Children's Books

For learning basic vocabulary words, children's books are a great place to start. Ask you local librarian about how to find books in the desired language. Dr. Seuss has been translated into practically every living language and at least one dead one (Latin). You can read them alongside the English version if you want, but try to stick to reading them in translation if you can. Comic books in a foreign language are another good choice; each comic book is usually good for at least a couple dozen new words. From there, move up to popular novels. James Bond, romance novels, Louis L'Amour... whatever you fancy. These kinds of books are not exactly written for the brightest of literati, so they make a reasonable challenge for the beginner to intermediate reader and will help you acquire loads of new words.