First Reader in Russian (Language - Russian)

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Lenny's description:

Seller's description:
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.

Features:

ISBN13: 9780844242811
Condition: NEW
Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Product details:

Item number (ASIN): 0844242810
Author: Glencoe McGraw-Hill
Dewey Decimal Number: 491.786421
Edition: 1
ISBN: 0844242810
Manufacturer: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 64
Package Dimensions: 20 x 560 x 870 (hundredths-inches)
Publication Date: February 12, 1995
Publisher: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
Binding: Paperback

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Amazon.com customer reviews:

Average Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Rating:

- This is a first book for someone who knows Russian.
I had read several reviews of this book and thought it would be a good first reader. However, no previous reviewer stated that there is no translation! So, you really need to have a good command of vocabulary (nouns, verbs, adjectives).

Rating:

- Not what I expected, but ok
The desription of this book, made it sound useful in helping your Russian reading skills, and all the words used are supposed to be in the glossary in the back of the book. They're not, so be sure to have a dictionary on hand. Also, for the cost, it's not a very thick book. However, it is somewhat useful, if you're a beginning student.

Rating:

- Bad glossary, bland stories.
I own this book. I was a top student in Russian during a two-year course I took in college 20 years ago. It has been about 15 years since I last used or reviewed the language. I still have some insight into the language and a basic familiarity with the grammar. Nevertheless, this book stopped me. The glossary simply does not contain the words that are most likely to be needed. I was constantly defeated by knowing everything EXCEPT the critical noun or verb. This is a major weak point because it negates the entire value of the book, at least for me. You see, the small size and wide variety of stories would have made this the perfect practice-book to carry on the train while going to work. Not knowing the meaning of the critical words defeats this. The whole point of this book can be summed up in four words: small size, everyday situations. The first advantage is negated if one has to carry a dictionary. The second advantage is negated if one does NOT carry a dictionary. Duh. The stories say little or nothing about Russian life. The stories could be set in any reasonably-industrialized country. Ochen Zhal! (Too bad!) One reviewer said that this is not important, giving the example of the Tintin stories in French. I find this argument disingenuous. The Tintin stories are classics, beloved by generations of the French. When you read them, you ARE immersing yourself in French culture. These stories do not have that advantage. Having said that, they do offer variety, if you can understand the vocabulary. I like the idea and format. I hope they revise it to correct the deficiencies. Avoid this one or be prepared to make your own glossary (a genuine solution, I think).

Rating:

- Good to strengthen basic skills in cases.
Before purchasing this, a student should have at least seen all the cases and tenses in Russian, but not necessarily know or use them well. Most of the grammar is basic, with each sentence having one or two clauses and almost no conditionals. Each of the 27 sections of the 55 page book use a good variety of cases, although most of the language is in present tense. It has the style and content of a children's picture book, but its still more enjoyable to read than examples in a grammar book, even for an adult. There is no english apart from the three-page dictionary at the back, allowing the reader to focus more on the russian. Drawings of each story occupy about half of two-thirds of each page, so it can be read pretty easily even without using the dictionary. The strong point of this book are really the use of different cases, and its pretty refreshing to read compared with a basic grammar book. In all, its good to read after or during a first level grammar book to reinforce what you've already learned.

Rating:

- Absolute waste
If you would like to make the first step in a very difficult language to be even harder this is the book for you. Not only was it incredibly boring, it had a plethora of errors. I took this to Russia with me and showed it to my Russian friends and and text has many errors. Most of the games so error filled they are worthless. The glossary is bare-bones, so you spend most of your time (and more money) with a separate dictionary. Due to the nature of the language, unless you can already speak it, the ending of the words will throw you when you look them up in a big dictionary because of that underwhelming glossary (It only list the most basic words, but leaves the bigger ones - you are most likely to need to look up - out. Blaht!) You'll be better off learning grammar first by buying "Gde, Kogda pochemoo." You can find it at a good Russian book store or buy in at an auction site. Or if you must read before getting a basic on grammar, get Vinnie Pookh. The Russian version of the hunny loving bear. It's quite entertaining reading it in a different language plus you probably already have some idea of the story line and you can find the corresponding cartoons on utube.