Each unit of the Textbook begins with a humourous cartoon story which features six French school kids in an unmistakably French setting. As well as establishing the theme for each unit, each cartoon story is the primary fund of language to be dealt with - a storehouse of expressions generating a wealth of communicative activity. The photo-stories, researched and photographed by the author in France, involve a real-life French family and school and some memorable places in France. The first story is set at a French college where we see students and teachers in the classroom, on the playground and on the sports field. The scene changes to the home of the Besson family, dogs and all, and we become enmeshed in the drama of everyday life. We are also taken on a rabbit-guided tour of Paris, a sweep through the Loire Valley, a day at the beach on the Atlantic coast, and a delightful stay in the French Alps. The new language introduced in the photo-stories supports and extends the language of the cartoon stories. In Ca alors! the line between language and culture is deliberately blurred. Photographic images, realia, reading passages, listening and oral activities and the various writing tasks are rich in cultural content and forms of expression. Instructions and narrative explanations are given in French, accompanied by meaningful graphics and photo illustrations. All language activities in the Textbook and Workbook are designed to help students to think and work in the target language.