January 22nd, 2010

I haven`t been posting much the last few months. Things have been rather busy in my life.
I did want to write about this little gem I came across for reading practice.

My language partner gave me a set of Japanese Graded Readers for Christmas. This is the sort of book I have been looking for over the last 2 or 3 years. It has furigana for all kanji, pictures that help set the context, and a cd to follow along if you want to listen. This is sort of the Japanese version of the `I see Sam` or Dick and Jane books, but seem to be intended for second language learners.

My set came from Kinokuniya bookstore, but I looked up a few links in case this catches anyone`s interest.

Japanese Graded Readers website has some samples of the pages and audio.
The books on amazon: This is not my favorite place to buy, but probably the easiest access if you want to get your hands on them.

I looked at the website of the bookstore and you can only find them there using the Japanese title: レベル別 日本語多読 ライブラリー

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4 Responses to “Reading Practice – Japanese Graded Readers”

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wccrawford Says:

http://www.thejapanshop.com/home.php?cat=344 has them as well. I've ordered a few and I think they are pretty nice, if a bit expensive.

mc Says:

I would agree with the first comment. The series is really nice, albeit quite expensive. However, if you're not in Japan, it will be quite difficult to find affordable Japanese reading materials.

White Rabbit Press has a pretty good selection of materials, and I can offer quick reviews on stuff I've used -

読解をはじめるあなたへ – I really like this (somewhat obscure) book. The cover makes it seem as though it's geared towards beginners, when in fact it's more appropriate for Upper-Intermediate students. There are a wide range of short stories with exercises to practice both comprehension and vocabulary, and there's a pull-out glossary at the back of the book. Next to each translation there's a note explaining the difficulty of each word, and there are quite a few words that are tested on JLPT2&1. (http://www.whiterabbitpress.com/catalog/Dokkai-Wo-Hajimeru-Anata-E-Beginner-Inter-Reading-Workbook-p-16684.html)

十分で読めるお話 - As the title says, these are short stories for children, and they are designed to be read in about ten minutes. There are six levels which correspond to the six grades of the Japanese Elementary School system. Since the books are designed for Japanese children, there are no glossaries, and heaps of vocabulary which is used only by children. If you haven't learned many Kanji, you might enjoy these books, as the lower levels are written almost exclusively in Kana. However, I struggled through the books, and actually found reading books geared towards Japanese adults to be easier.

上級えへ語彙・表現 - Just started this book. Geared towards higher level students, this book uses real newspaper articles to help you learn common words/phrases that often appear in Japanese media. Sometimes a bit dry, but plenty of explanations in English, along with exercises to help you develop your vocabulary. Comes with a CD, as well.

The graded readers available at White Rabbit Press represent only a small sample of books available in Japan. If anyone's interested in more titles, drop me an e-mail. I'll be happy to recommend some more, though I do have to warn you they may be difficult to get outside of Japan.

mc Says:

I would agree with the first comment. The series is really nice, albeit quite expensive. However, if you're not in Japan, it will be quite difficult to find affordable Japanese reading materials.

White Rabbit Press has a pretty good selection of materials, and I can offer quick reviews on stuff I've used -

読解をはじめるあなたへ – I really like this (somewhat obscure) book. The cover makes it seem as though it's geared towards beginners, when in fact it's more appropriate for Upper-Intermediate students. There are a wide range of short stories with exercises to practice both comprehension and vocabulary, and there's a pull-out glossary at the back of the book. Next to each translation there's a note explaining the difficulty of each word, and there are quite a few words that are tested on JLPT2&1. (http://www.whiterabbitpress.com/catalog/Dokkai-Wo-Hajimeru-Anata-E-Beginner-Inter-Reading-Workbook-p-16684.html)

十分で読めるお話 - As the title says, these are short stories for children, and they are designed to be read in about ten minutes. There are six levels which correspond to the six grades of the Japanese Elementary School system. Since the books are designed for Japanese children, there are no glossaries, and heaps of vocabulary which is used only by children. If you haven't learned many Kanji, you might enjoy these books, as the lower levels are written almost exclusively in Kana. However, I struggled through the books, and actually found reading books geared towards Japanese adults to be easier.

上級えへ語彙・表現 - Just started this book. Geared towards higher level students, this book uses real newspaper articles to help you learn common words/phrases that often appear in Japanese media. Sometimes a bit dry, but plenty of explanations in English, along with exercises to help you develop your vocabulary. Comes with a CD, as well.

The graded readers available at White Rabbit Press represent only a small sample of books available in Japan. If anyone's interested in more titles, drop me an e-mail. I'll be happy to recommend some more, though I do have to warn you they may be difficult to get outside of Japan.

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