The Best French Story Books For Kids (Toddler To Teen)

This series of books, by author Mo Willems, is a favourite of kids and teachers alike! I can pretty much guarantee your child has encountered these books at school – they are written in both French and English.

The language is clear and repetitive, so kids get lots of practice reading new words. Plus, the stories are funny, sweet, and will keep children wanting to read more.

The series is aimed at kids 6 to 8 years old, but I think it is perfect for any beginner.

Told from the perspective of a young French boy, this classic series of French books isn’t just for young readers. It works for anyone who is studying the French language.

The series is composed of short and humorous stories about Nicolas’ friendships, troubles with his parents, and his first crush. The books are full of beautiful illustrations and often are one of the first books French learners read.

J’aime Lire is a collection of French books published by Baynard Jeunesse. This series is written for children 7 to 11 years old, and features slightly longer and more complex stories.

The vocabulary may be challenging for first-time French learners, but these books are a great choice for kids who have been reading in French for a few years.

There are more than 100 books to choose from in this series about two precocious siblings, Max and Lili. These two explore the important, sometimes serious, questions kids face.

What to do when you can’t fall asleep at night? What to do when you fall in love? How to cope when your parents are getting a divorce?

These real life situations and vocabulary make this series of French children’s books great for new learners of the language. The collection is aimed at kids in the junior grades.

I really struggled with deciding whether to include the Monsieur Madame book series as a good choice for beginner or intermediate French learners!

These classic children’s books are very helpful for teaching your kids French because the stories are so familiar – excellent for comprehension development.

There is a fair amount of text on each page, so I’d hold off on reading them until your young children acquire some basic French vocabulary.

Introduce your children to Bosley Bear and his bilingual journey as he struggles to understand what the other animals are saying. “Why don’t the other animals understand me when I talk?” he asks.

The simple sentences, gorgeous illustrations, and line-by-line English to French translations make these excellent books for French learners.

Bosley also learns patience as he practices how to speak French – impressing upon kids the importance of language learning in a way that they can relate to.

This classic French children’s book series has been around for decades and is beloved by many!

Each book is dedicated to a new adventure in the life of Martine, a girl growing-up in the countryside of Brittany, France.

Here is a fun way to introduce French to younger kids. This book has pages filled with cheerful color pictures that help teach French words to children in the early grades.

There are more than 350 illustrations of familiar objects. Every picture is labeled with its English word, followed by its French equivalent. The translated word is followed by a phonetic spelling to help you with pronunciation.

Words are grouped according to themes, such as sports, the classroom, fruit, vegetables, party time, weather, and more.

Scholastic’s levelled reading books are what I use with my own children as they progress with their French reading.

Each pack of 12 books is designed to help beginner French readers acquire and practice new vocabulary words. Once your child has mastered the language in one set, just move on up to the next level in the series

The books’ real-world topics, with predicable text, are engaging and make reading fun.

No list of French reading books for children would be complete without Le Petit Prince. Although it is an amazingly touching French children’s book, it is NOT a good book for beginners.

It’s full of complicated vocabulary and tenses, like le passé simple, that aren’t commonly used in spoken French.

Give it a read when your child reaches the intermediate level so they can truly enjoy it’s beautiful lessons about friendship and childhood.

At the Framboisy School, rumours are flying about the masked vigilante, Fantomette! Who is she? Could she be one of them?

Four friends, Ficelle, Françoise, Boulotte and Isabelle decide to investigate.

The original books in this series are written for intermediate or advanced French learners, but the newer editions use the present tense which makes them easier for children.

This comic book series has a long and entertaining history among the French-speaking world, and is a great reading source for kids who enjoy comics and graphic novels.

These hilarious books revolve around Asterix and his bizarre group of friends who embark on adventures and fight against the Roman occupation of their small village.

For an intermediate French learner, comics present a visual dialogue to promote the best efficiency in language learning. The words and concepts are not as simple as in beginner books, but the minimalist format encourages progression. As well, there are Asterix films to watch after reading.

If your child has a quirky sense of humor, he or she will love this collection of short stories and magical tales about the people living near Brocca Street in Paris.

There is the old witch of Mouffetard Street who discovers a secret to eternal youth, a doll who can predict the future, and a giant with red socks…plus many more stories that will fascinate the intermediate French reader.

Delphine and Marinette are two school girls living on a farm in France who team up with talking animals to fight the oppression of their strict parents.

Written across two volumes, each short story uses simple language and is described by the author as being for children between four and seventy-five years of age.

Les Contes du Chat Perché is a great first “real” French book for your child to read.

Consider Voyage au pays des arbres a mix of Le Petit Prince and Le Seigneur des anneaux (The Lord of the Rings).

This magical storybook invites the reader to follow a bored boy on his journey to a mysterious forest – where he discovers all the life and magic hidden there.

The boy quickly becomes friends with the giant trees and discovers that they’re much more than pieces of wood. This book won a literary Noble Prize!

A literary classic in both French or English, The Chronicles of Narnia books are a milestone read for any intermediate reader.

In French, this book is written in an easy-to-read style that is designed to stir young imaginations and motivate kids to keep reading until the end.

This collection of 20 short stories is specifically written to help French learners improve their reading comprehension.

The stories are entertaining and each includes a vocabulary list, as well as accompanying summaries in both French and English.

There is lots of repetition of new words so your child can build upon his/her vocabulary, and progress with the French language.