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photo og me holding the bus on my mobile library bus

After being a fan of Audrey Poussier’s animal characters for a while, I finally got to meet her at the Salon du Livre et de La Presse Jeunesse in Montreuil in December 2018. This is where I bought this story which Audrey kindly signed for me, as you can see. She truly was adorable!

You can watch here a short video of me introducing the book to you… then please come back to this blog!

Language of text: French
Type of text: picture book
Author or source: Audrey Poussier at l’école des loisirs
Intended age of students: Key Stage 1/2
Source reference: 9782211200738

This is the story of the day the animals decided to have a race… was there a false start though?
Either your children will already know “ready, steady, go” in French (my pupils love it) and they will be able to join in, or they will soon remember it. The key phrase in this story is the title: j’ai pas dit partez! The children can all join in with this sentence as early as the first reading.
Before the animals start the race, it is a good idea to go through the animals (in French if they know them or you want to teach them) and get the children to say who they think is going to win. It makes for more exciting reading as they will feel more involved in the race, wanting their animal to win! You could even teach them the encouraging phrase “allez!”… but only if you do not mind a bit of noise as they cheer on their chosen animal in French!

Rationale:
I want to use this story because it has a funny twist at the end which will amuse everyone and will definitely generate a reaction; it might even lead to a short discussion about cheating. Who has won? Was it fair? Should they run the race again?

Outcomes:
The children will always remember “à vos marques, prêts, partez” after this story, but also “j’ai pas dit”/je n’ai pas dit” which is a useful one to know as well in the classroom… and outside it! You could do a “vrai ou faux” speaking or reading task with them: le lapin a gagné; le lapin mérite de gagner.
This story can also be used as a way into the grammar points below, or a way to reinforce them, get the children to spot them. If you have worked on the negative form before, will they realise for instance that there is a “n'” missing?

Topics or themes:
It introduces or reinforces phrases which can be used practically daily in the classroom.

Grammar:
introduction to passé composé; imperative or -er verbs; the negative form

How much time required: part of a lesson to a lesson

You can buy this lovely book here at Amazon.co.uk.

I also have “Une farce” and “Cocorico” which are so funny too. Read my blog on “Cocorico!” here!

This book could also be used as a starter to a PE lesson.