Leo's New Home
Leo packed his red bag. He was moving to a new city.
The city was called Montreal. It was a big city in Canada.
Leo rode in a big car. He looked out the window.
He saw many colorful signs. One sign said "Stop."
Another sign said "ArrĂȘt." "What does that mean?" Leo asked.
"It means stop in French," Mom said. "Canada has two official languages."
"We use English and French here," Mom said. Leo thought that was neat.
They stopped at their new house. A friendly boy was outside.
The boy had a blue ball. "Bonjour!" the boy called out.
"Hello!" Leo said with a smile. The boy tossed the ball to Leo.
"Bonjour means hello," Mom whispered. Leo caught the ball.
"Bonjour!" Leo said back. The boy laughed happily.
Later, they walked to a bakery. The shop smelled like warm bread.
The baker waved at them. "Welcome! Bienvenue!" the baker said.
Leo knew that meant welcome. He bought a yummy cookie.
"Merci," Leo said to the baker. "Thank you," he added.
The baker smiled. "You are welcome!" the baker said.
Leo ate his cookie on the walk home. He loved his new home in Montreal.
Learning two languages was like a fun game. He could not wait to learn more.
- Official:
- Approved or decided by a government or law.
- Bonjour:
- The French word for 'hello'.
- Bakery:
- A shop where delicious foods like bread, cookies, and cakes are made and sold.
- Merci:
- The French word for 'thank you'.
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- 1What color was the bag that Leo packed?
- 2What is the name of the big Canadian city where Leo moved?
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About this short story passage for Lower Elementary
âLeo's New Homeâ is a short story reading passage about Bilingualism in Canada, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 1 minute to read (212 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.