Books for learning German

I'm try to help somebody learning german and he asked me which books are easy to read in German for a beginner.

Any ideas or recommendations? Like short stories etc.? I guess he has no particular genre.

You can pick up English easy-reader books at your local bookshop; I'm sure they have the same for German. Asterix and Obelix or Tim and Strupi comics are another choice.

We read one of these as part of a german course back home:
http://www.langenscheidt.de/english/catalo...atic/daf_5.html

Comic books are definitely the easiest, as you can get the context from the pictures. Other than that, I also found those dual-language books pretty good - English one side, German the other, so no need to carry a dictionary with you.

Yeah... I also find the comics on dvd to be really helpful. I've just stumbled across Peanuts in German.

They come 3-5 episodes per CD and available in both English and German language. If I don't get it I can switch it over, but the actions make it all pretty self explanatory. Not exactly rocket science but pretty useful stuff... I learned "bannan nase" just the other day... also "bowling kugel" but I don't really think Germans bowl...

a good foundation of asterix followed by harry potter help me... but as i have said before... your vocabulary can thten become a little 'wizard' orientated

when i first came to Ireland, all I could understand at least a little was "voyager" and "Simpsons"... not really the vocabularly u can impress your boss with

Btw, I didn't just the topic name, somebody was messing around with it. All I wanted to know was which book would u recommend as a German beginner, like a novel etc. Don't know where the impression of children books comes from.

mein kampf.

That was written a few minutes up the road from where I live in a cosy little residence called Landsberg am Lech Fortress Prison.

And before everyone says "these Brits are obsessed" I only know 'cos every time we drive past the flipping place one of my German in-laws says "Das is der place ver in 1924...blah blah". I've told them - just get over it!

@ flogger
The book mein kampf is illegal to own in germany.

When Amazon was getting off the ground they used to group books with similar themes together and when you bought one they would suggest another two or three based on other customers orders. They still do this but not for some books.

It hit the news a few years back when a customer ordered some book or other and it said to them,

"Customers who have ordered your selection have also enjoyed the following:
Mein Kampf
White Power
Hitler, The man, the mystery (etc)
Perhaps you would enjoy these fine selections."

btw that book is not available from Amazon any more in Germany.

To keep on topic, I suggest watching cartoons to improve the language. Simple and to the point lessons on a child's level. That's certainly where my comprehension lies right now.

A good idea is to watch DVDs with German subtitles switched on, you pick up quite a bit as you read along.

I like my german asterix books

I tried some of these english one side, german the other side and thats quite hard.

And depending on which book you start it can get a bit mundane reading about janet and john again

Poots

I´m doing Mimi Mouse Grade one book at the moment with my little charge... most of its too hard for me ...

Oh you're not specifically looking for children's books...consider die Gala. Yeah I know, I know..Its pop fluff... but the "articles" are small and the language is pretty much what you would hear on the street or on the junk shows if he's trying to watch those as well.

i started out watching verbotene liebe. honestly. ashadmed to admit. and harry potter is a good level because you get to read the proper use of past tense which should be when telling a story. and yes, mein kampf is illegal, but can still be found at certain antique book-stores. i know someone who was offered one. he pleasently declined.