Le petit Nicolas (1960)

Each chapter is a self-contained story told by Nicolas, a Parisian schoolboy and the smallest in his class, and most end in cheerful chaos at school, at home or on vacation. You can read one at a sitting and feel finished. Goscinny writes in the breathless, run-on voice of a real child, full of everyday words for school, food, friends and family, and Sempé's line drawings set each scene. The books have been translated into many languages, but French learners get the most from the original, which doubles as a crash course in spoken expressions. The humor is aimed squarely at adults remembering childhood.