Yellow star, blue musical note, and worried red heart icons on grid paper background.

Le Roi Lion et le Grand Frisson

Listen to “The Lion and the Big Chill”, a fun French audio story for kids! Perfect for learning French through imagination, and play.

"A lion resting on a hill while giraffes drink from the pool in the sunny savannah."caption: "the lion and girafe"

Dans la savane tranquille, le soleil brille.

Le lion Simbon, roi de la savane, bâille sur une colline.

Il fait chaud, les girafes boivent au bassin.

In the peaceful savannah, the sun shines.

The lion Simbon, king of the savannah, yawns on a hill.

It’s hot, the giraffes drink from the pool.

"A lion feeling a strange shiver run down his back in the savannah."caption: "The lion"

Mais aujourd’hui, Simbon sent quelque chose d’étrange.

Un frisson passe dans son dos, comme un vent invisible.

— Quelque chose ne va pas, grogne-t-il.

Il doit vérifier la plaine.

But today, Simbon feels something strange.

A shiver runs down his spine, like an invisible wind.

« Something’s wrong, » he grunts.

He has to check the plain.

 "A lion king wearing his shiny royal cloak, greeted by the monkeys."caption: "the king lion"

Il peut marcher doucement sans faire de bruit.

Il prend son manteau royal — une vieille étoffe brillante.

Les singes le saluent : — Bonjour, majesté !

— Attention, les amis, dit-il. Il y a peut-être un danger.

He can walk quietly without making a sound.

He takes his royal cloak—a shiny old cloth.

The monkeys greet him: “Good morning, Your Majesty!”

“Be careful, friends,” he says. “There may be danger.”

"A lion walking past calm antelopes and dancing ostriches in the plain."caption: "the lion with the antelopes"

Il passe devant les antilopes, très tranquilles.

Les autruches dansent comme d’habitude.

Mais tout à coup, un bruit bizarre résonne dans la colline.

— Bong… bing… bong…

He walks past the antelopes, all very calm.

The ostriches are dancing as usual.

But suddenly, a strange noise echoes through the hillside.

— Bong… bing… bong…

"A lion entering a dark old cave to find where the strange noise comes from."caption: "the lion in the cave"

Simbon sursaute.

Il doit comprendre d’où vient ce son.

Il suit le bruit jusqu’à une vieille grotte.

Il fait sombre, mais il doit avancer.

— Surtout, ne pas paniquer, pense-t-il.

Il voit une ombre bouger dans le fond.

Il veut rugir, mais il retient son souffle.

— Qui est là ? grogne-t-il.

Un petit animal sort en tremblant.

C’est une tortue avec un coquillage sur le dos.

Simbon jumps.

He has to figure out where the sound is coming from.

He follows the noise to an old cave.

It’s dark, but he has to move on.

— Above all, don’t panic, he thinks.

He sees a shadow moving in the background.

He wants to roar, but he holds his breath.

“Who’s there?” he growls.

A small animal comes out, trembling.

It’s a turtle with a shell on its back.

"A lion facing a small trembling turtle who has dropped her xylophone."caption: "The lion and the turtle"

— Je suis désolée, dit-elle, j’ai fait tomber mon xylophone !

Simbon cligne des yeux.

— Ton quoi ?

— Mon xylophone magique, explique la tortue. Il tombe chaque fois que je joue mal…

« I’m sorry, » she said, « I dropped my xylophone! »

Simbon blinked.

« Your what? »

« My magic xylophone, » the turtle explained. « It falls every time I play badly… »

"A lion bursting out laughing after discovering the turtle and her magic xylophone."caption: "The lion is laughing"

Simbon éclate de rire.

Il pense que ce n’est pas un danger… mais une drôle de surprise.

— Tu dois faire attention, petite tortue, dit-il gentiment.

— Je veux bien, répond-elle, mais je dois m’entraîner.

— Alors viens jouer au sommet de la colline. C’est moins effrayant.

Simbon bursts out laughing.

He thinks it’s not a danger… but a funny surprise.

« You have to be careful, little turtle, » he says kindly.

« I’d love to, » she replies, « but I have to practice. »

« Then come play at the top of the hill. It’s less scary. »

"A lion king back in the plain while the monkeys dance to the sound of the xylophone."caption: "the lion in the plain"

Le roi retourne à la plaine avec la tortue.

Les singes dansent au son du xylophone.

Les gazelles chantent une jolie chanson.

Simbon peut enfin se reposer.

The king returns to the plain with the tortoise.

The monkeys dance to the sound of the xylophone.

The gazelles sing a beautiful song.

Simbon can finally rest.

"A lion king smiling under the sun in the savannah."caption: "The king lion smile"

Le mystère est résolu : ce n’était pas un monstre, juste une mélodie un peu trop vivante !

Et depuis ce jour, la savane vibre d’une nouvelle musique…

Et Simbon, le roi, sourit sous le soleil.

The mystery is solved: it wasn’t a monster, just a melody a little too lively!

And since that day, the savannah vibrates with a new music…

And Simbon, the king, smiles under the sun.

Share on:

More storiesfor beginners

Ages 10–14
5 Minutes

Zozo l’éléphanteau à la montagne

Beginner-friendly French story about weather vocabulary for kids. “Zozo the Elephant” explores weather through a fun adventure.

Ages 10–14
5 Minutes

Victor le Wapiti va à l’école

Fun French story for kids to learn school vocabulary! Follow Victor the elk as he starts school and discovers classroom words in French.

Ages 10–14
5 Minutes

Cocci va faire les courses

French story for kids – shopping vocabulary made fun! Learn words for food, stores, and buying with this playful beginner video adventure.

Ready to startspeaking French?