Dusty Volumes
maggie and milly and molly and may went down to the beach(to play one day)
Muinasjutud Õpime Inglise Keelt
I've had a lot of difficulty finding books in Estonian at an introductory reading level. Even the simplest children's books tend to be much more complex than I would expect, in terms of grammatical structure, sentence lengths, strange vocabulary/idioms etc. This book is for teaching English to Estonian speakers, but as it's a parallel text, it works in both directions, and as the target reading level in English is lower than most equivalent Estonian books, the Estonian level therefore is too!The book gives simple versions of eight fairy tales (Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Puss in Boots, Cinderella, The Ugly Duckling, and Pinocchio), all told (almost) entirely in the present tense. Each is followed in turn, with a retelling of the same story in the simple past tense (I've never come across this approach before, but I really like it!). Unfortunately this retelling is only in English, which, although understandable in the context of its expected audience, is slightly disappointing. However, it actually makes a great exercise to try to do it yourself.
The best way to convey the reading level is by example, so I'll give my favourite paragraph, just for the old woman's retort:
On sügis. Päevad on lühemad ja on aina külmem ja külmem. Puudel ei ole enam lehti. Inetu Pardipoeg otsib süüa. Ta läheb väikese majakese juurde järve ääres. Maja ees on üks vana naine. Ta vaatab Inetut Pardipoega ja ütleb: “Ma ei taha sind siia. Sa ei ole kana ja ei mune mulle mune. Mine minema!”
Currently reading
Black Swan Green
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
Kiss Kiss
Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth and Happiness
The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work
Lost and Found in Russia: Lives in the Post-Soviet Landscape
Confessions of a Public Speaker
Mis on Vabadus
Shades of Grey
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
