Dreaming of France: Les Vacances du Petit Nicolas

This is the type of book that makes me wish I still had a small boy at home! My 21 year old is probably 10 years too old for the Petit Nicolas series of French books by René Goscinny with illustrations by Jean-Jacques Sempé, but perhaps neither of us is too old for the films! Les Vacances du Petit Nicolas AKA Nicholas on Holiday came out in France this past July, and screened in Canada in September at the Sudbury Cinefest International Film Festival. There's no US release date yet, and I don't see any for the UK either but the film will screen at the Alliance Français French Film Festival early in 2015 in New Zealand.  The blu ray is available at Amazon.ca and Amazon.uk and of course in France.  I love that it's a family film that comes with a warning about nudity!

What I think would have appealed to my son about the books is the cheeky sense of humor as well as the illustrations. What I like about the look of the films is that being set in the 50's, one of my favorite time periods for films, they seem to capture, if not our innocence, then perhaps our naiveté. I also like the idea of French language films for children. What a marvelous way to help them learn the language, if they're so inclined. No sense in trying to force it though, that's a dead end street.

I've posted the trailer below and I'm feeling a little triste the film isn't available in the US. I'll have to keep my eyes on Netflix; they're adding marvelous programs all the time.

From the publisher — 

Nicholas on Holiday is the third book in the acclaimed series of classic and much-loved stories about the endearing exploits of the cheeky French schoolboy, Nicholas. All the stories in this volume take place by the sea, during the summer holidays. There are eventful fishing trips, treasure hunts in the middle of the night and a whole new gang of friends with whom Nicholas can get into trouble.

Firmly established as a literary cult figure, the sublimely innocent Nicholas has already charmed millions of readers world-wide since these books were first published over forty years ago. Considered classics and available in twenty-six languages, the Nicholas stories delight both children and adults. Nicholas on Holiday contains eighteen new stories, all of which take place during the long summer break from school. An only child, Nicholas’s touchingly naive reaction to situations is often at odds with that of the adults around him. Whether he’s staying at a seaside hotel with his parents or making new friends at a holiday camp for children, Nicholas’s efforts to keep himself and his gang amused, even when it’s raining outside, always result in unexpected and delightful chaos. 

I'm playing along with the Dreaming of France meme hosted by Paulita at An Accidental Blog.
If you're a Francophile, take a peek, see what else lovers of all things français have in store.