KIDS FIRST! News

This lively musical introduction to French invites kids to dance and sing along to playful rhythms from reggae, merengue, and blues to African soukous, country, and more. The album enhances children’s language skills as they embark on a musical journey to the zoo filled with French-learning fun!

KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Junior R. comments, “Singing and dancing? Sign me up! Wait, and you learn French at the same time. I love this CD. It is amusing, enjoyable, and entertaining. I was having so much fun that I forgot I was learning French at the same time.” Josephine K. adds, “This CD is excellent! All the songs are fun and well written. The lyrics include a lot of beginning French words, and the music uses multiple genres. Everything is designed to help beginning French language students learn vocabulary and pronunciation.” Zoey F. wraps it up with, “Au Zoo: French Learning Songs reminds us that learning a new language can be fun. With a playlist like the one here, it makes it much easier and enjoyable to learn French.” See their full reviews below.

Au Zoo (At The Zoo): French Learning Songs
By Junior R., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic age 10

Singing and dancing? Sign me up! Wait, and you learn French at the same time. I love Au Zoo (At the Zoo): French Learning Songs CD. It is amusing, enjoyable, and entertaining. I was having so much fun that I forgot I was learning French at the same time. As soon as the music started, I was up on my feet and didn’t sit down until the entire CD was over.

This CD takes listeners on a journey through a zoo, concentrating on different animals found there like lions, flamingos, ostriches, giraffes, and monkeys, while learning to speak French. Each song has its own concept which acts as a mini-lesson. The songs introduce and repeat vocabulary, building language skills bit by bit.

The appealing thing about this CD is the creative lyrics and the fun, upbeat music. I was humming along to every song. I also appreciated the animal noises and sound effects, especially the lion’s ferocious roar! The music provides a solid, creative avenue for students; they won’t even know they are learning because the songs take the hard work out of learning a new language. Besides animals, the songs focus on holidays, back to school, the alphabet, and dancing – all familiar things for young kids. The animal theme also emphasizes an appreciation for nature and animals and learning a new language promotes an accepting other cultures and languages.

Included are 20 quirky, fun, and vibrant songs. Artist, Didier Prossaird, has exquisitely mixed an instrumental element with lyrics and lively background noises. I truly felt that I was on a safari at one point! They are all easy to sing along to and remember. I immediately recognized some, such as The Itsy Bitsy Spider. All the lyrics help beginning students learn and understand the French language. It didn’t take me long to sing along to most of the songs. Besides the animal songs, songs like Your Birthday, Happy Father’s, Happy Valentine’s Day, and Happy Back to School are included as well. My favorite songs are My Donkey, Have You Seen Fritzi, and Move and Dance. My Donkey is a silly song about a sick donkey that gets a lot of items from the doctor to feel better. Have You Seen Frizti has a memorable tune that I really enjoyed. Move and Dance made me want to move and dance!  Although the songs are geared toward younger children, I was completely engaged and wanting more. Whether you’re a young kid or just someone who loves animals and music, this CD makes learning French enjoyable.

I give Au Zoo (At the Zoo): French Learning Songs 5 out of 5 étoiles (that’s French for stars!) and recommend it for ages 2 to 12, plus adults. It is available now at online retailers.

Au Zoo French Learning Songs
By Josephine K., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12

The Au Zoo French Learning Songs CD is an entertaining and creative way to teach the French language to beginners. I enjoyed the wide selection of songs from a variety of genres and found this CD enjoyable from start to finish.

This language learning program teaches children how to speak French at an early age. It has a wide selection of songs about animals from the zoo, foods, and holidays throughout the year, like Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and even the start of school! It uses storytelling and repetition to help listeners learn the language.

This CD is excellent! All the songs are fun and well written. The lyrics include a lot of beginning French words, and the music uses multiple genres. Everything is designed to help beginning French language students learn vocabulary and pronunciation. My favorite song is La Tortue a Faim, which means The Hungry Turtle, and is about a turtle trying to get across a yard. It is extremely catchy and creative, plus it is very educational and has lots of action words and adverbs. This song uses a lot of repetition as well as call and response methods. The singers are quite talented and have very melodic voices that are a pleasure to listen to. The music includes many different instruments, as well as scatting and whistling which fit the songs perfectly and makes them unforgettable. Many of the songs feature children’s voices, which is great representation for the target audiences and makes the songs even more relatable

The CD’s purpose is to teach children how to speak beginning French at a young age. It definitely hits the mark for its educational impact while delivering fun and entertaining music.

I give The Au Zoo Learning Songs 4.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 8. It is available now through online retailers so look for it.

Au Zoo (At The Zoo) – French Learning Songs
Zoey F. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12

I really like the new Au Zoo: French Learning Songs CD! It has catchy beats that are appealing to young kids and includes new and remade classics that make learning a new language a wonderful experience!

Au Zoo: French Learning Songs is a new immersive language learning CD from Whistlefritz! It uses fun songs, skits, and more to teach kids a new language – French! This CD helps kids learn French with catchy beats and simple lyrics that are easy to learn. The artist, Didier Prossaird, uses his diverse background to influence his music.
My favorite songs are Pour Faire Une Chanson and L’araignée Gypsy. Pour Faire Une Chanson is a song instructing kids about the joy of singing. I love it because the children’s vocals sung by Laura Prossaird make the mood of the song very warm and natural. She makes the children’s vocals imperfect, just as a child would sound singing it. L’araignée Gypsy is a French rendition of The Itsy-Bitsy Spider. It is a bit simpler than the other songs, and still a good song. For kids from an English-speaking country learning French a classic like this would be extremely helpful. Prossaird includes catchy rhythms from a variety of genres — reggae, African soukous, and country music. His rendition of these songs is what makes his songs so enjoyable, even for older kids.

