Learning French: Le Petit Nicolas

Le Petit Nicolas, for the young and young at heart

Whether you are learning French or teaching French, this delightful series portrays young Nicholas, a feisty young schoolboy from France who gives us a glimpse of French life in the 50s and 60s. With his group of quirky friends, Nicholas lands in all sorts of trouble – Dennis the Menace à la française.

• Read the books, begun in 1959 by René Goscinny and Jean-Jacques Sempé which come in a series: Young Nicholas (Le petit Nicolas), Nicholas Again (Les récrés du petit Nicolas),Nicholas on Vacation (Les vacances du petit Nicolas),Nicholas and the Gang (Le petit Nicolas et les copains) andNicholas in Trouble (Le petit Nicolas a des ennuis). After the first one, you’ll be hooked!

• Meet Nicolas’s friends: Alceste, his best friend; Clotaire, the class dunce; Rufus, the class trouble-maker; Eudes the class bully; and Agnan [Cuthbert in English], the teacher’s pet who you can’t punch in the nose because he wears glasses!

• Watch the movie, Little Nicholas, by Laurent Tirard (2009), perfect for all ages, and just as hilarious as the books.

• Enjoy the animated series (in French) by simply typing “Petit Nicolas” into YouTube and re-live many of Nicholas’ adventures as 12-minute cartoons. P.S. French teachers: Your students will love you!.

• Download this 9-page learning pack in pdf format for ideas on using the film in class (pssst, profs de français!): http://www.ifecosse.org.uk/IMG/pdf/Le_Petit_Nicolas_learn