250 Essential Chinese Characters: For Everyday Use

Rating:
Summary: Elegent, Conversational, and User-Friendly
Review: As a Mandarin instructor, I am always on the lookout for texts that are easily accessible (content and cost) to students with an English background. This volume, in conjunction to vol. 2, provides a solid starting point for those who are interested in a comprehensive study of Mandarin that includes reading and writing. Preferably used with instructor-led classes for the purpose of learning proper pronunciation, students can observe both the traditional and simplified characters with an abundance of contextual usage for each character, all neatly labeled in Pinyin (pronunciation guide) and simplified Chinese characters.

Opening volume I, one is introduced to numbers 1-10 and the four tones in Mandarin. Subsequent sections contain ten characters in each set, with topics ranging from the basic greeting to more advanced expressions. At the end of each set, the workbook provides a quiz for self evaluation, a great tool for independent study and/or for instructors.

I am giving the series four stars for the following reasons: 1) lack of pronunciation guide/demonstration; 2) dedicated pages for sample dialogues that employ multiple characters introduced in the book within one setting; 3) too many practice squares (about 100) for each character per page instead of utilizing pictorial reinforcement (i.e. origin of the character) as in Fun with Chinese Characters series for those (about 70% of us) who are visually inclined.