콩쥐팥쥐전 The Story of Kongjwi and Patjwi

Fun Graded Reader

Overall: I find a lot of graded readers a bit dry and uninteresting because of their restricted vocabulary and grammar usage, but this was actually quite fun and enjoyable to read.

*Great points: The listening files are great fun and can be accessed via QR code at the start of each chapter, with grammar and culturally-bound vocabulary (like terms for Joseon-era officials) footnoted on the page in which they appear. I really appreciated this because I didn't need a separate dictionary.

*Meh Points: None.

*Notes: The chapters end with some comprehension and discussion questions.

Listen to the audiobook!

Another 다락원 graded reader, this one at the A2 level. The same system is used, with the little grammar bubbles in the text as well as some tips that are needed to understand some complex vocab (i.e. vocab from the Joseph dynasty). There's also some vocab at the bottom of every page, and it's generally pretty well chosen. While this story being Cinderella like makes it slightly less interesting, the audiobook more than makes up for it. They really went overboard with the voice acting for certain characters, and it just so happens that those characters mostly show up at the beginning of the story (which would otherwise be less interesting because it's so similar to Cinderella). The ending is also very different and unexpected, which is nice. Difficulty wise, vocab is relatively simple (apart from the vocab that's translated in the book), and the grammar points used remain within TOPIK I level. The sentences however can get a little longer and thus more complex, with several grammar points being used in the same sentence. That being said, it is still very much targeted towards beginners.

This is a traditional Korean Cinderella-style tale of a young girl who is mistreated by her step-mother. It’s interesting to see how similar traditional stories from different parts of the world can be: the Korean tale is very similar to the one English-speakers will be familiar with, until near the end, where there is an unexpected twist.

The book’s layout is the same as 토끼전, with grammar notes throughout the text and vocabulary definitions at the bottom of the page. Likewise, it has an appendix with comprehension questions and an English translation. The only noticeable difference from the previous volume is that the story is read slightly quicker, but it still maintains a comfortable pace for readers to follow the story.

While I was reading and listening to the story, it occurred to me that the accompanying audio is really high-quality for a graded reader. It would have been totally acceptable for the text just to be read normally by a native speaker, but instead it uses voice actors to perform the story, which makes it a much more enjoyable experience.

The only slight detraction for me is that it's so similar to Cinderella that it can feel a bit boring until you reach the point where the Korean story diverges. However, the similarity may be welcome to some readers as it can make the reading experience smoother if you are already familiar with the story.