Au Zoo: French Learning Songs reminds us that learning a new language can be fun. With a playlist like the one here, it makes it much easier and enjoyable to learn French.

I give the Au Zoo: French Learning Songs CD 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 12. It is available now through online retailers so look for it.

My new album of fun, silly, imaginative and empowering songs for kids, tackling topics such as hairless werewolves, fluffy dinosaurs, zombie ballerinas and much more!

KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Braedyn M. comments, “Imagination Time with Patrick is an up-beat and peppy musical album, combining topics such as zombies and ballerinas to create an adventure that keeps kids guessing, ‘What’s next?’ Made by children’s musician and author Patrick Adams, this goofy collection of songs is designed to spark imagination in kids, and keep them active.”  Kinsley H. adds, “Imagination Time with Patrick has youthful songs that are full of unexpected lyrics. All of the music involves silly topics like the song “Purple Pepperoni Pizza.” This is my favorite song, and it reminds me a lot of Sheb Wooley’s “Purple People Eater.” The words are catchy and easy to remember. I can totally see little kids being inspired to try to order purple food!” See their full reviews below.  

Imagination Time with Patrick
By Braedyn M., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 15

Imagination Time with Patrick is an up-beat and peppy musical album, combining topics such as zombies and ballerinas to create an adventure that keeps kids guessing, “What’s next?”

Made by children’s musician and author Patrick Adams, this goofy collection of songs is designed to spark imagination in kids, and keep them active.  It wonderfully showcases what you can do with a bit of creativity, and loads of fun. It takes kids on a journey from the Milky Way, to an underwater airplane, and wherever they can think of.

These songs are definitely a fun experience!  I would not have thought songs like “Puppy Cat,” “Football Bat” or “Fluffy Dinosaur” could exist.  Despite the unusual titles they are actually very catchy songs, with most of them having a pop or techno beat to them.  My favorite song is “Fluffy Dinosaur” — the lyrics go into great detail explaining what it would be like to be a “Fluffasaurus Rex.” They actually don’t seem too scary.  You can tell that Patrick had a very fun time making this album. He definitely has the heart of a child.  The songs definitely seem whimsical and quirky, with most having a Dr. Seuss feel to them. They cover a wide range of topics that kids are interested in, from unicorns, to werewolves, and nearly everything in between.  The sound quality is very good, and not muffled or blurred.  It comes across quite clear and understandable despite the out of the box lyrics.  The whole album is unusual from start to finish, and entertaining at the same time. Patrick talks, or sings, about being yourself.  Through song, he lets his audience know that there is no one like you, and encourages you to go out and show the world what you can do. 

The album’s message is that things aren’t always as they seem.  Though a hairless werewolf or a zombie ballerina might seem scary at first, there is no doubt that these silly creatures’ main goal is to have fun, and enjoy life.  There is no bad language in this album, and nothing to be worried about (unless you are weary of an alien dance party!).

I give Imagination Time with Patrick 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 12. Imagination Time with Patrick is available now with online retailers or streaming.

Imagination Time with Patrick
By Kinsley H., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12

Imagination Time with Patrick is an album full of imagination. My five-year old self would have really enjoyed these songs. It is perfect for younger audiences who want to be silly and have fun. The lyrics discuss everything from hairless werewolves to fluffy dinosaurs.

Patrick Adams is a singer and creator of children’s music. His latest album, Imagination Time with Patrick, empowers kids through creative oddities such as a puppy cat, a peanut butterfly, and zombie ballerinas. The songs are designed to make kids laugh and explore all areas of their imagination.

Imagination Time with Patrick has youthful songs that are full of unexpected lyrics. All of the music involves silly topics like the song “Purple Pepperoni Pizza.” This is my favorite song, and it reminds me a lot of Sheb Wooley’s “Purple People Eater.” The words are catchy and easy to remember. I can totally see little kids being inspired to try to order purple food!  There are also opportunities for the creation of cute dance moves to the tune of “Alien Dance Party” and “Zombie Ballerina.” Some of this music would even be great for brain breaks in elementary classrooms as well as surprise performances in listeners’ living rooms. There is some educational value in a few of the songs. For example, kids can learn about the eight planets in “Space Train” as well as the dwarf planet, Pluto. Songs like “Fluffy Dinosaur” and “Puppy Cat” are full of describing words that can help develop creative writing skills.  The music does have some unappealing characteristics. The songs can be monotone and repetitive. It is more speaking than singing. The rhythms are very electronic and do not seem to have the same quality of mainstream music. They also are long, so it can be easy to tire of hearing the same lyrics. However, these things make the tunes catchy and easy for young minds to remember.

The album’s message is to use your imagination. There are no creatures or ideas too small that can’t be activated in young minds. It also encourages children to get off of technology and to unleash their fun power that is already inside of them .The music is kid-friendly and parents do not have to worry about any bad language or content.

I give Imagination Time with Patrick 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 2 to 5. The album is available now on Streaming and Online Retailers.

For more film reviews by our auspicious KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, go to https://www.kidsfirst.org.