Tauschen

I picked this up for my own French reading practice and the bartering story about Cody is genuinely charming. The vocabulary sits at a nice intermediate level, not too dumbed down but still readable without a dictionary on every page.

My 7-year-old asked to read this one twice in a row, which never happens with his French books. The bartering storyline made the vocabulary stick because he actually wanted to know what happened next.

The story does a nice job showing how bartering builds on relationships rather than just swapping stuff. My kid actually asked questions about trading after we finished it, which never happens with other books. The French wording is clear enough for a parent like me with rusty skills to read aloud.