DVDs' usefulness in a classroom setting.