jeudi 25 février 2016

Slave Trade in the French ports [Black History month on MKB]

Black History Month is celebrated in several countries. France is not one of those countries, but  I would love for it to do so. Modern and contemporary French History is heavily connected to the rest of the world, especially the African continent. If the French government has "apologized" for crimes that have been done throught History, looking at our past deeds - goods and bads - are still avoided on many topics. Researchers and historians make great work of explaining what happened and how it went. And museums expose their foundings to enable the visitors a better understanding.

I will talk a bit in this post of one point in History that is explained in a museum in Nantes: the Slave Trade in French ports, in the Memorial de l'abolition de l'esclavage - Nantes.


 Context:

Americas, after the first explorators and conquistadors traveled to these lands, have been seen as properties of European monarchies. Their ressources had to be harvested and as the native population was 1/ not willing to accept ownership and 2/ killed by imported illnesses and violence, new ways had to be found. Moldabled, cheap and "hard-working" people were sent there to help the tenants of the lands. First, it was prisonners or poor people hoping they could gain some richness as indentured servants. Religiously persecuted groups came too, however they were not controlled by the different governements in the same manner as the other "migrants".

Quickly, the new tenants started to use slaves they brought from Africa. If the slave trade knew its peak in the 18th century, Africans have arrived first in 1619 in what will be later the USA. They were then seen as indentured servants and freed after the term of their working contract. At the end of the 17th century, it had changed drasticaly and the Africans were all slaves and property of their owner/master.
In South America and Caraïbean islands the first slaves from Africa came in the 15th century from razzias made by the Spanishs. With the treaty of Tordesillas, Spain lost his "right" to send ships to Africa and had to let Portugal, Dutchland and later Great-Britain and France deal with local slave markets on the West coasts of Africa.


Wikipedia

The French, with their colonies in the Caribbean, took part in the slave trade only in the second half of the 17th century, when Louis XIV took the monopole of the tobacco production and forced the colons in the Antilles and Caraibean islands to start the production of the sugar cane. This production needs more workers and so slaves started to be imported. The triangular trade route it induced, opened some new possibilities for the French ports. [see here for more infos in French]

The redaction of the Code Noir in 1685 (a series of decrees) helped the colonies and the traders in their acquisition and management of slaves. The slaves in the French colonies had rights (to marry, to be fed, to not be separated from their family, etc) that many others in spanish and english colonies never had. Many were literate and owned businesses. They had to be educated in the catholic faith, meaning that they were human beings with a soul, something that have been denied in other territories.


17 ports in France participated in the slave trade, with 41,3% for the sole port of Nantes (and it was only between 1707 and 1830). Three other ports - Bordeaux, La Rochelle and Le Havre - made together 33,5% of the ships expeditions. France organized more than 3300 transatlantic slave trade expeditions, with a total of 4220 ships.

Par AnneauxMemoire — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0
During the 18th century ( the big moment in France for slave trade), only 500 families armed around 2800 ships to Africa. These people were not only interested in the slave trade (10 to 33% of the naval long-term trade) but also in the more common trades such as wheat, coton, wine, textiles, salt; fishing ships, insurances... In 1786, 60,8% of the imported products in the port of Nantes was the brown sugar from the Antilles -22 605 000 livres in total!- that came through the triangular trade but mostly from the direct trade. We have this high number an example of why slaves were so important for the colons.

Vue du port de Nantes prise de l'île Gloriette au xviiie siècle, attribuée à Nicolas Ozanne.

With the benefits they made on the triangular trade, these families invested in industries and manufactures. In Nantes, in 1775, 17 manufactures were listed: textile with the production of indiennes and linen, cords, nails, hats, amidon, bottles of glass, breweries, sugar refinery. The port became also one of the biggest shipyard.


 The Memorial in Nantes:

In 2012 was opened in Nantes a Memorial for the abolition of slavery. The past of the city as slave trade port had been "forgotten" for many decennies but in the 90', the historical part of the city was shown in an exhibit and since then, the city has tried its best to research its past. The memorial talks about the abolition of slavery and the city museum (in the castle of the Dukes of Britain) explains what happened in Nantes during 150 years.

