Today is Bastille Day--the French national holiday--and I'm in a Francophile kind of mood, right down to the croissant from Parkway Central Library's H.O.M.E.Page Café that I had for breakfast. Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille (a fortress and prison in Paris) on July 14, 1789, which provided the spark to the powerful fire of the French Revolution. Several places throughout Philadelphia have fun Bastille Day celebrations planned, including our neighbors at Eastern State Penitentiary, who host a festive re-enactment featuring Super Soakers and Marie Antoinette shouting, "Let them eat TastyKake!" (Ah, Philadelphia.) To fuel your appetite for all things French, why not check out some of the great resources here at the Free Library?

Master the art of French cooking with Julia Child's legendary cookbooks; put together a family fun night featuring The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ratatouille, and The Little Prince; or lose yourself in the city of lights with A Moveable Feast, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, or Paris to the Moon. Revisit some of the greats of French literature: Rabelais, Flaubert, Proust, and Camus. Sing along with Cosette and Jean Valjean from Les Misérables. Or hop onto our fantastic Mango Languages software and learn the native tongue in no time!

Liberté! Egalité! Fraternité!