Putumayo Kids Presents: French Playground

French Playground, a musical rendez-vous of fun French and French Creole songs will delight children of all ages. French Playground reflects the rich variety of Francophone music. Bilingual families and children learning French or English will enjoy the fact that the complete lyrics for each song are printed in both languages. The CD features full-color liner notes with artist and cultural information. The artists on French Playground include some of the most popular children’s performers in their respective countries, along with successful pop artists such as Pascal Parisot, Thomas Fersen, Tryo and Ariane Moffat whose songs were selected for their all-ages appeal.

Musical styles range from French chanson and Gypsy jazz to the twoubadou music of Haiti and the roots-bending style of Triton, who is from Mauritius, an island off the east coast of Africa. Gallic joie de vivre is expressed in each of the tunes, from the opening song’s invitation to "tickle the sun" with a ladybug (Chatouiller le Ciel avec Toi), to songs that celebrate the beauty of the South of France ("Clic-Clac Oh C’est Beau!". Listeners share a boisterous Sunday dinner with family (La P’tite Monnaie). Some of the tracks provide tasty little slices of French life, including "Bonjour,Bonjour", which tells of a little bus’s journey past boulangeries and other neighborhood spots. Children will also enjoy a young man’s memories of staying with his grandparents (Petit Francais). A portion of the proceeds from the sale of French Playground will benefit Terre des Hommes, whose efforts provide active support to disadvantaged children around the world.