Frequently asked questions

Comic Book Graded Readers is a series of illustrated graded readers in full-colour comic book format for adult and teen beginners of English at Level 1 (CEFR A1), written and published by Abraão Paula. There are 35 titles in English: 22 classic tales, 3 Jack London adventures and 10 original science fiction stories. Each one has its own Book Guides.

A graded reader is a book written with controlled vocabulary and grammar for one learner level, so that a student can read a complete story without stopping at every word. Reading many easy, complete books is one of the most effective ways to build vocabulary, reading speed and confidence in a new language.

Yes. Every Comic Book Graded Readers title is a complete comic book written at CEFR A1 for adults and older teens. The pictures on every story page carry the meaning of each short sentence, so a true beginner can read a whole book in English without translating. For an example, see the Book Guide for The Neon Memory.

There are 35 comic book graded readers in English and 4 illustrated-English books for speakers of Portuguese, Spanish, French and German. The series keeps growing: see the Book Guides for the full list.

22 classic tales: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White, Thumbelina, Rumpelstiltskin, Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, Rapunzel, Puss in Boots, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, The Tortoise and the Hare, Hansel and Gretel, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Little Sea Girl, The Emperor's New Clothes and The Ugly Duckling.

10 original science fiction stories created by Abraão Paula: The Neon Memory, Signal on the Sand, The City That Remembers Wrong, Echoes in the Orbit, City of Silent Gardens, The Key Beneath the Ice, Unit 7, The Star Watcher, The Echo Room and The Red Box. Nobody knows the plot in advance, which makes them a strong reason to keep reading.

3 of Jack London's adventures: White Fang, The Call of the Wild and The Sea-Wolf.

Both. 10 titles are original science fiction stories created by Abraão Paula. The others are adaptations of public-domain classic tales and of Jack London's adventures.

Yes. The adaptations keep the core plot, the characters and the famous moments of each public-domain original; only the language is simplified to A1. The art is an original design made for this series and is not based on any film or studio version.

No. They are written for adults and teenagers. The stories, the art and the tone are made for grown-up readers, while the language stays at beginner level.

Yes. Some stories have real danger and tension, but violence is never graphic: difficult moments happen between the panels, never on the page.

American English. The vocabulary is built on the most common everyday words of American English, plus concrete words that the pictures make clear.

All story pages are in full colour. The exercise pages at the end of each book are in black-and-white line art, so they are easy to read and to write on in the paperback.

All titles in English are Level 1 · A1 (beginner) on the CEFR scale. The grammar is kept to A1 structures such as the verb to be, simple present, simple past, will for the future, there is / there are and can.

The CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) describes six levels, from A1 to C2. A1 is the first one: a learner can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases.

Each title uses 223–357 headwords and tells its story in 902–1,697 words (activities not included). The exact numbers for every book are in its Book Guide and on its title page.

A headword is a different word used in the book. The headword number tells you how many different words you will meet; the word count tells you how long the story is. A small headword number with a long story means a lot of repetition — which makes reading easier.

Short: no more than eight words per sentence, and dialogue lines are often just two to six words.

They combine two well-known ideas: Dual-Coding Theory (Allan Paivio) — a word learned together with a picture is easier to understand and remember — and comprehensible input (Stephen Krashen) — we acquire a language when we understand messages in it. Each sentence sits next to the image that shows it.

A theory by the psychologist Allan Paivio: our memory stores words and images in two connected systems. When a new word arrives together with a picture, it has two ways to be remembered instead of one. In a comic, every sentence comes with its picture.

An idea from the linguist Stephen Krashen: we acquire a language when we understand messages that are just a little above our level. In these books the pictures make that small step understandable.

Usually not. Look at the picture first, then read the sentence: the image shows what the words mean. If a word is still unclear, keep reading — important words come back many times.

Yes. Each book in English ends with 10 pages of exercises about the story — for example matching words with pictures, true or false, and putting scenes in order — followed by an answer key.

118 pages: 3 opening pages (title page with the level and word counts, and the book's introduction), 104 story pages and 11 pages of exercises and answers.

No, the books themselves do not include audio. They are designed for reading, with the pictures doing the work that a teacher's voice or a translation would do.

Read more titles in the series first: every new book at the same level makes the common words automatic. When A1 stories feel easy, you are ready for A2 graded readers from any series.

If you want a story you already know, start with a classic such as The Three Little Pigs or Cinderella — knowing the plot makes the English easier. If you prefer suspense, start with an original science fiction title such as The Neon Memory or Signal on the Sand.

By vocabulary, the lightest are Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Ugly Duckling and Little Red Riding Hood. The shortest stories are The Ugly Duckling, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and The Echo Room.

The largest vocabularies are in The City That Remembers Wrong, The Key Beneath the Ice and The Star Watcher — still A1, but with more different words.

