Bonjour Les Amis!, Vol. 1

We previewed this DVD yesterday to determine if we wanted to purchase the other 2 in the set.I kept in mind what other reviewers said as well. The animation reminds me of PBS. It's obviously been released on VHS as instructions for pressing play, stop, etc. on a VCR are given. The animation is also not computer generated so some children may be put off about it. It reminds me of some of the PBS animated reading programs. At least you don't have to worry about out-dated fashions. It's just a cat in simple clothing.I am also a certified foreign language teacher Pre-K-12 and I am aware of what is out there for young children. I think this is a good supplementary/support-type product, but I wouldn't rely on it alone to teach your child French.Of the products I viewed, I believe this one is the best for the younger children. I'm not sure about the upper age range for the product, but I think you could use it with a child younger than 4. I don't think you'd want to go lower than 2, especially with the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations about viewing for under age 2.In the segment that we viewed, we were introduced in English to the cat, Moustache and his parents. Most of the dialogue was in English so I'm not sure how well this would work with a child who had a different primary language. Each phrase was said 3 times with the sentence presented on the screen with it.I don't see any young child (2-6) sitting through the entire DVD without adult interaction. As a teacher, I said the phrases with my daughter and even added some gestures, so I will admit all her attention was not on the DVD. I think 5-10 minutes is the max you could expect. Not a babysitting DVD.I'm looking for another program that has more action and play activities. For preschoolers who want to learn Spanish, I still love Boca Beth, but there doesn't seem to be the French equivalent. I believe Hop, Skip, and Jump in French would be a good alternative, but it's only currently available on CD format. I wasn't thrilled with Beth Manners' French series. They are repetitive and probably only one of them would suffice. There are some French Canadian children's DVDs, but I don't recall the names of them. Perhaps Amazon Canada has them.

I loved this DVD so much I went an ordered the other two, which incidentally I am equally happy with.The presentation is so simple it is certainly useful for families with younger children of mixed ages including younger ones. After wasting my money on Muzzy (not a bad idea, my son loves it, but the audio quality of the French is horrendous!)I was wary of buying another language learning DVD. Most I have seen are more money makers than quality learning tools for children. I was happily surprised and relieved by the gentle progression and the clear audio of _Bonjour Les Amis!_ -- it works best with my son if I sit down with him and sing along with him as he sometimes feels too self conscious sitting there singing alone. It doesn't have the same story line to keep kids glued the way that Muzzy does, and yet he picked up much more than he had with 6 months of Muzzy._Bonjour Les Amis!_ does translate much of what they are teaching, but it is presented the way a friend might present their language if they came over to your kitchen and were interacting with your child. It is NOT presented in a sit down in your chair, get out your notebooks and pay attention for the test on Friday sort of manner. I think it is the naturalness of the series I have appreciated the most.Now if they would only come out with German and Russian!

I previewed this in the hopes of showing this to my one year old when he was older, and I have to say I was a little disappointed. My son only hears French from his father, and English from me, and when we listen or expose him to media that's aimed at teaching him French, we prefer the entire presentation be in French. My husband speaks five languages and each time it was through complete immersion. This is designed for English speaking children to be introduced to a new language with their parents who may not speak French. I was thinking this was a French language educational program, like Sesame Street in French, but it's not. The pace is very slow, and the animation is dated. I can't see a child who is active or high strung sitting through it. It still has its merits, I was bored but I was able to review some vocabulary pronounciation and the slow pace is nice for non-french speaking families. I'm just not sure it merits $15-20 with shipping. My son came home during my preview and lost interest in five minutes, but with a house full of cats and Frere Jacques being one of his favorite songs, the first lession was rather rudimentary.

I purchased this for my 2 year old granddaughter to introduce her to the French language. I found the drawings absolutely adorable and the narrator's voice charming and with excellent, native pronunciation. However, the pace of the film is very slow, and while I hate to admit it, children these days need something much more lively and interactive. My granddaughter is quite a patient little girl, too. If this were my more "effervescent" son in his youth, he would be bored an on to something else.The songs are fun but few and far between. Music is always a great way to teach younger folks anything.My granddaughter does like the DVD, but never asks for it like she does others. Perhaps after she sees it a few more times she will enjoy it more, as little ones love repetition.My suggestion to the author would be to keep the darling images but to speed up the action and add more songs and rhymes.

I was not sure what to expect, and when we received it, my 6 year old son, (who is very boysh and mature at the same time and just loves speaking different idioms), just could not stop enjoying it, watching and repeating the music and frases, he really enjoys it and even though is very basic, it is well spoken by natives and show a great mixture of cartoon with reallity. Surely a kid will not be able to speak the language after learning the basics of this movie though, it is a great and smooth introduction to the language.

Found the cartoon figures, level and standard of language used suitable to both children and adults. The combination of French and English words are presented in an inviting manner and the two French songs are sung and repeated verse by verse so that repetition builds and so helps in remembering the words. Both grandson and I found the lessons easy and enjoyable to follow. Because of his young age he is still more interested in the songs more so than the words and phrases. Because of the way lesson sessions presented, he is able to hear and learn both French and English languages together. Our copy of the DVD has slight drops in the audio during part of lesson 5, but we were still able to follow and understand. We can live with these few minor hiccups as still able to glean understanding. Would have no problem in deciding to buy the other two DVDs in this series if the content is as appealing.