A virtual tour is available here. And pedagogic documents can be downloaded for the teachers, in French. I like the list of museums that have exhibits about slavery (old or modern). You can see if you have one near where you live. A pdf document has been translated into English and you can read it here.

The French magazine L'Histoire dedicaced one of their issue to the topic France and its slaves. Some articles in french can be found online.

*****

Today's population in North, Middle and South America are a mix of Native Americans, Europeans colons or migrants, Asian migrants and descendants from African slaves. For many people in this continent, their family history is marred with blood and tears. It is important, essential that historians keep researching about the past of those who came as slaves. Important for those descendants, but also for the countries they live in now, the African countries who have brothers and sisters in Americas and for the world as a whole.

I love History, but what I prefer the most is Love. Those studies, those heart-wrenching discoveries historians and genealogists are founding and showing to the public, this is a work of Love. May we understand better the dark part of the world history to overcome our actual struggles and lead a brighter path, without slavery, deshumanisation, or cruelty.


I have studied History in College. And I like to live by this sentence: 
"Know your past to understand your present and forge a better future".




Welcome to our third annual Black History Month series and giveaway! Follow along all month long as we explore the rich history and cultures of Africa and African-Americans. Be sure to enter our giveaway below and link up your own posts at the bottom of the page.
You can also follow our Black History board on Pinterest:


February 4
Mama Smiles
February 5
Kid World Citizen
February 9
A Crafty Arab
February 15
Mother in the Mix
February 22
Crafty Moms Share
February 24
La Cité des Vents
February 26
LadyDeeLG
February 29
Hispanic Mama

Enter the Giveaway!


Grand Prize Black Heritage Month Giveaway 2016 | Multicultural Kid Blogs

Grand Prize

From Heritage Box, a starter pack:
Masaai box, journal, postcard album, book, surprise toy, and activity and game sheet US Shipping Only
From Mixed Up Clothing: a Jambo (Swahili) Kids T-shirt US Shipping Only
1st Prize Black History Month Giveaway 2016 | Multicultural Kid Blogs

1st Prize

From Candlewick Press: Willow and Africa Is My Home US Shipping Only
From Little Proud Kid: Harriet Tubman Puzzle US Shipping Only
2nd Prize Black History Month Giveaway 2016 | Multicultural Kid Blogs

2nd Prize

From Candlewick Press: Granddaddy's Turn and Jump Back, Paul US Shipping Only
From Rachel Garlinghouse: Homeschooling Your Young Black Child






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dimanche 21 février 2016

Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop - February 2016




Welcome to the Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop
for February 2016!

The Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop is a place where bloggers can share multicultural activities, crafts, recipes, and musings for our creative kids. We can't wait to see what you share this time! Created by Frances of Discovering the World through My Son's Eyes, the blog hop has now found a new home at Multicultural Kid Blogs.

This month our co-hosts are:



Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop is a place for you to share your creative kids culture posts. It's very easy, and simple to participate!
Just follow these simple guidelines:
  • Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, or Facebook. Please let us know you're following us, and we will be sure to follow you back.
  • Link up any creative kids culture posts, such as language, culture, books, travel, food, crafts, playdates, activities, heritage, and holidays, etc. Please, link directly to your specific post, and no giveaways, shops, stores, etc.
Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop
  • Please grab the button code above and put it on your blog or the post you’re linking up. You can also add a text link back to this hop on your blog post. Note: By sharing your link up on this blog hop you are giving us permission to feature your blog post with pictures, and to pin your link up in our Creative Kids Culture Feature board on Pinterest.
  • Don't be a stranger, and share some comment love! Visit the other links, and comment. Everyone loves comments!
  • The Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop will go live on the 3rd Sunday of the month. It will run for three weeks. The following blog hop we will feature a previous link up post, and if you're featured, don't forget to grab the button below:
Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop


Here's my favorite from last time: Hatshepsut of Egypt, a book review from Crafty Moms Share that threw me back in my Antiquity period when I was a teen. The best thing with this book collection is that it talks about historical feminin figures. They were tough, and some even portrayed as "monsters" but in a men's world they certainly had to be...



