Le Lapin et la Lune (French Edition) Paperback – Large Print, December 1, 2017

My children's (3 and 5) FAVORITE bedtime story.Pros:- The story is the perfect length to get the kids hooked up but short enough for them to keep focus the whole story (especially the little one).- The hand paintings are beautiful and soft for my 3 yo but intricate and detailed enough for my 5 yo to notice a cute detail to comment on or ask questions besides the words.- The story goes over a wide range of emotions that I have seen my kids express out loud: laughter, sadness, empathy, curiosity, wonder, relief, hapiness- I like that the story line is simple enough for the kids to understand the story but also has more depth to it. We (as adult readers) can explain a new aspect of it every time we read it (why does the peacock has this name, the concept of homonyms, meaning of French expressions...). I find that not 2 readings of this book end up being the same as it always starts a conversation that goes in a different direction.- The vocabulary (in French) that is various and there are just the right amount of "complex" words to make it educational but still easy to read.- I love the overall "moral" of the book and closing words that promote 'helping one another' as well as the whole character interactions during the book (call me old school but I like books where characters says 'Please' and 'Thank you' when they request something :)).Cons:- Being a popular item in our house, this book tends to be hard to locate around bedtime which generates some intense emotions (in all parties...). I am considering buying a second one as a backup so that the kids can check out their own copy whenever they want and misplace it at will :)

I bought this for my grandson, Mom love the story.

What a lovely story! I adored this book and my kids did too. Beautiful illustrations too.

Texto e ilustraciones, todo precioso

I bought this in the hopes of using it as one method to teach my niece how to speak French. She loves it. The pictures are cute with just enough detail for kids and the story is a good moral lesson. It would also be a good resource for anyone who's learning French, regardless of age.

Learning French and thought it would be nice to translate an easy little story book. Such a cute story. So glad I bought it

Wouldn't any rabbit love to have a magic bell tower that showers carrots everywhere at 6:00 every day? Plenty of other animals would probably also appreciate it, but in the short and enjoyable story "Le lapin et la lune," (the French language version of "The Rabbit and the Moon"), "Papa Lapin," looking snazzy with collar and necktie, finds himself vexed when the "clocher aux pouvoirs mystérieux" suddenly malfunctions, leaving his little "lapin" family "affamé." In two of the book's most hilarious illustrations, "Papa lapin" tries to reach the "sommet de la clocher" with "une pile d'objets trouvés ça et là" and attains a less than impressive height of maybe three feet. Poised atop a chair and some books, his vacant distant stare of disbelief effectively portrays his rather ominous defeat. Thankfully, a helpful "hibou" provides some guidance and tells "Papa lapin" "à la nuit tombée, demande à la lune, elle saura t'aider." "Papa lapin" can't image how "la lune," "qui n'a ni bras, ni jambes" could possibly "lui aider," but only foolish "lapins" would ignore the advice of wise "hiboux," so he sends a desperate "prière" to "la lune" for help. Especially after "son plus jeune fils" tells him that "j'ai si faim!" In "une étrange lueur," "la lune" appears and asks "Papa lapin" for a favor in return: "trouve la flûte de pan et joue-moi un air. La magie opérera." But where would a "lapin" find such a magical instrument? "Petit Lapin" comes to the rescue and suggests "va voir la paon qui habite dans le parc derrière l'église." So "Papa lapin" springs into action and finds "la paon," but "la paon," having "quelques petits soucis de mémoire" has forgotten not only his "prénom" but also where he put "la flûte de pan!" "Hélas!" Now what?The simple story of "Le lapin et la lune" provides another good example of Kurt Vonnegut's "good/ill" theory of narrative form: someone has something, they lose it and then they try to get it back. It combines imaginative elements of fairy tales, magic, anthropomorphic animals and "pouvoirs mystérieux" to form a fun and entertaining story that never feels embarrassed by its obviously unrealistic elements. One shouldn't look for "cinéma vérité" style realism in fairy tales anyway. The illustrations also provide a good accompaniment for the tale, with their adorable fuzzy "lapins", "une lune" reminiscent of Méliès and a quite realistic "paon." The French remains at a children's book level throughout, which makes it a good read for teaching French to children or for French learners of any age to brush up on vocabulary and grammar. Though targeted at younger ages, the grammar includes some intermediate and advanced forms, such as "présent du subjonctif" and compound verb tenses such as "plus-que-parfait de l'indicatif." So one shouldn't confuse this book for an "easy French" book with verbs and vocabulary "watered down" for absolute beginners, but it will nonetheless provide a good platform for beginners or intermediate learners who want to improve their French through reading simpler texts. Those who want more of "Papa Lapin" will find additional installments in French, such as "Le Lapin à la recherche du Printemps," "Le Lapin et le Roi Grenouille" and the intriguing "Le Lapin et l'Ornithorynque." Whether looking for a good tale or some more challenging French reading, "Le lapin et la lune," with its simple yet profound moral, will provide.

My son loves this book and asks me to read it every single night.The illustrations are beautiful and its a nice story.