AU ZOO (At the Zoo) — French Learning Songs by Whistlefritz is a delightful way to introduce children to French through lively music and engaging sounds. With its colorful artwork and fun themes, this album instantly grabs attention and makes language learning feel like a playful adventure. The CD features 20 catchy songs focusing on animals, the alphabet, and even celebrations, all wrapped in upbeat tunes that make it hard not to sing along!

Each song is like a mini French lesson, using repetition and simple vocabulary to help kids learn new words naturally. With fun animal sounds and effects woven in, kids can connect to familiar concepts while learning to say them in French. The album’s rhythms encourage movement and dancing, making it more than just a listening experience—it’s an active way to learn!

Ideal for ages 2-7, AU ZOO is a fantastic fit for families looking to make French learning part of everyday play. Parents will love that the songs are fun to listen to, whether at home, on car rides, or during playdates, and the quality music and vocals make it enjoyable for all. Many albums come with a booklet of lyrics and activity ideas, allowing for even more interactive learning opportunities like sing-alongs and games.

A digital download option would be a welcome addition, as CD players are becoming less common. Still, the current price is excellent for the value provided. For anyone looking to introduce a new language to their child, AU ZOO is a fun, effective tool that nurtures creativity and curiosity. And we’ll add in this, our final review of numerous superb releases from Whistlefritz, that this is a superb brand that deserves a special place in your home, just like it does in our hearts here at The National Parenting Center.

By The National Parenting Center

Singing and dancing? Sign me up! Wait — and you can learn French at the same time. I love the new AU ZOO (At the Zoo) — French Learning Songs CD. It is amusing, enjoyable, and entertaining in every way. I was having so much fun that I forgot I was learning French at the same time. As soon as the music started, I was up on my feet and didn’t sit down until the entire CD was over.

This CD takes the listeners on a journey through a zoo, concentrating on different animals that you might find there including lions, flamingos, ostriches, giraffes, and monkeys, just to name a few, all while learning the French language. Each song has its own concept which acts as a mini-lesson. The songs introduce and repeat vocabulary, which builds language skills bit by bit.

The appealing thing about AU ZOO (At the Zoo) — French Learning Songs is the creativity of the lyrics along with the fun, upbeat vibe of the music. I found myself humming along immediately to every song that played. I also appreciated the animal noises and sound effects, especially the lion’s ferocious roar! The music provides a solid, creative avenue for students to learn the French language. They won’t even know they are learning because the songs take the hard work out of learning a new language. The songs do not just focus on animals; they also focus on concepts like holidays, back to school, the alphabet, and dancing. All of these are appropriate for younger audiences, because they are things that young kids are familiar with. Adding another language with content that kids are familiar with in song form helps them easily learn a new language. The repetitive nature of the songs helps the children enjoy a sense of achievement as they learn new words in French. Learning a new language also promotes a sense of openness to accepting other cultures and languages.

The songs on this CD are unusual. The background instrumentals are extremely catchy and definitely had me bobbing my head, clapping my hands, and tapping my feet. There were a few songs that I immediately recognized such as The Itsy, Bitsy Spider. The lyrics are selected to help the beginning student learn and understand the French language. The biggest educational benefit of this CD is that it helps even the youngest audiences begin to learn and understand French in a new and exciting way. It engages them to want to learn more because it takes the stress out of learning and makes it less of a chore. The songs are easy to sing along to and remember. The emotional support that Au Zoo offers children is a sense of pride and confidence as they increase their knowledge of French. The CD definitely encourages children to want to practice and perfect the French words they have learned.

Included are 20 quirky, fun, and vibrant songs. They are not long and are repetitive for language learning purposes and fun. It didn’t take me long to sing along to most of the songs. Artist Didier Prossaird does an exquisite job of mixing an instrumental element with lyrics and lively background noises. I truly felt that I was on a safari at one point! Besides the animal songs, songs like Your Birthday, Happy Father’s, Happy Valentine’s Day, and Happy Back to School are included as well. My favorite songs are My Donkey, Have You Seen Fritzi, and Move and Dance. My Donkey is a silly song about a sick donkey who gets a lot of items from the doctor to feel better. And don’t worry, the donkey gets better! Have You Seen Fritzi had a memorable tune that I really enjoyed. Move and Dance made me want to well move and dance! Although the songs are geared toward younger children, I found myself engaged and wanting more! Whether you’re a young kid or just someone who loves animals and music, this CD makes learning French enjoyable.

I give AU ZOO (At the Zoo) — French Learning Songs 5 out of 5 étoiles (that’s French for stars!) and recommend it for ages 2 to 12, plus adults. It is available now through online retailers so look for it.

By Junior R., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 10

The Au Zoo — French Learning Songs CD is an entertaining and creative way to teach the French language to beginners. I enjoyed the wide selection of songs from a variety of genres and found this CD enjoyable from start to finish.

This language learning program teaches children how to speak French at an early age. It has a wide selection of songs about animals from the zoo, foods, and holidays throughout the year, like Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and even the start of school! It uses storytelling and repetition to help listeners learn the language.

This CD is excellent! All the songs are fun and well written. The lyrics include a lot of beginning French words, and the music uses multiple genres. Everything is designed to help beginning French language students learn vocabulary and pronunciation. My favorite song is La Tortue A Faim, which means The Hungry Turtle, and is about a turtle trying to get across a yard. It is extremely catchy and creative, plus it is very educational and has lots of action words and adverbs. This song uses a lot of repetition as well as call and response methods. The singers are quite talented and have very melodic voices that are a pleasure to listen to. The music includes many different instruments, as well as scatting and whistling which fit the songs perfectly and makes them unforgettable. Many of the songs feature children’s voices, which is great representation for the target audiences and makes the songs even more relatable.

The CD’s purpose is to teach children how to speak beginning French at a young age. It definitely hits the mark for its educational impact while delivering fun and entertaining music.

I give The Au Zoo Learning Songs 4.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 8. It is available now through online retailers so look for it.

By Josephine K., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12