Last Updated on October 22, 2021 by Bilingual Kidspot
Children’s Books in French
Here you can find a list of authentic French children’s books written by native French-speaking authors.
Finding genuine authentic French books for kids written by French-speaking authors can be difficult in a world where translations from English is so common.
As parents of bilingual children, we often search for these books only to discover they were translations.
These children’s books in French listed below are all, to our knowledge, written in French by French-speaking authors.
Many also contain little bits of cultural references only books in the original language can bring.
Make sure to check out our Learn French for Kids post for more French learning resources for kids.
Children’s Books in French for 3-4 year olds
1. Ouvre-moi ta porte
Author: Michaël Escoffier & Matthieu Maudet
Starting our list of children’s books in French is Ovre-moi ta porte. A deer knocks on the rabbit’s house door claiming he is being chased by a wolf. The rabbit opens the door, of course. But when it is the wolf who knocks on the door of the rabbit’s house, and asks for them to open the door, all is not what it seems.
A beautiful book almost all in black and white with a very simple storyline and a couple of cute flaps to open for little ones. Although the book looks scary, the story really is not.
2. Tu m’aimes ou tu m’aimes pas?
Author: Carl Norac & Claude K. Dubois
Description: Lola has a new little brother. His name is Théo. She tries to hold him, give him her toys but Théo just cries. So she wonders whether her baby brother really loves her. Like all of the other stories with Lola and her brother, this is a cute, simple, loving and positive story.
3. T’choupi
Author: Thierry Courtin
A French classic for little kids. T’choupi is a very cute little bear who likes everything a young child does. The series of books makes great starting point for discussing particular situations that may happen in a child’s life (like having a sibling or going to nursery, etc). Kids adore T’choupi even if the books are very simple and not the most exciting to adults.
4. Leș petites histoires Filliozat
Author: Virginie Limousin, Isabelle Filliozat, Eric Veillé
These little books about emotions and feelings are fabulous to explain what they are about in the form of stories. It also gives pointers and ideas about how to deal with anger, confidence (or lack of), etc. each book contains three stories.
5. Timoto se marie pour de vrai
Author: Rémi Courgeon
Timoto would like to get married to his friend because when you get married, you get dressed up. So, he is going to design the most beautiful dress for his friend. Kids love Timoto because they can probably identify with him. There are other books with the adventures of Timoto too.
Children’s Books in French for 5-6 year olds
6. Grosse Colère
Author: Mireille d’Allancé
Robert has had a very bad day. His dad has sent him to his bedroom to calm down. But while up there, he feels something huge building up inside of him, something so huge it could destroy everything. A very sweet story about emotions and self-awareness that any 3-year-old will love. The message is simple: anger is a natural emotion that needs to be expressed.
7. Caca Boudin
Author: Stephanie Blake
Once upon a time, there was a mischievous little rabbit who could only say one thing: “caca boudin”. The beloved Simon and his little brother Gaspard are huge hits. Blake’s books have been translated in Spanish, English and more languages and have been adapted into a cartoon that makes 3-6 year-olds laugh out loud. Warning this particular book is not for the easily offended (after all caca boudin is often a very gentle swear word used in school yards).
8. Le plus malin
Author: Mario Ramos
Description: When things go bad for the wolf at Grandma’s house, he knows he can turn things around as he is the most clever of all creatures in the woods. A fun twist on the story of the Little Red Riding Hood but this time the wolf is hilariously silly.
9. Une fin de loup
Author: Jérȏme Camil
You know all these stories with a big bad wolf? Well, he is tired of those stories, and this time round he wants to do it his way! This is a hilarious story to read with younger children or for older children to read on their own.
10. Mon Amour
Author: Astrid Desbordes & Pauline Martin
After a very simple question by Archibald, her son, this mum tries to show him that she will always love him even when the situation may appear to show otherwise. This is the sweetest love story between a mother and a son.
Children’s Books in French for 7-8 year olds
11. Sami et Julie au parc d’attractions
Author: Emmanuelle Massonaud & Thérèse Bonté
The whole family is going to spend the day at an amusement park. What fun! Sami & Julie is a great series of little books especially created to learn to read. The books are graded for level (following the French system) and they are very inexpensive. This particular one is suitable for children at the end of their first primary school year.
12. Comment ranger sa chambre en 7 jours seulement
Author: Audrey Poussier
It is the story of two siblings who love to play but hate tidying up their bedroom. It is a fun and mischievous guide to (not) tidying up your bedroom in one week.
13. Anatole Latuile
Author: Anne Didier, Olivier Muller, Roland Garrigue & Clément Devaux
This is a fun little series of graphic books about Anatole, a mischievous boy who organises silly pranks and crazy ideas one after the other with his friends.
14. La belle lisse poire du Prince de Motordu
Author: Pef
Hard to give a summary of this book. It is the story of the life of a prince who says everything wrong because he mixes letters.
Instead of talking about ‘la salle à manger” (dining room), he talks about “la salle à danger” (danger room).
The whole book is written with words twisted. It is a great exercise in reading, comprehension, and general French culture.
15. Mortelle Adèle
Author: Mr Tan & Miss Prickly
This is a series of books that tell the story of Adèle, a very silly and mischievous girl and her long-suffering cat.
Her favourite play: making experiments on her cat. Even though the humour is sometimes a little second degree, children often laugh out loud to the jokes. And adults should not take it seriously!
The books are written in the French tradition of bande dessinée (cartoon).
More French Children’s Books
Looking for more French Children’s Books and other French resources? These posts may be of interest!
- French Books for Kids with Audio
- French Learning Books for Kids
- French Apps for Kids
- Free Online French Lessons for Kids
Let us know some of your favourite kids French books if we haven’t included them!
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