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Does this bear speak French?
The bear might not
speak French, but it can sing in French... as does the flower, baby
Camille, the octopus, the farm animals, and many more.
Whether your baby
is in a bilingual household or not, it can be coaxed and coddled into
familiarity with the sound of French.
However, while
shopping, recall the familiar shopping creed: “If you see it, buy it!”
One day a reader
asked me where to find a stuffed animal that speaks or sings in French
for their new little baby.
At Toys R Us I
found the “ours des doux reves” (pleasant dreams bear). It was
the ideal bear for babies over 18 months.
For 15 euros, the
dream bear talked for five minutes and told different bedtime stories by
pinching its ear, or its hands, or the feet or the stomach.
But alas, no more.... Between
December and May, all had been sold.
Another possibility
to find it was on ebay France, but after 29 pages and 1,444 dolls and
stuffed animals, not one could be found.
When in this
position, despair not! As clothing styles change so do these
entertaining toys.
Bears
This year, Toys R Us is selling “Les P’tinours” -- a
package of two bears! The boy and girl bears are “interactive musical stuffed toys with infrared sensors”
(he is wearing a blue and white checkered outfit and she is wearing a
red and white checkered dress).
The sensors are on their sides and when the bears are
placed side by side up to a meter away
(3 ¼ ft)* from each other they sing in
French and sway to the rhythm of the music.
Ma
Petite Soeur Camille
By manipulating the doll’s hands you can play a song. The
pacifier lights up when you put in the doll’s mouth and it sets off
playing melodies. Her hands control different melodies.
Pressing on the stomach sets off different musical
rhythms. – Toys R Us and JouéClub.
Flower
and Octopus
“Une chanson douce” (a soft song) is the voice of a
well-known French singer, Henri Salvador. He sings and recites poetry in
a very soft, comforting voice. Lifting the different flaps that surround
the little doll and pressing the figures will activate a story. The
batteries are included.
Octave la pieuvre (the octopus pictured) is a lighted,
musical piano. You can also change the melodies from piano to violin, to
organ or to flute -- Toys R Us and JouéClub.
J’apprends avec Babar
Babar acts as the perfect professor to lead the games of
colors and forms.
Babar is as soft and cuddly as a traditional stuffed
animal.
The interactive Babar initiates the child in the
discovery of right from left, forms and colors with the help of a remote
control. Babar moves, asks questions, congratulates the child after
every correct answer -- Au Nain Bleu and most toy stores and department
stores
Books
and CDs – Gallimard Jeunesse
If your child is not interested in cuddly objects ,
l’Epée de Bois sells books with the contents on a CD.
Gallimard Jeunesse describes their products this way
using the senses:
“With your
ears, the voice’s music tells the story; you smell the glue; when the
paper is smooth it is soft to the touch, when the paper is grainy, it
tickles. Your eyes are enchanted by the images.
The first
physical contacts you have with your first books, is something you
remember for the rest of your life.”
Inside the book’s cover is a CD and they are for various ages.
To hear a sampling of the book/CDs for the 0 – 7 year olds, visit the
website:
http://www.gallimard-jeunesse.fr/3nav/contenu.php?page=t1&age=1_0
To view an example of one of the books, follow these instructions:
Click on the
little bee in the oval for a sampling
Turn on your
volume and move your cursor around for little surprises.
“Dès” means
from the age of
“Tourner la
page” means turn the page
“Ecouter”
means to listen
Learning
toys at l’Épée de Bois
For quality wood products/toys, visit this Corsican
website
http://www.corsicata.com/en/ as well as ceramics, engravings,
chestnuts, pottery, wool garments (and the Corsican history of wool),
etc. (Note: Corsica is a French island off the southeastern French
coast and west of the Italian coast in the Mediterranean.)
Dagobert learning games come in age-respective versions
3-5 and 6-9 years. English rules are included.
Washable
toys
l’Epée de Bois carries washable learning toys – alphabet,
numbers, and story books by Latitude with a little animal character that
follows a story. The little animal follows a different theme: getting
ready for bed,
For soft, fabric, and washable learning toys, try Latitude (koclicko).
http://www.koclicko.com/sitemap/
http://www.koclicko.com/marque/77/t84_3_latitude_enfant_jouets_d_eveil_en_textile.html
Their activity books include a small animal character
that the child can move from page to page with the story. A favorite
with shoppers and children is “Avant d’Aller Dormir”. The story is to
help the little bear prepare for bed.
