First Reader in Russian (Language - Russian) [Paperback]

Glencoe McGraw-Hill (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0844242810 | ISBN-13: 978-0844242811 | Publication Date: February 12, 1995 | Edition: 1

Beginning This motivating book gives students a successful experience reading Russian in the first level of Russian study. Each of the 27 readings is about cultural experiences relevant to the students' lives and can be covered in a single class period. Humorous drawings throughout match the tone of each story.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Russian (translation)

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (February 12, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844242810
• ISBN-13: 978-0844242811
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #143,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Russian
  • #59 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Russian
  • #62 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Russian

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Start, December 7, 2006

By 

Allan M. Lees (Novato, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: First Reader in Russian (Language - Russian) (Paperback)

I used to teach English as a foreign language and during that time I learned how difficult it is to create a decent learner's text. You need enough variety and enough storyline context to keep the reader's attention while simultaneously reinforcing key words and grammatical constructions. At the beginner level you also need to avoid colloquialisms and odd constructions. This wonderful little book is very well structured indeed and is a great first step for anyone wanting to move beyond the "teach yourself Russian in 30 lessons" stage. It starts out simply and by the end you're reading enough Russian to get through about 25% of a typical newspaper or magazine, which is pretty good for this level.

Some reviewers have commented that the book doesn't really convey accurately life in Russia, and while this is true I think it completely misses the point. This is, after all, just a stepping-stone along the road to acquiring the language and a better feeling for the culture. I speak French fluently but I don't expect the Tintin stories I read to my children to prepare them for the reality of French daily life. In fact, if I didn't make a habit of reading French news online and talking to French friends regularly, I'm sure I'd fail to notice the various changes that occur in France between my fairly regular visits. No entry-level text is going to prepare the reader for the grim reality of Putin's Russia; but this marvelous little book does actually help you to learn enough vocabulary to get around, ask questions, and understand what people tell you in response.

I have struggled through several other supposedly begginer-level Russian texts and the worst are those written by Russians (there's too much childish quasi-language along the cutsie-wootsie model). I'd like to see an entire series by Ann Rolbin, moving from this simple beginner's book through to complex adult conversational Russian. As it is, I'm moving on to less adequately thought-out books but the memory of this little delight will stay with me for a long time.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Easier Way to Read Russian, May 18, 2000

By 

Steve Mizera (West Sacramento CALIFORNIA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: First Reader in Russian (Language - Russian) (Paperback)

The drawings in this easy-to-read, short book made learning to read Russian very easy.

By glancing at them you can guess what is happening most of the time. Although initially a page does not appear to provide much in the way of vocabulary, studying the drawings greatly increases the scopy of learning and builds vocabulary rapidly. Repetition through the frequent questions and answers re-enforces learning.

You think what you see, and say what you think. Easy only begins to describe the benefits flowing from this great reader.

The process seemed so natural by the third page. Hope that author puts out a series.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An easy introductory reader to Russian, but it's quite short, February 3, 2002

By 

George A Strain (Atlanta, Georgia, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: First Reader in Russian (Language - Russian) (Paperback)

Useful for building up your reading confidence for very beginners. The first couple of texts are extremely simple, and all of them only use the present tense. I found the end-dictionary comprehensive enough for my use, although it didn't include some words from the Exercises that follow the texts, which is an unfortunate oversight. You will go through this book quite quickly though. I much preferred the slightly more difficult "Beginner's Russian Reader" by Lila Pargment since it is useful much longer, but is more difficult when you are first beginning. Its also unfortunately a bit difficult to find in the US for some reason although very easy to get in the UK where I purchased it.