The article presents selected problems concerning the foundation and development of libraries for children in France. The author presents “L’Heure Joyeuse” (“The Hour of Joy”), the first institution of that type founded in 1924. It was o introduce not only children, but also adults into a new type of a library, open for all readers’ needs. However, it was only in 1963 that the association “La Joire par les Livres” (“The Joy through Books”), and next the opening of the children’s library in Clamart near Paris were connected with the development of the French children’s library science. Currently, the place of separate book collections for children is replaced by collections both for children and adults. What is also important is to take children’s branch into account in urban projects of libraries as important elements of an every‑ day life.