Haba “produces inventive playthings for inquisitive
minds” and has an English section on their website:
www.haba.de . I did not find anything
on their site that speaks in foreign tongues, but I thought it might be
interesting anyway.
Word of caution
One sales
person brought to my attention the quality of Moulin Roty products (wood
and stuffed animals). If you want wood, their products are shaky, not
sturdy, break easily and will not ship well. She suggested that their
stuffed animals are better, but was discontinuing the whole line.
Shopping
information
For soft and cuddly toys, VTech and Leap Frog:
Village JouéClub (in a fabulous gallery setting)
To find Camille and “Une Chanson Douce” and the bilingual
farm by Chicco
3/5 boulevard des Italiens (2nd
arrondissement), 01 53 45 41 41
Open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Metro: Richelieu Drouot (lines 8 and 9); Bus (20, 48 67,
74, 85)
Toys R Us
To find “Les P’tinours” 25 euros 0- two bears use 2x3LR6
batteries and Camille
La Defense shopping mall called le Quatre temps (four
seasons)
Open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Spend 175 euros in one day and receive 13% tax free.
At the website, Toys R Us
http://www.toysrus.fr/h_jouets/f_jouet.html
Click on “Premier âge et Peluches”
Go to the upper right hand corner and click on “Babies R
Us” to see a photo for Ma Petite Soeur Camille (Ouaps) sung by Henri Dès
IDS France “l’univers câlin du jouet malin Ref: 2020 3412400 020200.
For
book/CDs and interactive toys
l’Épée de
Bois
12, rue l’Épée
de Bois (5th) Metro: Monge or Censier Daubenton (I really
liked this store!) They speak English.
Additional
toy stores (non-inclusive list)
Jouets Bass, 8 rue de l’Abbé de l’Épée (5th), Metro
Luxembourg
Si
Tu Veux, 68 la galerie Vivienne (2nd) near the
Bibliotèque nationale de France
la Boite à
Doudou 24 passage Jouffroy (9th) Metro Grands Boulevards
or Richelieu Drouot and Musée Grevin.
Pain
d’Epice, 29 passage Jouffroy (9th)
l’Ours du Marais, 18 rue Pavée (4th),
Metro Saint-Paul
Tumbleweed, 19 rue de Turenne (4th)
Metro Saint-Paul or Bastille
Au Nain Bleu, 408 rue Saint-Honoré
(8th) Metro Concorde
For collectors
Jeanne et Jérémy, (a beautiful shop to visit and
be amazed) 4 rue Frédéric Sauton (5th) Metro: Maubert
Mutualité/St. Michel
www.jeanne-jeremy.com
Open Tuesday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Bear website
If you read French and are into bears. I ran into this
site several times in my searches. Each time, I entered into a new page.
This last time was a rating for books with bears as the central
character. The bear seals of approval rate the books.
http://www.oursement-votre.com/livrenf.mv
Historical markers
The invention of the umbrella
-- Across from Au Nain Bleu
In 1710 Jan Marius commercialized the folding umbrella
which became quite popular with the Parisians.
By 1768 umbrellas were equated with social status, (e.g.,
if you had to use an umbrella while walking, society would know that you
could not afford a carriage and footman). Perhaps in an effort to erase
this class distinction, the Police Commissioner posted rules for its use
and created a rental business in 1769.
The green taffeta umbrellas were numbered and equipped
with a little lantern that illuminated the bearer.
By 1848, 400 umbrella manufactures existed in the
capital.
The story of Les Grands Boulevard --
in front of JouéClub
The history of the Grands Boulevards dates back to 1670.
Louis XIV replaced fortifications with tree-lined
boulevards. During the reign of Louis XV houses and mansions with large
gardens increased along the fashionable arteries that were now dotted
with theatres and cafés.
Between the Restoration (Louis XVIII 1814-1824) and the
July Monarchy (Louis Philippe 1840-1848), the main points of interest
for the elegant, the fashionable and the dandies, etc. was Boulevard de
Gand (des Italiens) and Boulevard du Temple (also known as Blvd. of
Crime).
This nickname was due to the bloody melodramas played out
in the numerous theatres (ed: real or theatrical, I am not sure).
After 1900 the Champs Elysées replaced this area as the
center of Paris luxury and pleasure.
* Takes you to conversion chart on Pot-pourri page.
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