10 Board Books to Teach Baby French

Nous aimons les livres! Books open up a world of possibilities for us, and especially for babies. In those first few months, books are crucial for instilling the foundations of language. Numerous studies show that the more words a baby hears, the larger his/her vocabulary will be. While instilling strong foundations of language is important to most parents, many are also concerned with making sure their little ones are set up to succeed when it comes to learning a second language. 

In our case, French has always been a language close to mon coeur. When I found out I was pregnant, the first things that I was immediately certain of were:

1. I’m going to try to breastfeed my baby.

2. I’m going to teach my baby French. 

I immediately started scouring the internet for books in French. Occasionally I would stumble across French treasure at the local thrift store – actual Babar books for later! One thing I discovered in my search was how difficult it was as an American to find quality French books that weren’t just a translated copy of Dr. Seuss. That’s why I’ve put together this list of 10 baby board books to help teach your baby French. Some of these are bilingual, most are all in French. You’ll notice that I focused on board books more suitable for ages 6 mo+, there are many fantastic French books for older children that I will have to include in a separate list!

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you click my link but does not change your price. Bon lire! 

10 Board Books to Teach Your Baby French

1. Paris: A Book of Shapes 
2. Mini French Masters Box Set 
3. Little Concepts: ABC French
4. I Love to Eat
5. All Aboard! Paris: A French Primer
6. Petit Ours Brun aime sa maman
7. Vegetables/Les Legumes
8. Je t’aime de la tete aux les pieds
9. Les Miserables – BabyLit
10. Que peint le cochon?

A List of Our Ten French Book Recommendations

1. Paris: A Book of Shapes – If you’re looking for a book that focuses on teaching shapes all the while exploring the beautiful and iconic city of Paris, this book is for you. Included in the Amazon Prime Box, this one is a handpicked treasure. The book even includes questions on each page to guide your reading experience and help your child interact with each shape. 
   
2. Mini French Masters Box Set – An instant keepsake, this collection of baby board books explores the world’s greatest French masterpieces from Georges Seurat, to Henri Rousseau, Paul Gauguin, and Auguste Renoir. This collection is in English, but it introduces your baby to classic French art and culture, which is always pivotal when learning a new language! This is a fun way to introduce art in your little one’s life at a young age in a fun way that includes stories adapted to the art. 
   
3. Little Concepts – ABC French – Learn your ABC’s with this adorable and beautifully illustrated board book. Each letter is accompanied by a cute circus animal starting with the corresponding letter in French, with the English word included. This is a good way to teach your baby about different animals, as well as the alphabet, which is useful for both English and French. This book even includes a pronunciation guide to ensure the proper use of the French words. 
   
4. I Love to Eat – While the title of this book is in French, don’t let that confuse you – this book teaches your little one words in English, French and Spanish. This book is special not only because of the trilingual aspect, but because it includes a touch-and-feel aspect on each page, to help develop your little one’s senses. The words center around eating and is a great fit for families looking for ways to engage the whole multilingual family. The author also has another book called “I Love to Sleep” which would be a nice addition to any book collection!
   
5. All Aboard! Paris: A French Primer – This gorgeous illustrated book comes from the authors of BabyLit®, who have taken works of literature and simplified them down for little babies to enjoy. All Aboard! Paris takes the reader around the beautiful city of Paris, France with words in French and English for readers to explore. The illustrations of this series are engaging for babies, who love the contrasting colors and fun shapes. This book is a fun addition to your French book collection.
   
6. Petit Ours Brun aime sa maman – This is one book out of a sweet little series about Little Brown Bear. Each is written entirely in French and follows Little Brown Bear as he visits the beach, drives a tractor, and plays with his parents. This book specifically includes scenes of everyday life with words and phrases your baby (and even toddler) can learn from. The simple drawings make it less overwhelming for your little one as they take in the new information. This is easily a key addition to any French book collection.
   
7. Vegetables/Les Legumes – Okay, we all know vegetables are icky, right? Well, not for French kids! Use this book to make learning about vegetables fun and maybe your little one will grow up to eat their veggies? One can hope, right? This bilingual board book teaches both the English and French versions of common vegetables with colorful, bright and clear pictures. This is a perfect introduction for moving your child beyond colors and shapes.
   
8. Je t’aime de la tete aux les pieds – This book about a toddler and his teddy bear explore the many emotions toddlers experience, opening up a later conversation on how to handle the difficult emotions we all face. While this book may be better for a toddler-age child, it’s always good to start naming emotions and playing with facial expressions with your baby. This book allows you to name those emotions in French, to help pass over that emotional connection to the language.
   
9. Les Miserables – BabyLit® – This series is a personal favorite for me, just because I’m such a nerd for classic literature. The gorgeous illustrations add an extra element of fun to me and really simplify hefty stories into fun images babies can view (and chew on!) Along with fun images, this book includes French and English words to introduce to your little one – without illuminating the sad events of the story, of course. 
   
10. Que peint le cochon? – This adorable board book from Scholastic follows an adorable little pig who likes to paint. The book teaches the difference between the words “petit” and “grande” and uses different French sentences to establish the difference. This is a good primer for learning the idea of differences, along with colorful images that engage and excite little babies.

Don’t forget to check out our other article on our top board books to bring as baby shower gifts!