Second Russian Reader: Bilingual for Speakers of English (Graded Russian Readers Book 4)

This is language acquisition done the right way: simple constructions repeated multiple times with slight variations so that lexicon and grammar are learned in the same way we all acquire our first language: by using it, not by studying grammar tables and vocabulary charts. The chapters are all part of one over-arching story, and each is short enough to enable the reader to complete it within about five minutes if you're still at the early stages of learning the language; otherwise it's about one minute per chapter. There are additional exercises at the end of each chapter if you want to consolidate what you've learned so far, but if you skip these because you want to know "what happens next?" there's little penalty and you can always use these sections to revise later on.The story is occasionally unclear, so in the early chapters you just have to take it on trust. Eventually the disparate elements come together and it's a satisfying read - the sort of thing you might have read in a public library book around the age of ten. Anyone who recognizes the phrase "A Ripping Yarn" will know what I mean by this.By the end you'll have extended your knowledge of Russian grammar significantly and you'll have extended your vocabulary by around 2,000 words, most of them entirely applicable to everyday life. In contrast, Russian language "beginners' books" are largely rubbish, filled with useless vocabulary taken from an age when people lived in thatched huts and ploughed fields with oxen, and full of that uniquely Russian and uniquely irritating "malchik-spalchik" rubbish that does everyone (including Russian children learning to read) a complete disservice.In short, if you are interested in learning Russian in order to talk to ordinary Russians, this is an excellent resource. Yes, you'll still need grammar tables and a good Russian/English dictionary, but these Russian Reader books will enable you to make much more rapid progress than if you only utilized more traditional textbooks. Plus there's an online resource for the times when you want to confirm pronunciation. By the time you've finished this series of books you'll be ready to move on to more demanding intermediate textbooks and even basic conversations with Russian speakers.

I can't praise this book enough : It is magnificent, combining an entertaining story line with excellent, lively, naturally colloquial language which, with its parallel Russian-English format , allows advanced beginners and intermediate learners alike to quickly and painlessly take giant steps to improve their practical knowledge of Russian . I wish this type of book and format existed for every language -- In fact, I wish there were several different volumes of it for Russian alone: I think I'd buy every one. The quantity of material provided , as a previous reviewer mentioned, is awesome, too. This is an intermediate level language learner's dream come true--As they say in Russian : Kak nel'zya luchshe -- You just couldn't do this any better! Like others, I had problems with a beginning version of this series, which for some strange reason used very unusual language in several instances---but there is no trace of the problems that existed with that book here. With this book, the author ( perhaps because the other book was the joint creation of several people, and he was on his own this time ) has created a real masterpiece, a book which I think ( based on something like 50 years' worth of language learning , work and teaching at all levels ) is the absolute , unequaled best of its kind. If you've studied a year or two of Russian and want to make giant strides forward ( while being totally entertained at the same time) , do not pass up this book ---and even if you're an advanced student of the language ( or a Russian speaker seeking to improve your English ), this book can do wonders for you, too. In summation, I know it's not original , but I can only second what the first reviewer wrote above: BRAVO to the author of this wonderful book ---- the best ever!^^^

Zubakhin's books are awesome! I've read some bad reviews... some people have criticized the books for not "speaking" the way "real Russians" do and this is true, the books have many instances of both awkward Russian and English phrases. But the value of these books for English speakers learning Russian FAR outweighs that flaw. The author does an excellent job of integrating new vocabulary into interesting stories! And all words have stress marks for learning pronunciation, that is VERY important. The stories are very good and they build in complexity. I applaud the author for taking the time to construct such beautifully written, extremely engaging, effective learning aides. (Even if the so-called "ALARM" learning method is complete bull#@#, which it sounds like it is.) I've purchased and read many, many, many beginning and intermediate Russian readers. Both in the U.S. and during a stay in Moscow. I've been studying the language for many years. These are the absolute best out there. (And also those by Tatiana Mikhaylova) I've read both the First and Second Readers and they've done more for improving my fluency that any others. I hope that Zubakhin will continue the series with Third and Fourth and as many as he can write!!

I have found these graded readers to be an excellent help in learning the Russian language. The stories are often fun, interesting and amusing. Vocabulary words are included with the stories which make new words to learn very easily accessible. Vocabulary words are repeated from story to story which is a real advantage. After a thorough check, I discovered that there are very few graded readers in the Russian language available anywhere. These readers fill an important gap, and I continue to find them to be really valuable for learning Russian. That being said, using these readers in isolation without benefit of audio and grammar study would not be the most helpful approach. However, they are excellent for what they are.

I have been learning Russian for 2 years now and I have just finished reading this book. As a language learning resource, books in this format and as good as this are seemingly quite rare and through this book I have been able to at last get a feel of being able to really use the language after all the necessary ground work of learning vocabulary and grammar. It is well worth downloading and listening to the accompanying audio which is very clear and a great way to practice 'tuning in' to the spoken language which I have found much more difficult than understanding it in printed form.Turning to the structure of the book - each chapter begins with a list of new vocabulary and each page of the story text is in Russian with an English translation opposite which is a user friendly format - near enough to refer to when needed but far enough that it is not distracting when trying to read the Russian alone. The story text is followed in each chapter with some brief conversations with useful colloquial constructions and some unexpected and quirky aspects which force you to pay attention as you would have to in a real conversation - as well as being amusing and holding the attention this way too. Each chapter ends with a very brief and digestible grammar section. I am eagerly awaiting volume 2!

I have the earlier books in this series and learned a lot of Russian from them. Make sure you read out loud... you need to train your face muscles to articulate these new sounds. An athlete doesn’t read about his sport then goes out and performs. He/she needs to train and tone muscles to perform that task. So should you. Good luck

This series of graded bilingual reading books is exactly what is needed for students of Russian. They are well structured with plenty of word repetition which makes the memorising of vocabulary so much easier. They are written in an amusing way and learning becomes an enjoyable experience. There are many books of Russian grammar to choose from, but no graded readers and without reading experience students who are teaching themselves, as I am, will make only limited progress. In Russian Language Through Dialogue, simple and lucid grammar explanation is linked to the accompanying dialogue, which is particularly helpful. I would recommend these readers without reservation. and am delighted to have discovered them..Margot Warren

This is a great learning product. Really useful for someone looking for more texts to read and to add variety to an existing self-taught Russian course.

I really like this book and it helps me keeping up with my Russian. It is funny (love the elephant story!) and also it repeats words to that it helps you remember them. I would really recommend this book for Russian learners at lower-intermediate level!