International Lullabies: French, English, & Spanish Bedtime Songs for Children

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Of all the cultural treasures in the world, lullabies must be among the sweetest snippets of language and melody. In the short film collection Paris, Je T'Aime, one of the more moving five-minute stories featured a nanny singing a Spanish lullaby. The lullaby she sang is called "Qué Linda Manita" and it refers to the sweet little hands, eyes, and other body parts that God gave the baby.

I don't remember any lullabies from my childhood, but there is a song that I associate with bedtime. On a nightstand beside my bed was a lamp with wooden figurines on a seesaw. The lamp played a simple wind-up melody called Say, Say Oh Playmate. My mama taught me the words and wrote them in my baby book. (This American song goes back to the 1930s or earlier).

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Tips for Choosing Toys That Will Be Loved

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As we express our appreciation this month for what we've been given, we also start thinking about what we want to give. Of course, experiential gifts, such as a trip to the aquarium or a live performance of The Nutcracker, are a fantastic alternative to material things. But when we do purchase things for children, we want those things to bring joy and contentment for as long as possible. I haven't purchased any Christmas gifts yet, but I'll be acting on my ideas soon.

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Saturday Snapshot: Our Private Park (Almost)

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We live in a neighborhood of cookie-cutter homes, but we know our neighbors and we appreciate our little pied-à-terre.  Yet few of our neighbors have young children, and fewer still know about the park within walking distance from our street. We call it le Parc des Champignons because of the mushrooms that grow from the bark chips there in the fall and spring.

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French (and Spanish) Children's Magazines Available in the U.S.

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When my daughter turned two years old, I bought her a subscription to a French children's magazine called Popi. Admittedly, subscribing to a French magazine for delivery in the USA is costly, and I wondered if it would be worth the expense. But even at that age, my daughter adored receiving Popi and she continues to read those same issues even now at four years old. We switched to Toupie et Chansons the following year; that subscription included four music CDs with the special issues. I'll write specific reviews for those magazines in a future blog post, but for now, here's an overview of the French children's magazines available in the U.S. and how to subscribe. (Children's magazines in Spanish are further below in this post.)

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