Halloween is coming! There are pumpkins everywhere, fall foliage is just past peak in the North East, it’s getting dark earlier every day, and the supermarkets are overflowing with last minute treats for every house on the block to leave out for kids (because who’s handing candy out during a pandemic?) While Halloween celebrations are gaining a lot of traction in France, it was never really a thing back when I was a kid growing up in Brittany. My first experience with Halloween was in the U.S. when I was 21.
This week, we are going to talk about the subject of fear in youth literature, about celebrating Halloween, and about what to do when you start feeling blue as the days are shortening. I listened to a few episodes and my main criteria for this selection was what would set the mood of this season? I hope you’ll enjoy it!
As a reminder, here is what the headphones next to the titles mean: one headphone, like this: ? is for shorter and more tractable French and up to three headphones like this: ? ? ? for longer and more complex.
Grand – La Peur (L’Ecole des Loisirs) ? ?
What it’s about
Grand is a podcast by L’Ecole des Loisirs, a famous youth publishing company. It is produced by Brune Bottero, a producer and bookseller who specializes in kid content. In this docuseries, the focus is on books and on child development.
What I like about this show
While initially conceived for book professionals, this podcast is a fascinating source of inspiration and information for parents and grandparents. I particularly enjoy this podcast because it gives concrete ideas to better understand our kids’ understanding of the world surrounding them. It also is a great way to discover new authors.
An episode not to miss
I really liked the latest episode (episode 3) as it focuses on fear. This strong feeling and emotion is an important one kids learn to manage from a very young age (sometimes with more success than others), and it is everywhere in youth literature. Bottero talks with authors and illustrators, academics and booksellers to make sense of all of it. And I really loved it.
Avant d’aller dormir (Yop & UnDixGo) ?
What it’s about
The title says it all: Avant d’aller dormir, ie. before going to bed. Both hosts, Yop and UnDixGo are fascinated with horror stories and enact them in this podcast. They source frightening stories: some are fiction, some are real, all are horrifying.
What I like about this show
The way the hosts read and act the stories out is really well produced. I’ll admit I only listen to this if I am not home alone. This podcast is both horrific and addictive!
An episode not to miss
I particularly enjoyed the mini series fictions. For this selection, I listened to the latest one: “J’ai acheté une femme sur Internet” (“I purchased a wife on the Internet.”) It’s the story of a man who wants to use an online service to save women. You can read the original story (in English) here on Reddit. It’s spooky!
Comment gérer le blues de l’automne (Bababam), Be Lively ? ?
What it’s about
Be Lively is a daily show that wants to be a resource center for well-being. It provides very concrete tools and tutorials using experiences from meditation, sophrology, reflexology and nutrition.
What I like about this show
Isabelle Rigaud, the host of this daily podcast, is a nutritionist by training and an entrepreneur. There is nothing I hate more than well-being podcasts giving fuzzy directions and non achievable goals. This is not the case here. I really like how practical her tips and programs are.
An episode not to miss
Fall is here, the days are getting shorter and while it is tempting to cozy up for the winter, I tend to feel a bit blue in this season: low energy and a bit more emotional than usual. In “Comment gérer le blues de l’automne”, Rigaud describes what’s behind “TAF” (trouble affectif saisonnier or, in English, seasonal affective disorder). Many people experience a seasonal depression right about now every year. In this short didactic episode, she suggests a few things to consider and, as the days get darker and more dreary as we head into November, make the best of it.
Anne-Fleur Andrle is a Boston-based French-American podcast producer. She hosts a French Morning show called, French Expat, where she documents the journeys of French-speaking expats around the world. She is so passionate about podcasts that she created a podcast about it, called Génération Podcast, and has a weekly curated newsletter with French podcasts that she thinks are not to miss. She also consults for various organizations to help ramp up their podcast footprint.