Thank you for linking-up, and we can't wait to see what you've been up to!



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samedi 20 février 2016

Changing school: it can be hard but very helpful! [IMLD]



As I have hinted in my New Year's wishes and my absence from blogging, we had a few challenges in our family these past weeks. One of them was my son's schooling.

My son was so happy that day.
When we moved to Germany in September 2013, we had chosen to enroll our children in the German school system. Gabriel went to a German kindergarten as soon as we moved here and then had his "Einschulung" in our neighborhood school, and Sophie started in a kindergarten a week later, last September.


We thought that French at home and German at school would be great for them. Guess it was not to be. We knew that Gabriel could be a handful in class and were a tad worried about behavioral issues. In fact, his teacher told us he was loud and (too) energetic. Yeah, we know. We work on that at home too. However, she also told us to help him with his German vocabulary and I tried to repeat with him all the new words he encountered in his school books. The Logopädistin (ortophonist) he sees every week helps him too with vocabulary and how to pronounce some sounds (the sch, tch, ch, r, etc). This professional was optimistic and said he made real efforts.


Then, four days before the Christmas holidays came a letter from the school director. About the fact the children and the teachers had great difficulties to understand him. With his grammar, his vocabulary: in short, everything.

We were in shock. So was my son. He cried: "No one told me they couldn't understand me!" Huge meltdown during the week-end for him, and parental crisis for my husband and I.

In the letter, the director ordered us (because asked is not strong enough to translate how he phrased it) to bring our son after the holidays to a free helping class provided by the land of Hessen. 4 times a week, 45 minutes each time. That would have been a good help. If it wasn't in another school (it's easy with the U-bahn he said), during lunch time (yeah, cold sandwichs each time for the whole family), and with around 20 kids in a computer room playing educative games (we discovered that when we tried it)...

I went there once after the holidays, as ordered to do, with the two girls in tow, and if my son liked to play on a computer (no, really? huge surprise for me... tss), I was NOT thrilled to consider doing it four days in a row and know that my son will not learn much in such a big group without proper human interaction. If "everyone" couldn't understand him in German, how a computer would help him in the talking aspect? The ortophonist was also very sceptical because of my son's personality. Gabriel needs more a small group, or even better a one-on-one, approach to make him progress.

We could have forced him (and me) to go everyday to this "class", and start to speak to him in German, as "suggested" when we talked together, the director and I. We could have reduced his exposition to French and focused on him learning the "perfect German" they expected from him.


 Sorry Mr Director, but NO. We love living in Germany, learning your language, discovering your culture, interacting with people... However, we are French and we are not going to forgo our culture, our language. You should have guessed, French people are known to be stubborned. Very so.

It's already difficult for a family to maintain what is seen as a "minority" or "family" language during the whole childhood and youth of the children, in a foreign country. We have many examples of people who didn't speak often their own languages (their mother tongue usually) to their children and have seen them lost contact with family members because of that. I have friends who told me how they have been rebucked by their in-laws to speak their own languages to their kids on the pretext of "you are in our country, so the children have to learn our language first"...


We did what we have the opportunity to do: we contacted the French school in Frankfurt to see if places were available for a mid-term schooling. And we asked my husband's job if they can help. It was not written in his contract that we could have a part of the kids' education payed... But we tried, and we explained my son's situation. During the holidays, he was sad, and when we talked about the French school (in fact a bilingual school) he was so happy and wanted to go there. We also prayed a lot, as did many friends and family members, to find guidance. I personaly felt relief, peace and the feeling that everything will turn for the better.

And it did. The day after my son tested the "free class", we received an answer from my husband's superiors. Our family was granted a kind of "educational fund", and now we have to pay only a part of the fees and of course, the lunch and transports. Then, the director of the French Primary school said to my husband that my son could start on the 1st of February in a CP (Cours Préparatoire = 1st Grade). We even found a nearby family who agreed with driving my son back from school.

My son turned 7 years old at the end of January and was able to have a Birthday party in his German class before transferring to his new bilingual school. I talked to his teacher on his last day and I really hope she understood that I have no ill feelings against her and that she didn't "failed" my son. She's a young teacher and these stressfull situation can damage confidence. My son liked her and he wishes to visit his "old class" during his holidays (not the same as the ones in the Hessen schools).


His start in the CP had been difficult. The French programm is more advanced than the German one on the topics of writing and reading. He hasn't the same level as the other kids in his class, but he is willing to learn and as long as he can do his beloved maths, he's happy. Well, he's struggling a bit but the teacher has lots of experiences with bilingual kids and 1st graders, so she has found a way to interest him and make him work on his writng and spelling skills. During the German class, he is in a group with a good German level. It doesn't seem that he is so "not understandable"... His French teacher has kindly given us a list of exercices we can do with him during these two weeks of holidays.

He will have to overcome a few issues to pass in CE1 next year, but -with my husband- we are more likely to be good helpers. French is our mother tongue, we are fluent in it and have a good grammar. For my son to be able to learn both his mother tongue and the majority language (German as we live in Germany), and in two years to start English, it's a great privilege, a huge blessing. We had planned differently, but the change is all for the better for my son.

On a more personal note, it's so strange for me to think that I'm in the "privilege group" now. I wasn't in my youth. So for my children to experience this multiculturality and this degree of both cultures, it's quite mind-blowing. I knew the moment we started to live in Germany that we had "more" than many of other Frenchs. Luckier in the job opportunity my husband had, more foreign knowledge and culture at my fingertips, a vision of the world more wider, more languages to speak on a daily basis, and so on.

But the Mother Tongue, the French part of our family which is so essential in our home, how were we going to live it? to pass it on the next generation? to treasure it? We tried to do it "alone" at home, but it was tough...

Lycée Français Victor Hugo (Frankfurt)

French expats are some of the most blessed people out there: with the net of French schools around the world, many of us are able to provide for our children both our French culture and the one from the country we live in. And when the parents are a mix-couple (ex: a French dad and a German mom), the two cultures can be taught to the children and both sides of the family are happy...

I'm quite proud of these schools and this network. I so wish for other countries to be able to provide such high standards of education to their own expatriated populations. I think about my polish, spanish or danish friends. They can find playgroups but rarely bilingual schools... or they are expensive (more than the French schools). Accessing the culture of our home country, our mother tongue, this is essential in the preservation of our identity and the understanding of who we are and who we can be.

Learning in our mother language shouldn't be a privilege. It should be possible along classes in the majority language(s) of the country you live in. That's why the programm of UNESCO and the International Mother Language Day are so important! 

The Practical Mom
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mercredi 17 février 2016

Wordless Wednesday #11

We had some bumps in the road these last weeks, especially my o so painful experience with a panaris on my big toe...
Between several rainy days and the start of my nasty issue, I had a great Saturday. The kids were at the park with their dad, so I went for a stroll in the neighborhood with Alice in the Ergobaby. She slept and I enjoyed the sun. I didn't know it was my last walk for a while...

Crocus, a small chapel and its stained glass, the contemporary catholic church, and the Urselbach...

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mardi 26 janvier 2016

Her name is Talisha... but everyone call her Snow White [Multicultural Children's Book Day]

Mirror, mirror on the wall! Who is the fairest one of all?

 When you have been raised with fairy tales written by the Grimm's brothers as bedtime stories, it's a sentence you have heard quite a few times... It comes from one of the most reknown of them: Snow White. Many adaptations can be found in the litterature, or as movies, TV shows, or paintings...

 Today, I have the great pleasure to review a book adaptation with an african twist that one singer I like would love to share with his children. (Mr Alex Boye', you have to read this book to your daughters!)
Talisha Snow White & her little munchkins
From Nubitales.com
I received a digital copy of this colorful book written by Aphrodyi Antoine and illustrated by Eloy Claudio and as soon as I started to read it, I wanted to understand all the references the author made to different African cultures. 

 I don't know much about Africa's history and culture (even if I went to college to study History...) and the pages at the end of the tales, explaining some words and sharing games for the young readers, made me want to learn more. Although it's a book written for children, any adult (may it be parents, teachers, librarians, educators, etc) can feel the spirit of curiosity coming from the story.

 My children don't speak English, so I had to read it first in English and then translate for them in French. It was not the first time for me to do it, and the kids like to hear my voice change from my English tone of voice to my French one. Yeah, I kinda have different way of speaking depending on the language. But that's not the subject for today... or is it not?

 In fact, Aphrodyi Antoine laced her tale with African names and words from different languages - for example: Talisha, Thema, Yeka -, cultural references like the Apple and Spice Cake (makes me hungry everytime I read the lexicon) and a good dose of talent. Her take on the Brothers Grimm' story is a bit like listening to a Griot. (If you don't know what a griot is, check this informative and educative post.) I had to adapt my voice and pronunciation to these foreign words. And of course my three and a half years olf daughter asked me "What is this word? / C'est quoi ce mot?" each time... The lexicon had been a great help!!! 

 What made me like even more the story - and my kids 100% agreed - is the quality of the drawings and the way the text and the pictures are displayed. We love "comics" as a family - especially the bandes-dessinées we have in Europe- and Talisha Snow White reminds me of one. The text and the pictures work together to bring life to the story of Talisha and the numerous cultural references to Africa.

You can purchase it on amazon.
When you will have read the book, you will understand that the story plot of Snow White has changed quite a bit. If Talisha is fair and kind, she doesn't need a Prince to release her from an evil sorceress. Her family will suffice, thank you very much. No love after just a gaze, but loving and everlasting family bonds. Bonds that are not from blood, but from adoption, acceptation and love.

Many children can see themselves in this story as one of the munchkins, and adults will be thrilled to play the part of Talisha's protective adoptive parents. With just the right dose of magic and African background, this new adaptation of the Snow White's tale will help children to be more curious of other cultures and also to be more confident in the loving family bonds they can have with adoptive parents and siblings. 



Welcome to Multicultural Children's Book Day!
The MCCBD team’s mission is to spread the word and raise awareness about the importance of diversity in children’s literature. Our young readers need to see themselves and experience other cultures, languages, traditions and religions within the pages of a book. We encourage readers, parents, teachers, caregivers and librarians to follow along the fun book reviews, author visits, event details, the multicultural children’s book linky (see on one of the co-host link) and via our hashtag (#ReadYourWorld) on Twitter and other social medias.

The co-creators of this event are Mia Wenjen from Pragmatic Mom and Valarie Budayr from Jump Into a Book/Audrey Press. You can find a biography for these two bookworms / women here.


To help them promote and amplify the event, 
they have asked some multicultural bloggers to be co-hosts of this year's event:


And of course this event wouldn't be possible with the sponsors who gave each reviewer one book. So thanks to them!

Platinum Sponsors: Story Quest Books.Wisdom Tales Press, Lil’ Libros. 

Gold Sponsors: Candlewick Press, Tori Nighthawk: Don’t Judge A Bird By its Feathers. Bharat Babies

Silver Sponsors:Lee & Low Books, Chronicle Books, Capstone Young Readers, China Institute.org, Tuttle Publishing. NY Media Works, LLC/KidLit TV

Bronze Sponsors: Jacqueline Woodson, Pomelo Books, Papa Lemon Books, Goosebottom Books LLC, Author Gleeson Rebello, M.D ., Shout Mouse Press, Mahvash Shahegh. LiveOak Media






Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop

The Practical Mom

DiverseKidLit

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dimanche 17 janvier 2016

Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop - January 2016



Welcome to a new year of Creative Kids Culture Blog Hops! 

From the link-up in December, I have chosen to feature the post Shi-shi-etko : book review and Native Residentials Schools. It's in continuity with the topic of the post I featured last month about the Navajo Nation. 
Native Americans have been schooled in special schools where their culture and identity was taken away and the "European way of life" was forced on them. So sad, but it happened... This book is both interessant and beautiful. I love the drawings showned in that post.

Post from Crafty Moms Share

***

The Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop is a place where bloggers can share multicultural activities, crafts, recipes, and musings for our creative kids. We can't wait to see what you share this time!

Created by Frances of Discovering the World through My Son's Eyes, the blog hop has now found a new home at Multicultural Kid Blogs.

This month our co-hosts are:



Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop is a place for you to share your creative kids culture posts. It's very easy, and simple to participate!
Just follow these simple guidelines:
  • Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, or Facebook. Please let us know you're following us, and we will be sure to follow you back.
  • Link up any creative kids culture posts, such as language, culture, books, travel, food, crafts, playdates, activities, heritage, and holidays, etc. Please, link directly to your specific post, and no giveaways, shops, stores, etc.
Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop






    

  • Please grab the button code above and put it on your blog or the post you’re linking up. You can also add a text link back to this hop on your blog post. Note: By sharing your link up on this blog hop you are giving us permission to feature your blog post with pictures, and to pin your link up in our Creative Kids Culture Feature board on Pinterest.
    • 





    

  • Don't be a stranger, and share some comment love! Visit the other links, and comment. Everyone loves comments!
    • 



    

  • The Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop will go live on the 3rd Sunday of the month. It will run for three weeks. The following blog hop we will feature a previous link up post, and if you're featured, don't forget to grab the button below:
    • 




Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop



















Thank you for linking-up, and we can't wait to see what you've been up to!
























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vendredi 15 janvier 2016


          

        










Happy New Year 2016! / Bonne Année 2016!
























No, I didn't forget we started a new year... I was just busy!



Non, je n'ai pas oublié que nous avons commencé une nouvelle année... J'étais juste occupée!















In English

















En Français












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mercredi 13 janvier 2016


          

        










Wordless Wednesday #10












Those last seven days, we had the pleasure to taste new food or try some recipes.



Ces sept derniers jours, nous avons eu le plaisir de goûter de nouveaux produits ou essayer quelques recettes.







English biscuits, a Christmas present from one of my husband's colleagues. They are delicious!



Biscuits anglais, un cadeau de Noël d'un des collègues de mon mari. Ils sont délicieux!













One of my korean neighbors gave my kids a box of nori (seeweeds). I'm the only one who enjoy them... Yeah! More for me!



Une de mes voisines coréennes a offert une boîte de nori (des algues) à mes enfants. Je suis finalement la seule qui aime... Tant mieux, plus pour moi!



















And of course, we have eaten a Galette des Rois à la frangipane (King's cake stuffed with almond paste), a typical French cake for Thrre Kings Day / Epiphany. It was a first for me to bake it, and I have already received orders to bake more for my husband birthday AND my son's birthday party...



Et bien sûr, nous avons mangé une Galette des Rois à la frangipane, le gâteau typique de l'Epiphanie. C'était la première fois que j'en faisais un moi-même, et j'ai déjà des commandes pour d'autres galettes, pour l'anniversaire de mon mari et le goûter d'anniversaire de mon fils...




























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mardi 12 janvier 2016


          

        










"Crocolou aime..." : un mi-loup / mi-crocodile que les petits adorent!










Ma fille Sophie a son personnage de livre préféré: Crocolou. Sa maman est une crocodile et son papa est un loup. Lui et sa petite soeur Marilou sont donc un mélange des deux: mi-crocodile et mi-loup.









Bien que les histoires des 30 albums ne se focalisent pas forcement sur la composition de cette famille, il est intéressant de noter que l'auteur a voulu représenter une famille bi-raciale dans le contexte du quotidien d'un enfant de 4 ans. Et ça, c'est une excellente initiative! Les lecteurs apprennent à aimer ce personnage qui a des parents différents l'un de l'autre, une façon simple d'enseigner le respect et la tolérance. Surtout que Crocolou a beaucoup d'amis qui ne pointent pas du doigt le fait qu'il soit un mélange de loup et de crocodile. Le personnage lui-même a des caractéristiques de ses deux parents: il dit par exemple qu'il a "une faim de loup" et aussi qu'il adore aller dans l'eau (côté crocodile). C'est un garçon bien dans sa peau.



L'auteur est Ophélie Texier et depuis 15 ans elle illustre des livres pour les tous-petits. Crocolou est sa première création "texte et illustrations". On lui dit un grand merci pour son travail!



Nous avons actuellement six livres de la collection Crocolou à la maison. Celui que j'aime tout particulièrement, c'est Crocolou aime les voyages. Ma fille a pris l'avion pour la première fois l'année dernière, et ce livre a été acheté peu de temps après. Elle était toute heureuse de pouvoir faire le parallèle entre son expérience et celle de Crocolou. Bon, nous étions chez les grands-parents à Toulouse, pas dans un pays lointain et "exotique" comme le pays des Souris décrit dans le livre. Un pays où il fait chaud, où il y a la mer et des champs colorés.









Toutefois, et grâce à ce livre, ma fille veut maintenant voyager là-bas (ou un vrai pays qui s'en rapproche...) et expérimenter la plage, la plongée, se faire des amis et découvrir d'autres nourritures... Bon, question nourriture, la page en question lui fait un peu peur (certaines bestioles) mais comme Crocolou a décidé de goûter à ce qu'il ne connait pas, elle le trouve très courageux. Ce qui est drôle, c'est que le dessin montre plus ce que les enfants imaginent comme nourriture étrangère et "bizarre" que ce qu'on mange vraiment dans d'autres cultures. Ok, dans certaines régions on mange des grillons et des sauterelles et autres "choses", mais c'est quand même assez atypique.









Les autres titres que nous avons acheté (ou que les grands-parents ont offert) correspondent à des thèmes liés à nos enfants. Crocolou aime les gâteaux est le préféré de Sophie. On se demande bien pourquoi... C'est une gourmande notre fille! Qui a beaucoup de mal à manger des légumes! Alors quand Crocolou demande à ses parents des gâteaux, des bonbons ou de la glace plutôt que sa soupe et ses épinards, ma fille comprend tout à fait le personnage. Heureusement, Crocolou finit par accepter de manger son repas, qu'il trouve en fait délicieux, et a droit aussi à un dessert! A force de lui lire ce livre, j'espérais que ma fille accepte de manger un peu plus du plat principal, mais bon, ce n'est pas encore gagné.



Crocolou aime son doudou est le premier que nous avons eu et a les faveurs de ma fille et de son grand-frère. Crocolou aime son papi et sa mamie également. Par contre Crocolou aime la cantine fait demander à mon fils le droit de retourner y manger (c'était le cas au Kindergarten mais plus maintenant qu'il est en Grundschule) et ma fille veut rester avec ses copines le midi, comme Crocolou. Enfin, Crocolou aime les livres met tout le monde d'accord et les deux sont très fiers d'avoir eu dès leurs 18 mois une vraie bibliothèque dans leur chambre (bien avant le personnage de Crocolou!)





Crocolou est une collection adaptée pour les petits et les lecteurs débutants. Chaque titre explore un thème de l'enfance. J'apprécie le fait que les titres des livres commencent tous par Crocolou aime... ce qui focalise la narration sur des aspects positifs et aident les enfants à surmonter une difficultés quand bien même ce n'est pas ce qu'ils préfèrent. Par exemple dans Crocolou aime les gâteaux: il les aime, mais cela ne l'empêche pas de se rendre compte que les autres aliments sont aussi bons. Ou bien dans Crocolou aime son doudou où il le perd dans la journée et finit par se rendre compte qu'il l'a en fait oublié en jouant dans le jardin, d'où l'idée sous-jacente de faire plus attention aux choses que l'on aime.



Le site de l'éditeur a dédié tout un espace pour la collection Crocolou, avec des jeux éducatifs, une chanson et même des fiches pédagogiques pour les enseignants des écoles maternelles.









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vendredi 8 janvier 2016


          

        










What Martin Luther King's Day means for a French?










I'm French, I grew up in France and I never set foot in the USA. However, one American man has its place in our contemporary History books (even the middle and high school ones) and is well beloved in my country (NB: it's not the only American French people admire...):





Martin Luther King Jr



The MLK Day will be on January 18th in 2016. It's a special day in USA to remember and work for more equity for the rights of all citizens. The Multicultural Kid Blogs members have decided to write a series of posts on this topic. As a French, this day is not celebrated in my country, and neither in Germany where I live now. However, I have studied History in College, so I'm a "bit" interested in this topic.











France was a colonialist nation for several centuries. French navigators have taken part in the slave trade, people of color (in Africa -Maghreb, Sud-Sahara-, in Americas, in Polynesia, in Asia...) have been treated like "lesser humans" and racism and supremacism had had their joyous days...



However, the slave trade had ceased in 1817 and slavery has been forbidden in 1848 and since then, no laws have reduced the legal rights of "colored men and women". That's why French were quite put off with the segregationist laws in the United States. (Racism existed in my country, and sadly still does, but we couldn't think of separate shops, non-mixed buses, burning cross, etc.)





 Traveling on an ocean liner: memories of my grand-mother.



My grand-father was a maître d'hôtel on the ocean liner Ile-de-France during the fifties. My grand-mother had the pleasure to work on the boat four times in the laundry/pressing office (she was a dressmaker by training). She told me about how much she found the Americans (mainly rich ones) mean on board whith those "not white". Of course, on the boat, only the price of the ticket would create segregation. The travelers could go -mostly- as they please on the decks. And it seems that it didn't sit well with some customers. On her first cruise, she was shocked. After a quick visit of New York, she understood a bit better what was going on. My grand-mother was not a bookworm or very fond of politics, she was more a practical woman. Her travels on the transatlantic boat broadened her view of the world. I think she was already quite critic of how richness can twist the heart/mind of someone, and those travels cemented her opinion on that subject. She just added racism at her critical list.



She shared with me an anecdote that happened during the way from France to USA, and featuring the wonderful Josephine Baker (sorry, I can't remember the date). She witnessed how bad some 1st class passengers looked at / talked about Mrs Baker, who was also in 1st class. The French commandant asked the singer/actress if she could perform one evening for the passengers, and she answered "Yes, but only for the crew." Josephine Baker was a strong woman who has known how bad some people can treat others. She would have never sung for those who were loathing her, as she demonstrated on many occasions while she was in USA. My grand-parents were able to attend the show and they enjoyed it. My granny had washed and ironed Miss Baker's dress and seeing her wear it for the staff, that was a memorable moment for her.



My grand-mother has always told me that Joséphine Baker's life was one of heroism. She said that she overcome the "role" she had been casted in (think "bananas skirt"), and raised her voice for those who were muted by force. Her involvement in the Civil Rights movement was something my grand-mother approved of.













Civil Rights movement seen from France:



If few French have directly witnessed the segregation in USA, they have encountered newspaper articles, videos and artwork on the Civil Rights Movement. The "I have a dream" speech Martin Luther King Jr gave in 1963 in Washington is famous in France. It resonates in us with the Human Rights Declaration. Rosa Parks trials have been also discussed, and Pascal Obispo (a French songwriter and composer) wrote a song on her.









The musical Hairspray has brought to light for several young generations some aspects of the issue. I love the movie from 2007, and especially the song I know where I have been.











The memorable picture of Tommy Smith and John Carlos rising their fist in 1968 in Mexico is also well known. In August 2015, a post in NouvelObs has explained the photo and the fact that the three athletes were supporting the Civil Rights movement.








Picture found NouvelObs.com





Norman Rockwell's The Problem We All Live With, is one of the major artwork French people know of the Civil Rights movement. The Art Curator for Kids has referenced other major artworks about it but I'm not sure French knows them at all.





I could go on... Just know that Civil Rights movements in the world have always the attention of the Frenchs. Our country is far from perfect (no kidding!), but I tend to think / hope that we like to look for ways to improve the rights of every humans. And the work of great men and women, like Martin Luther King Jr, will always be praised by us. May we honor those who fight for more equity and fairness on Earth.










Check out all the posts in this series, 

they are listed on our introduction page.











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