je lis des Histoires Vraies, No. 96, Mai 2001: Jean de La Fontaine

Abstract

This is a 66-page magazine, apparently a monthly, designed for children between eight and twelve years of age. This issue concentrates on the fables of Jean de la Fontaine. Many individual parts feature La Fontaine. The first of these is a narrative of La Fontaine's life (7). This picture-story would make a good quick review the next time I teach La Fontaine. It is divided into seven parts. Incroyable mais vrai (36) offers four little-known facts relevant to La Fontaine's life and work (35): it took forty years to build Versailles; invited to lunch, La Fontaine was once late because he was observing the burial of an ant; Versailles included a rather large menagerie of exotic animals; Louis XIV preferred eating with his fingers to using a fork. Documents (36) offers illustrations on La Fontaine's life, his animals, and his fables. En savoir plus recommends further reading and listening. I am heartened by the fact that I have almost all of the important works of illustration that are featured here. Various games, puzzles, and exercises follow. There are also four detachable cards (67), two of which have in fact been detached already. This magazine seems to be part Classic Comics and part Our Junior Messenger.