• Ah! belle cité! = A Beautiful City: ABC by Stéphane Poulin (1985) Ages 2-10
  A bilingual alphabet book set in Montréal, with a detailed bilingual index of each picture.
• Chloë’s Birthday…and Me by Giselle Potter (2004) Ages 5-9
  In this autobiographical story, Giselle tells us what it’s like to envy—and very nearly spoil—her 5-year-old sister’s special day. Set in France with cultural details and French words throughout.
• Circles of Hope by Karen Lynn Williams (2005) Ages 4-8
  After many futile attempts to plant a tree in honor of his new baby sister, a Haitian* boy discovers that the perfect solution involves a bit of ingenuity and a lot of hope. Includes a glossary of Creole words and an author’s note.
• Feliciana Meets d’Loup Garou by Tynia Thomassie, illus. Cat Bowman Smith (1998) Ages 4-8
  Cranky Feliciana confronts the werewolf in the swamp and they commiserate about how they just can’t help being bad—then they howl their feelings out together. Written in dialect.
• Josias, Hold the Book by Jennifer Riesmeyer Elvgren, illus. by Nicole Tadgell (2006) Ages 5-9
  Josias is too busy with his family’s garden to join his friend Chrislove at school, but when Teacher sends a book to help him save the crop, it’s time for him to “hold the book.”
• Painted Dreams by Karen Lynn Williams (1998) Ages 5-9
  Ti Marie uses the remnants of discarded paint tubes to create a beautiful scene that draws customers to her family’s market stall. Includes a glossary of Creole words and an author’s note.
• Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood by Mike Artell, illus. by Jim Harris (2001) Ages 4-8
  In this version of the tale, the villain is a gator. TeJean the cat saves the day with a secret weapon: hot sauce! Written in rhyming dialect; includes a glossary and note on the Cajun people.
• Please, Malese! by Amy McDonald, illus. by Emily Lisker (2002) Ages 4-8
  In this trickster tale, Malese cheats all his neighbors as he tries to get a new pair of shoes. Listen to a group of actors performing this story at http://mainehumanities.org/podcast/archives/274
• Sélavi, That is Life : A Haitian Story of Hope by Youmé (2004) Ages 4-8
  A Haitian child loses his family and then his orphanage, but his community gives him hope.

* Haiti is not a “Francophone culture” because Haitians speak Creole, but there are so many good Haitian stories that we’ve snuck them onto this list.

You can download the booklist as a pdf.