French Playground by Putumayo

French Playground reflects the rich variety of Francophone music. It features 12 songs by artists from France, the Caribbean, Africa and Quebec. Bilingual families and children learning French or English will enjoy the fact that the complete lyrics for each song are printed in both languages. As with all Putumayo CDs, French Playground features full-color liner notes with artist and cultural information. The CD is a great resource for language and social studies teachers.

The artists on French Playground include some of the most popular children’s performers in their respective countries, along with successful pop artists such as Pascal Parisot, Thomas Fersen, Tryo and Ariane Moffat whose songs were selected for their all-ages appeal. Musical styles range from French chanson and Gypsy jazz to the twoubadou music of Haiti and the rootsbending style of Triton, who is from Mauritius, an island off the east coast of Africa.

Gallic joie de vivre is expressed in each of the tunes, from the opening song’s invitation to “tickle the sun” with a ladybug (Chatouiller le Ciel avec Toi), to songs that celebrate the beauty of the South of France (Clic-Clac Oh C’est Beau!). Some of the tracks provide tasty little slices of French life, including "Bonjour, Bonjour," which tells of a little bus’s journey past boulangeries and other neighborhood spots. Children will also enjoy a young man’s memories of staying with his grandparents (Petit Francais).

Track List: