Song “Frère Jacques” · the coloring pages on this refrain
The night lantern
Under the moon, a monk in a rough robe holds up his lantern, and beside him the little unicorn has a tiny one of its own.
- Recommended age
- Ages 4 and up · 20 to 40 minutes
- Themes
- Storybook scenes, Unicorns
- Song
- Frère Jacques
Two lanterns in the night
A monk in a rough robe, the top of his head shaved, holds a big lantern in his hand; his robe is tied at the waist with a knotted cord. Beside him, a small starry unicorn carries its own lantern, a tiny one, hanging from the tip of its horn. At the top right, a smiling crescent moon; all around, stars, sparkling dots and two clouds. On the hills, a tree, bushes, mushrooms, flowers and a clover.
Ring the morning bells
“Frère Jacques, dormez-vous ? Sonnez les matines !” — “Brother John, are you sleeping? Ring the morning bells!” Matins are the night prayers that monks rang the bell for before daybreak. Here, Brother Jacques is wide awake: he has gone out, lantern in hand, and the unicorn keeps him company with its own. For a four-year-old, it is a reassuring night page, where everyone has their own little light.
The lantern up close
The big lantern is the detailed part of the page: its handle, its top, its glass with a star shining inside, its base. These are small, well-closed areas that call for a sharpened pencil. The monk’s robe, by contrast, is a big simple area crossed by a few folds. The unicorn and the landscape offer medium areas, easy at four.
Light in the middle of the night
Both lanterns must glow: a bright yellow for the flame, orange around it. The rough robe is colored brown, as the habit requires, and the cord beige. For the sky, a midnight blue that goes around the moon and stars makes the scene even lovelier, but a sky left white is still right: the moon and the lanterns are enough to say it is night.
A word for the grown-up: sing “Frère Jacques” as a round while coloring, one starting after the other. And at “ding, dang, dong”, your child adds a touch of yellow to one of the lanterns.
Coloring pages that go with this one
More pages from the same theme, age or season — the ones you print right after.
