French language CDs and books on Ebay - any good?

[Scousenet]

I'm hoping that some French speaking mumsnetters can help me. My family and I will be moving to France in the next couple of months and I've found the attached story books and CDs on Ebay and wondered if anyone had experience of them. The DCs are 7 and 5 and don't speak French although they are having lessons every week. I was hoping that these would help their French comprehension.

cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300574184892&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

The same seller seems to have a couple of sets for sale so if you think they're worth it I might just try and get them all.

Way too difficult for kids who have no real French, these are for French natives of the same age (so French equivalent to whatever they're doing in/alongside school in English at the moment.) I imagine this would terrify most kids of that age.

If you wait till you get there they will probably be fine after, say, a term; but, if you want to help them in this way, how about getting them (via Amazon) the French equivalent of something they already know and like in English? DVDs if possible because then words and images support each other. How about Peppa Pig, for example? Dora? The Gruffalo? (book with CD) Charlie and Lola? (my own child is 3 and is bilingual from birth so feel free to replace my own suggestions with something better.)

Also, unless your own French is at least competent, how are you going to be able to read the books with them?

Hope this is useful, even if it's not what you wanted to hear. Happy to help further if you want.

Incidentally, the books and CDs you linked to are excellent - maybe the sort of thing you could get now and then introduce to your kids once they are over there and speaking French on a daily basis (though even then, probably worth aiming an age bracket "below" their real age for the first year - don't forget that these books make significant assumptions, not just of language, but of cultural awareness, which your children won't meet initially.)