Recommended Books:

It's a good idea to surround yourself with lots of books in English. Libraries and used books stores are great places to find English books, but if you're in a different country they can be harder to find. You can try ordering books, both new and used, on websites like Amazon.com. Kids books are always a good idea, because they usually have pictures to help with understanding. The smaller amount of words per page is helpful, too, when just starting a language. But don't be fooled - just because they are children's books does not mean they are easy. As an adult, I find I can learn a lot from children's books in other languages, including very natural expressions you just won't learn in class. If you've mastered the kids' books and are ready to move on, try some chapter books. Here, we have included some of our favorite books for beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels.

Beginning

I really love the Little Critter series. The short sentences are great for kids, and the colorful pictures make the books very funny for adults as well. These are perfect for reading aloud to kids - but not only that. They are also great just for talking about the pictures. Pointing to pictures and talking about what you see is a great way to give children input that they understand. Ask them funny or interesting questions about the pictures too.

Krong! is an adorable book about learning to speak in different languages.

Family Circus is a collection of short cartoons about a family.

Nate the Great and Henry and Mudge are also good simple series with lots of pictures.

And of course, you can't forget Dr. Suess! Dr. Seuss books are full of funny pictures and creative sentences with words that rhyme. He even makes up his own words.

Intermediate

The Magic Treehouse series is a fun and clever introduction to different times and places in history. Two children travel in their magic treehouse to learn and have adventures. The stories are kept simple, but they still have a lot of vocabulary. They're great for getting kids interested in geography and history in a fun way.

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"You live a new life for every new language you speak."

- Czech Proverb

Do you want to help translate these stories into other languages? Visit our Story Translation Project