La Bonne Aventure

French-English bilingual educational television series for children. Designed "to expose the Franco American child to simple elements of his/her culture" (MPBN). Created in 1974 by Project FACTS (Franco-American Children's Television Series); produced by Maine Public Broadcasting Network and the University of Maine. Includes puppets, animation, and live-action video footage. Accompanied by Teacher Guides with thematic overview and synopsis of each episode, comments on cultural elements in each episode, suggested additional resources materials for teachers, and suggested activities for students.

Description of episodes (20):

Episode 1: Nouveaux amis / New Friends
Introduction to series character children - Lise, Claude, Tit-Guy, Julie. The magical arrival of Dorik and Dondaine, two lutins of Franco American folklore. Features video footage of Augusta, Biddeford, Fort Kent, Lewiston, Madawaska, and Van Buren, Maine.

Episode 2: Chez-nous / Our Place
Finding themselves at the center of the children's attention, Dorik and Dondaine search for a place to be alone.

Episode 3: Le rire / Laughter
Dorik and Dondaine contemplate cultural difference as they encounter different perceptions of their English accent.

Episode 4: La bonne aventure / The Good Adventure
With the help of her friends, Julie confronts her fear of meeting new people and ventures out to create a film. Episode includes French Canadian fables. Features video footage of Augusta, Biddeford, Lewiston, the St. John Valley, and Waterville, Maine.

Episode 5: Le travail / Work
Lise and Tit-Guy help Dorik take pride and find value in his art work. Video footage and montage of different forms of work.

Episode 6: L'horloge / The Clock
The discovery of a giftbox with a clock set for 7:00PM opens up a discussion about "le Bonhomme Sept-heures" of Franco American folklore. Characters work to confront their fears.

Episode 7: Le bazaar / The Bazaar
Claude struggles to finish a series of collages he is supposed to bring to the next day's church bazaar. Characters learn about some of the differences between working independently and asking others for help.

Episode 8: Le réveillon / Christmas Eve Celebration
The children celebrate Christmas Eve together with their families, but Dorik and Dondaine are missing. Includes a discussion of Franco American foods.

Episode 9: La legende / The Legend
A trip to the shipyard with Claude, Lise, Dorik, and Dondaine turns adventurous when the four become trapped in an old ship. In the hopes of calming them, Dorik shares a legend with the children. Features video footage from Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine.

Episode 10: Les explorateurs / The Explorers
Claude and Lise venture into the attic to explore through a trunk filled with their pépère's old belongings. After the children uncover stories from their Québec heritage, Tit-Guy explains his mémère's Acadian roots. Features video footage of Rhode Island Governor, Philip Noel, and a photo montage of St.-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations.

Episode 11: La déportation / The Deportation
Playing hide-and-seek after talking about her Acadian heritage with Tit-Guy, Julie's cardboard box hiding spot is magically moved out of the house. Julie and Dondaine search for a way home. Information on the Acadian Deportation. Features video footage of Augusta, Biddeford, Lewiston, the St. John Valley, and Waterville, Maine, as well as footage from Manchester and Nashua, New Hampshire; Lowell, Fall River, and western Massachusetts; and Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

Episode 12: Achale moé pas / A Problem of Feelings
As Julie tries to draw a bowl of fruit, she is interrupted and upset in multiple ways by her friends. How she deals with anger and impatience.

Episode 13: La bêtise / The Mistake
Before a trip to the sugar shack, Lise accidentally unravels a scarf knitted for her by her mémère. Features video footage of "la tire sur la neige," or taffy on the snow, at a sugar shack during the maple sugar harvest.

Episode 14: Le prix / The Prize
Sibling tensions arise as Claude resents Lise's spelling bee victory trophy and the attention she receives. Features video footage of a community bean supper.

Episode 15: La quête / The Quest
After Julie falls asleep reading about French-speaking people in the history of America, the time-machine she had been tinkering disappears Dorik to parts unknown. Julie travels through American history - to colonial Boston, Philadelphia, and elsewhere - on a search for her friend. Features Robert de la Salle, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and other figures in American history.

Episode 16: L'annonce / The Commercial
Tit-Guy recites a poem he has prepared for a television station. His friends offer advice and critique his style in various ways, and he must choose the best way to perform. Features video footage from Franco American communities outside of Maine.

Episode 17: Les plans / The Plans
After Lise is informed she cannot go to the zoo, that her parents have other plans for her, she imagines running away from home. Discussion of Franco American fairs. Features video footage of Benson's Animal Farm in Hudson, New Hampshire.

Episode 18: L'invention / The Invention
As Julie tinkers with her malfunctioning new invention, a thought-reflection-projector box, she is confronted with gender stereotypes from her friends. Features video footage of a community beano game and the mayor of Lewiston, Maine.

Episode 19: La trouvaille / The Lucky Find
Tit-Guy finds a precious object and claims it his own as Dondaine realizes her rose bénite, the same object, is missing.

Episode 20: Au Revoir is Not Goodbye
Claude, Lise, Tit-Guy, and Julie reminisce on their happy times with Dorik and Dondaine. The children prepare a party before les lutins must depart.