Graded Italian Reader

Rating:
Summary: This well-prepared book uses a gradual approach.
Review: This book is one of the best tools to build vocabulary and useful sentence structures for beginning students. The first section, or book, is by the editor/author, and provides an introduction to some basic ideas of the language. It usually surprises students how quickly they begin picking up the meaning. The material is subtly graded, so the reader does not struggle with the addition of new words (the translations listed unobtrusively at the bottom of the page are helpful when newly-introduced words are not recognized). The adapted selections used in the rest of the book give students a feel for works by Italian authors, while at the same time making them accessible. Again, there are footnotes for new terms. This book does not constitute a stand-alone language learning tool, but it goes well with other language-learning tools. Anyone who uses this reader will benefit greatly.