Read for the story, not for the grammar. Look at the picture, read the sentence, and keep going. Do not translate every word. When you finish, read the book again: the second time is faster and easier, and that is real progress.

The stories are 902–1,697 words long, so most learners can finish a book in a few reading sessions. Many read one short part every day.

Yes. Rereading a story you understand is one of the best ways to make words and sentence patterns automatic. The exercises at the end are a good check after the second reading.

Animals and nature: White Fang, The Call of the Wild, The Ugly Duckling and The Tortoise and the Hare. Mystery and science fiction: The Neon Memory, Signal on the Sand, The Echo Room and Unit 7. Adventure and danger: The Sea-Wolf, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Jack and the Beanstalk. Love stories: The Little Sea Girl, Rapunzel and Cinderella. Humour: The Emperor's New Clothes and Puss in Boots.

Yes. The Kindle eBooks work in the free Kindle app on phones, tablets and computers, and on Kindle devices. Colour screens show the art in full colour; black-and-white e-readers show it in grayscale.

Yes. Each book is short and complete, which makes it suitable for extensive reading, reading clubs and a first full reading assignment at A1, in ESL and EFL classes.

Let each student choose a title that interests them, read a little every day and talk about the story, not the grammar. The level is the same across the series, so students can move freely between titles.

Yes. The stories raise real questions: honesty in Pinocchio, technology and control in Unit 7, greed and promises in The Pied Piper of Hamelin, kindness in White Fang. The questions can be discussed in very simple English.

Yes. The 10 exercise pages and the answer key at the end of each book work well as a check after reading, individually or in pairs.

24 titles: The Neon Memory, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Signal on the Sand, White Fang, Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White, The Call of the Wild, The Sea-Wolf, Thumbelina, Rumpelstiltskin, Alice in Wonderland, Little Red Riding Hood, The City That Remembers Wrong, Echoes in the Orbit, City of Silent Gardens, The Key Beneath the Ice, Unit 7, The Star Watcher, The Echo Room, The Red Box, The Three Little Pigs, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Pinocchio.

Yes. All editions can be ordered on Amazon in the countries listed on each Book Guide. You can write to Abraão Paula at abraaopaula1981@gmail.com.

Each Book Guide gives the level, word and headword counts, the theme, who the book suits, which edition to choose and what to read next.

Each title is sold on Amazon as a Kindle eBook and a paperback; 24 titles also have a hardcover. Typical US prices: Kindle eBook US$2.99, paperback US$6.99, hardcover US$24.99.

Yes. The eBooks are in KDP Select, so Kindle Unlimited members can read them at no extra cost.

The Kindle eBook is the cheapest and fastest way to start. The paperback is best for study — you can write in it and do the exercises on the page. The hardcover is for libraries, classrooms and gifts.

6 × 9 inches (15.24 × 22.86 cm), 118 pages.

Kindle eBooks (13 countries): United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Australia, India. Paperbacks (14): United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Belgium, Ireland, Japan, Canada, Australia. Hardcovers (11): United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Belgium, Ireland. Each Book Guide on this site has a button for every country and format.

Hardcovers are sold in 11 Amazon countries, and not every title has one yet. The buttons on each Book Guide show exactly which formats exist for that book in each country.

Yes. Amazon offers a free sample of each Kindle eBook, and many Book Guides on this site show preview pages under "Inside the book".

Yes, especially for an adult who is starting English. The hardcover is the most durable gift edition; the paperback is a lighter option.

Abraão Paula is a Brazilian independent author and publisher, creator of the Comic Book Graded Readers series. Official website: abraaopaula-comic-book-graded-readers.netlify.app · Amazon author page · Goodreads · YouTube channel.

On this website and here: Amazon author page · Goodreads · YouTube channel.

Yes. The next title in preparation is Momotaro, the Peach Boy, The Fisherman and His Wife, What Holds the Stars, The Fermi Paradox, The Red House Mystery, Hero Tales and Legends of the Rhine. New titles appear here with their own Book Guide.

Write to abraaopaula1981@gmail.com. Teachers, schools and reviewers are welcome.

If a book helped you, a short honest review on Amazon or Goodreads helps other learners find it.

Yes. Send your idea to abraaopaula1981@gmail.com.

Yes. The illustrated-English books are written for speakers of those languages: Meistern Sie die Grundlagen: Illustriertes Englisch, Domina lo Básico: Inglés Ilustrado, Maîtrisez les Bases de l'Anglais Illustré and Domine o Básico: Inglês Ilustrado.

A visual first book of American English: each page shows a picture, a short English sentence and the same sentence in the reader's language, so a complete beginner can understand from the first page.

If you are starting from zero and want support in your own language, start with the Illustrated English book for your language. If you can already read very simple sentences, go straight to the comics.