Extrait du livre Charlie and the Great Fire of London
the Great Fire of London Sue Finnie - Danièle Bourdais - Yannick Robert
Great Fire of London written by Sue Finnie & Danièle Bourdais illustrated by Yannick Robert narrated by Karin Morgan and Saul Jephcott
- Charlie, are you dreaming again? asks Miss Todd. Miss Todd is Charlie's teacher. She is very patient with Charlie because she knows he is a dreamer. - Oh no, Miss, says Charlie. I'm listening. It's very interesting. Miss Todd is a great teacher. Today, she is telling the class about Samuel Pepys. - Samuel Pepys lived in London in 1666. He wrote a diary, she explains. He wrote about the Great Fire of London. In September 1666, the Fire of London burnt for four days and four nights. There were no firemen in 1666. It was a disaster. Charlie loves hearing about the Great Fire of London. His dad is a fireman and Charlie wants to be a fireman too. - Can you stop a fire without firemen, Miss? asks Charlie. - Good question, Charlie, says Miss Todd. We will find out when we go on our school trip tomorrow. Charlie's friend Pierre is French. He is excited: - Génial !! I love school trips!
The next day, Charlie and his classmates are at the Monument in London. The Great Fire of London started in a bakery near here in 1666. - We are going to climb all the way to the top, says Miss Todd. Pierre looks up. - But Miss, it is very, very high! - Yes, Pierre, it is 61 metres high because the fire started 61 metres from here, in Pudding Lane. The view from the top of the Monument is fantasti c! The children can see the Tower of London and Saint Paul's Cathedral. - The Tower was not destroyed in 1666 but Saint Paul's Cathedral was damaged, says Miss Todd, pointing to a big church. Lots of churches and houses were destroyed. Charlie is looking at the view. - I wonder what London was like in 1666, he thinks, dreamily.
After ten minutes, Miss Todd calls: - Come on, children! It's time to go! We're going to eat our packed lunch by the River Thames, next to the Tower of London. You will see the Beefeaters. One by one, the children go down the long spiral staircase . Henry, Charlie's cat, has eaten Charlie's lunch. Now he wants to chase a rat or two. He loves chasing rats. He jumps quietly out of the bag. Charlie turns to his friend: - Pierre, help me get Henry! Miss Todd will be furious if she sees him!
The boys chase the cat: - Henry, come here! says Charlie. Suddenly Pierre looks around. They are all alone. - Where is Miss Todd? Where are the others? he panics. - Quick, let's go down! says Charlie. The two boys and Henry rush downstairs to find the class. - Oh, là là ! Vite, vite ! 2 says Pierre. Pierre forgets to speak English sometimes, especially when he is scared. - I'm so hot, complains Pierre. Charlie is hot too. It is hot, very hot... and it's getting hotter and hotter. Finally they are at the bottom of the stairs. - Let's get out and find Miss Todd! says Charlie. 2. Oh dear! Quick! Quick!
The two boys open the door and... they can't believe their eyes! Where are they ? Where is Miss Todd? Where are their classmates? What is happening? It is hot, so hot! There are flames everywhere ! Yellow flames, red flames, orange flames all around the boys. There is black smoke too. It's horrible! In the street, it's chaos! There are men, women, children and animals everywhere. Charlie and Pierre are shocked, they can't move. A man stops near them and shouts: - Run, boys! Mr Farriner's bakery is on fire! Pudding Lane's on fire! - London's burning! says a woman. Suddenly, Charlie understands. - Pierre, we're back in 1666, he says. It's the Great Fire of London. Come on, we must go! Pierre is like a stone statue. He can't move.
