My children think the Teach Me... Tapes kits are great fun, especially because Mommy studied French in college. I can't think of a better way to introduce young children to a foreign language than through simple phrases, songs, and rhymes such as you will find on these recordings. It is amazing how quickly children pick up languages; my two-year-old has learned how to say, "Je m'appelle Sammy," when asked his name. Many of the songs are very familiar tunes, like "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" and are sung in both English and French. Some of the songs are traditional French tunes, so you get a good dose of French culture as well. We listen to these in the car, and I sing the songs throughout the day whenever I am inspired.

Teach Me...French focuses on a journey through the day with songs and conversations about the alphabet, colors, numbers, body parts, clothing, and the family. Take a journey through the year in Teach Me More...French, with songs and conversations about the seasons and holidays. Finally, Teach Me Even More...French is based on pen pal relationships between English and French children.

We greatly enjoy sets one and two; the songs are catchy, and the dialogue is enjoyable. There is a Halloween poem in Teach Me More...French that you may choose to skip if you do not celebrate that holiday. Christmas is celebrated with a snowman song and "Silent Night."

I was not terribly impressed with the last set, Teach Me Even More...French. The children are not quite so sweet in this book, and there is a testy brother-sister relationship. I do not particularly want my children soaking up phrases such as, "He is the biggest pest in the world!" and "I'm thinking of putting the frog in my sister's bed!"

With Teach Me...French, Teach Me More...French, and Teach Me Even More...French, your children can learn lots of basic vocabulary and simple dialogue that will give them a good start in the French language. All three sets include a tape/CD and a coloring book with all the songs and dialogues. Teacher guides are available if you would like to turn the first two sets into a beginning French study for preschool to grade six; however, I think the parent would need to be quite comfortable with French to use the kits this way. Translations are given in the back of the book, but often they are not word for word, but idea for idea. I prefer to use these kits as an enjoyable introduction to French by simply listening, singing, and coloring the books.

Teach Me... Tapes are available in French, Spanish, English, Korean, German, Japanese, Hebrew, Russian, Italian, and Chinese. They also produce alphabet and seasons coloring posters for French and Spanish.

Check out their website at www.teachmetapes.com.



--Product Review by: Heather Jackowitz, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine