Le Petit Nicolas

Rating:
Summary: hilarious and easy to read
Review: Being an intermediate french student, I was searching for easy to read french books and stumbled upon le petit nicolas. This is one of the most hilarious books I have read. The adventures of petit nicolas and his "copains" are very enjoyable. The french in this books is very easy to read something that even a beginner level french student can read. Nothing like a fun book like petit nicolas to boost your confidence in reading french.

Rating:
Summary: mais, c'est classique les gars!
Review: ben, écoutez, il faut aimer les petits nicolas. toute la serie elle est super bien ecris pour tout les ages. A+

Rating:
Summary: this town ain't big enough for the two of us
Review: Bought this to develop French reading skills. It's a kids' book, of course, and I'm a grown-up, but it absolutely cracks me up. Each chapter is a little short story following Nicolas and his gang of friends. Imagine Our Gang or Peanut, but in French, and ten times funnier because of the cultural incongruity. Nothing like reading a chapter before lights out and stumbling across, "Bouge pas, Oklahoma Kid!", "Tu le regretteras, Joe!" And the tiny little cartoons that go along with the story -- cracks me up!

Rating:
Summary: C'est tres amusant!
Review: I was introduced to the Petit Nicolas stories in high school and I love them. They're very funny as well as surprisingly intelligent and it has a sweetness that isn't too saccharine. The french is simple enough for beginners. The stories are intended for children but adults who snub Petit Nicolas simply because it is children's literature are missing a lot.

Rating:
Summary: a classic
Review: Le Petit Nicolas is an excellent book. The stories are memorable and adorable. Readers of all ages can enjoy this book to its fullest extent. As a french student, I have often despised french books geared towards American students with corny simplified french containing close to no plot line. This book is perfect for all learners of french no matter what level, because though it is simple, learners can experience genuine french writing. This book is wonderfully written, capturing the true tone and essence of youth and childhood and the stories will be remembered, reread and loved forever.

Rating:
Summary: a classic
Review: Le Petit Nicolas is an excellent book. The stories are memorable and adorable. Readers of all ages can enjoy this book to its fullest extent. As a french student, I have often despised french books geared towards American students with corny simplified french containing close to no plot line. This book is perfect for all learners of french no matter what level, because though it is simple, learners can experience genuine french writing. This book is wonderfully written, capturing the true tone and essence of youth and childhood and the stories will be remembered, reread and loved forever.

Rating:
Summary: The joy of being a petit garçon in the early 60s
Review: Like most non-Fench people I was introduced to "Le Petit Nicolas" in my French class. It sounded strange for a bunch of adults to read a book that is for 9-12 year-old kids. But, alas, it is not strange. On the contrary! That is a great idea, for many reasons. To begin with, the text has an easy vocabulary and uses words that are used in the everyday language -- different to the highbrow literature that would be impossible to a debutant read.

"Nicolas" is also great because it is funny. Even for those who aren't French, who don't understand French Culture, they can laugh with this boy and his peers. These characters somehow make we believe that being a child is the same everywhere.

On a deeper level, "Le Petit Nicolas" can be an effective sociological portray of being a child in the early 60s in France. The garçon's life shows a middle-class family dealing with `problems' --ok, not very serious one, this a book for children, after all-- like not having a TV, or when the kid has low marks. But, everything is dealt with a funny approach.

With his peculiar vision of the world --everything is seen through Nicolas' eyes-- and his `problems', this little boy shows to the grown-ups who delightful it can be to be a child. Even if we have forgotten that.


Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: Rene Goscinny is a wonderfully talented author who has blessed the world with a timeless classic in Le Petit Nicolas. Jean Jacque Sempe's fabulous illustrations add a hilarious twist to an already entertaining book. The funniest chapter is one called "Je suis malade." In this chapter, Nicolas gets sick from eating too much candy. He must stay home from school the next day to recover but he sure can cause a lot of trouble from his bed! This book reminds me of Beverly Cleary's Ramona and it also reminds me of the little prince. I read this book to my brothers every night before they go to bed. The grammar and vocabulary are simple and easy to read. I highly reccommend this book for anyone and everyone who like French and to anyone who simply enjoys a great book!

Rating:
Summary: Entire collection of "Petit Nicholas"
Review: The entire collection is more than just great!Nothing can compare! I enjoy reading them from time to time. And it's certainly good for the french learner for it's easy to read. But it's a pity that the collection contained only few books as I always feel hungry to read more about Nicolas and his classmates' "betises".

Rating:
Summary: Very funny
Review: There is no better way to improve your French than by reading this book (and the entire series). Shortly after meeting my fiancee (a French speaker) I began learning French. We would read this book together...it was a wonderful experience. The story is hillarious and it is not too difficult (I read it without too much trouble after having lived in Geneva for about a month). This series is written in every day language, so you will pick up lots of phrases that you wouldn't learn in a class or in an "adult" book. If you like to laugh, I am sure you will love this book.