치즈 스위트 홈 01권

Recommended to all!

This is an adorable and entertaining story about the adventures of a tiny kitten called Chi, and personally I think it's one of the best books for beginners wanting to dip their toes into material for native speakers.

Pros

• simple, everyday language
• easy to follow story
• low text density
• very short chapters (8 pages)
• can be enjoyed by all ages
• super cute and lighthearted!

Cons:

• Chi's cute/babyish way of speaking increases difficulty slightly
• if you don't enjoy slice of life stories you might find it a bit boring

I don't really think the first "con" is an issue; unless you're reading material written especially for learners, there's guaranteed to be something that makes the text a bit challenging. For example, a beginner might think that starting with books aimed at young children will be the easiest way to get into reading native material, but these can include surprisingly difficult language that's not particularly useful for a learner (lots of onomatopoeia, words that only children use, etc).

Personally, I think this is one of, if not the best choice for those wanting to read material aimed at native speakers. The short, episodic stories are very easy to follow, with the illustrations providing all the context needed to follow the text. Everything refers to daily life, without any specialised or difficult vocabulary: most of the stories relate to Chi's life with her family, so there is a lot of vocabulary relating to the household (rooms, furniture, everyday objects) and daily tasks (eating, sleeping, playing, etc).

As well as being great for beginners, it's also a really enjoyable story - I've read the series in English, Japanese, and now Korean, and I've enjoyed it immensely every time! The adorable antics of this cute little kitten and her relationships with her family and friends never fail to make me smile. It's a heartwarming story that can be enjoyed by all ages, so I'd recommend it to all learners, regardless of their language level.