You may be familiar with "Old MacDonald had a Farm" and "Hey Diddle Diddle", but do you know any popular nursery rhymes about animals in French? If you have visited the Center on Saturday mornings, you may have heard some of the following songs hummed in the hallway or sung in the stairwell. These songs are simple, classic melodies that can be used for practicing new vocabulary and animal sounds - they're easy as one, two, meuh!

Last week at the library, we featured books on one of our favorite animals: le crocodile.

crocodile

Chantons..."Ah, les crocodiles !"

Ah, les cro, cro, cro / Les cro, cro, cro / Les crocodiles / Sur les bords du Nil, ils sont partis / N'en parlons plus !

Le crocodile



Chantons..."Coucou, hibou"

Dans la forêt lointaine / On entend le coucou / De haut dans son grand chêne / Il répond au hibou / Coucou, coucou, coucou, hibou, coucou / Coucou, coucou, coucou, hibou, coucou

Le hibou

La chose La chose

Desbordes, Astrid ; Boutavant, Marc



Chantons..."Petit escargot"

Petit escargot / Porte sur son dos / Sa maisonnette / Aussitôt qu'il pleut / Il est tout heureux / Il sort sa tête

L'escargot



Chantons..."L'araignée Gypsie"

L'araignée Gypsie / Monte à la gouttière / Tiens, voilà la pluie / Gypsie tombe par terre / Mais le soleil / a chassé la pluie !

L'araignée

Fil à fil Fil à fil

Jeanne Ashbe

L'araignée L'araignée

Elise Gravel



Finally, enjoy our favorite album + CD combinations, perfect for singing along at home! albums

Je chante avec les animaux

Christianne Beasley

Head Librarian

A native Mainer, Christianne has worked in libraries all her life and came to the Center after three years of managing the library at the Alliance Française in Washington DC. She has a B.A. in French Studies from Smith College, a MLIS from Simmons College, and loves children's literature, BDs, and cookbooks. When she is not at the library, you can find her traveling, baking, and - quelle surprise! - reading new books.

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We invite parents and children to gather in the children's room of our library for a magical story time in French!

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Theater Club in November

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Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Come join us for the new Theater Club at the French Library, a place to read, watch, discuss and recite contemporary and classic French plays with fellow enthusiasts.

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GASTRONOMY & WINE PROGRAM: YOUR FRENCH CULINARY ARTS AND WINE JOURNEY

Thursday, November 13, 2025

The French Library is delighted to present this cooking class from our new Gastronomy & Wine program. Guided by excellence, this program is designed to educate you in the fine art of cooking and oenology with experts.

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