The 1st Grade DLP classes and I have been reading some of the stories of L’Âne Trotro by Bénédicte Guettier.  The stories are fun and engaging for all of the students, with authentic language appropriate for francophones, and stories that are simple and realistic enough for anglophones to relate to and follow along with.

First we read L’Âne Trotro va à la cantine.  We saw how Trotro and his friends played a game to try foods that they thought they may not like in the school cafeteria.  How fun!  You can listen to the story again here, and maybe pretend to be an animal eating like we did in class together …

Next we read Trotro et Zaza sa petite soeur.  This is a longer and incredibly charming story that shows how Trotro’s family changes with the arrival of his new baby sister.  We see how his feelings about the baby change over time as well.

You can see some excerpts of the story on YouTube, beginning with La grande nouvelle, when Trotro’s parents tell him the big news:

And here is La naissance de Zaza, when Trotro gets to see his newborn sister for the first time:

And finally, you can see some of the challenging and precious moments that arise for Trotro with a new baby at home:

In class, after enjoying and discussing these stories, all students bravely presented their families in French for their class.  Bravo !  

You can enjoy more of the stories of Trotro online via his YouTube channel.  Amuse-toi !