Le pigeon de Lille
French Short Novel for Beginners (A1)
A towed truck. An empty basket. A pigeon who knows the way home.
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Nora and Samir drive the old white truck 800 kilometres north to move Maurice, 81, out of his little brick house in Lille. Maurice is grumpy, speaks with words Nora can't find in her dictionary, and has given away all his racing pigeons but one: Princesse, who travels with him in a wicker basket. On Sunday morning, market day in Wazemmes, the truck is gone. And when they find it, the basket is empty. A short, adult novel for complete beginners of French (A1).
Inside
- 41 short chapters, about 85 words each
- Every new word in bold, explained in easy French
- A glossary, a summary and 3 questions after each chapter
- Answer key, full vocabulary list and a one-page grammar guide
- A free printable worksheet on the book's web page
Free · no sign-up
Read chapter 1: La Baleine
Vendredi 16 octobre. Cinq heures du matin. Bordeaux, quartier de La Bastide. Il fait nuit.
Devant un vieux garage, il y a un camion blanc. Sur la porte, il y a une baleine. C'est la Baleine, le camion de Roussel Déménagements.
Nora Kinsella a trente et un ans. Elle est irlandaise. Elle est déménageuse depuis un mois. Une déménageuse porte les meubles : les lits, les tables, les chaises.
Gaby Roussel lit un papier.
— Lille. Monsieur Duhamel. Quatre-vingt-un ans. Trente cartons.
Elle regarde Nora.
— Et un pigeon.
— Un pigeon ?
Glossary
- camion
- truck, lorry
- déménageuse
- (female) mover, removals worker
- meuble
- piece of furniture
- carton
- cardboard box
- pigeon
- pigeon
Check yourself
- La Baleine, c'est…
- un bateau
- un camion
- un restaurant
- Nora travaille chez Roussel depuis…
- un an
- une semaine
- un mois
- Le travail est à…
- Lille
- Paris
- Bordeaux
Download the worksheet (PDF) · free, no sign-up
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A1 bundle · 6 books
$24.99 was $35.94
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- PDF of the print edition
- Printable workbook
See the 6 books
Complete series · 19 books
$55 was $113.81
- EPUB ebook
- PDF of the print edition
- Printable workbook
See the 19 books
- Le vélo bleu A1
- Le marché du dimanche A1
- Le tandem de Montmartre A1
- Un week-end à Saint-Malo A1
- Le piano des Chartrons A1
- Le pigeon de Lille A1
- Le train pour Lyon A2
- La recette de Mamie Paule A2
- Le chien de Belleville A2
- La photo de 1985 A2
- Noël à Strasbourg A2
- Le chalet d'Annecy A2
- Mort au Vieux-Port B1
- Le tableau du Panier B1
- La nuit des calanques B1
- La météorite de Toulouse B1
- Disparu à Nice B1
- L'hiver à Québec B2
- Le dossier de Bruxelles B2
Keep climbing
Compare the levels →Next level: A2
A2 · Book 1Le train pour Lyon
The wrong suitcase. The right city.
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A1 · Book 1Le vélo bleu
A blue bike. A hidden key. No owner.
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A1 · Book 2Le marché du dimanche
One box of old photos. One face Léa knows.
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A1 · Book 3Le tandem de Montmartre
A wedding at three. A tandem in pieces.
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All 6 A1 books: $24.99 · Save $10.95 (30%) Get the A1 bundle · $24.99