French Children (1948)

On an old, old farm in western France live three French children, Marie, Jean, and François. Just now, they are helping father, who is going out to work in his fields. Going out with grandfather to work all day long on his farm. It will soon be time to go to school, but there are a few things yet to be done at home. Marie has to feed the rabbits, and Jean likes to go along to help. This morning, Jean has a bunch of greens for these rabbits. Father grows the rabbits to sell, but here is one that would make a nice pet. Marie says, hold him gently, Jean. François has been taking a last look at his history lesson while waiting for school time. This is the apron Marie will wear over her dress in school. Now to change shoes. You see, Marie and François wear wooden shoes for work and play at home. They save their leather shoes for school, for church and special days. Mother is telling Marie and François to hurry, or they will be late to school. Just like all mothers, she wants her children to be on time. Jean goes along only as far as the gate. Someday soon, he will go with François and Marie up the road that leads to the school in the village. Here comes a neighbor driving his cows down the road to the pasture, as he does every morning. It's just a little lonely at home without François and Marie. This is Marie's room at school. Today, the class will study the geography of their own France. Who knows what this part of France is called, the teacher asks. Marie knows it is Brittany, where she and the other children live. Now, can Marie find the largest city in France? Yes, it is Paris, the capital of France. Now, can she find the town nearest her own village? It is called Dinan. Where is Dinan? Here, the teacher helps a little. This is Dinan, in Brittany, in the western part of France. After school, François and Marie come back home to help their father and mother. Father has just come in from his day's work in the fields. Little Jean is doing what he can to help. He likes the big horse. Off go the horse and cart to the barn. And off come school shoes, and on go the home shoes. Mother has just finished making butter from the milk of the cows. Inside the churn, the butter is gathered at the top of the milk. A clean wooden paddle makes a good scoop. Some sour milk is still in the butter, so mother works it out. Cool water makes the lump of butter firm. Now it is ready to eat. But mother has one more thing to do, something that Marie wants to learn how to do. She watches mother using the wooden paddle to shape the pat of butter and to make a nice pattern on the top. And here is François bringing the cows in from the pasture. These cows give milk to drink, milk that mother and Marie use also for making butter. While François gives the cows something to eat in the barn, Marie is helping mother to get dinner. Marie can learn by watching mother. The whole meal has been cooked over the fire. François, father, and grandfather have finished the work for the day and are ready for their evening meal. But everyone waits. Father must first bless the bread and cut the first slices from the big loaf. He thinks Jean needs help, and it's up to sitting next to him. Jean's trouble seems to be with his knife and fork. You must learn to eat nicely, says mother. But still, the young fellow can use his fingers now and then. Once more, Marie shows Jean how to hold the knife and fork. Tomorrow will be Thursday. In Brittany, this is market day, and there's no school. So, on Thursday morning, mother and the children start out with vegetables to sell at the market in Dinan. On the way, mother points out an old castle. Long ago, the lord of this castle owned all the nearby land, and the people worked for him. But today, most of the farmers in Brittany own their own land. Through the countryside and over a high stone bridge built many years ago, the road to Dinan leads finally through an old gate in the city wall. Inside the town, mother, Francois, Jean, and Marie drive along through the streets and on to the marketplace where they will sell their vegetables. They have cauliflower to sell today, cauliflower they raised on their farm. One of mother's friends calls her over to look at a piece of lace she has just finished, and it is a lovely piece of work. France is famous for beautiful lace, but mother must get back. There may be a customer. This man may want some of the fresh cauliflower. While mother is busy, the children decide to go window shopping. Francois likes this window best, and he always comes here to look at the saints and heroes carved from wood. But Marie likes another window. This is a window filled with dolls dressed in the kind of clothes worn by the people who lived in Brittany long ago. One of Marie's favorites is a doll dressed in clothes like Marie's own grandmother used to wear. Her very favorite doll is the bagpiper doll. Bagpipers sometimes play for country dances in Brittany. Marie would love to own a bagpiper doll, but it's time to go. It's noon, and mother may be finished with the market and ready to start home. Mother is ready, and she hasn't forgotten that it is Marie's birthday. Here's Marie's birthday surprise, a bagpiper doll just like the one she saw in the window. Now, once more along the village streets, Marie, Francois, John, and mother are on the road back home, on the road that leads past the old castle again. John, Marie, and Francois, three French children who live in a farm village of Brittany in the western part of France.