初级故事集 · ABOUT 1,000 WORDS
Classic Stories in Easy Chinese
Peter Rabbit, the Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks, the Gingerbread Man and four more, retold by Min in short, simple Chinese for readers who know about 1,000 words, with pinyin over every character and each story’s original illustrations.
Min goes through the stories on YouTube, sentence by sentence. This book has all eight already: to print, to read ahead of the videos, and to read again without the pinyin once you know a story well.
$12 one-off · PDFs and audio to keep
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After paying, the files are on My books in your Good Talk account, to download whenever you like. Changed your mind? You can have a refund until you first download or play a file.
LOOK INSIDE
What the pages look like
WHAT’S INSIDE
All eight stories, to print and to read on your own
- How to use this book
- With pinyin
Pinyin above every character: the pages you see in the videos. A5; prints on A4 or Letter with “fit to page”.
- Characters only
The same text without pinyin, for once you know a story well.
- Study notes
The words worth learning and the grammar in each paragraph, with pinyin and English.
- English text
Each story in English, to check the meaning. The Chinese is a retelling, not a line-by-line translation.
- Read aloud, story by story
Min reading each episode aloud, slowly, to listen along with the pinyin edition. Peter Rabbit is ready; the other stories are added as their videos come out, free for everyone who has the book.
- All the PDFs in one download
Try the first story free
The first part of Peter Rabbit is on Good Talk in full: Min’s video, the Chinese text with pinyin and the study notes. If you can follow it with a little help, this book is for you.
Read Peter Rabbit, part 1Questions
What level is this for?
Beginners: about 1,000 words (New HSK 1–3). The text is checked against the word list of the new HSK 3.0 standard, where levels 1–3 add up to about 1,000 words; the few extra words a story needs (like “straw” or “porridge”) are explained in the study notes. Every character has pinyin above it, so you can read even before you know many characters.
Which stories are in the book?
Eight classic stories, in 17 short episodes: The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Little Red Hen, The Gingerbread Man, six of Aesop’s Fables (The Hare and the Tortoise, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Fox and the Grapes, The Crow and the Pitcher, The North Wind and the Sun, The Lion and the Mouse), The Tale of Benjamin Bunny and The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck. Each story comes with its original illustrations.
Is this a translation?
Each story is a graded adaptation written by Min: the same story, retold in short, simple sentences, with the repeated lines kept the same every time so you can read along. The English text of each story is included so you can check the meaning, but the Chinese is not a line-by-line translation. (The Gingerbread Man is a folk tale with many versions; the English for it is a simple retelling written to match the Chinese.)
What’s the difference between the two text editions?
The pinyin edition has pinyin above every character, and it’s the same as the pages in the videos. The characters-only edition has the same text without pinyin: once you know a story well, try reading it from the characters alone.
Do I need to watch the videos?
No. The book is complete and works on its own. Min is releasing free YouTube videos that go through the stories sentence by sentence, one by one, so they’re a great companion if you’d like explanations. All eight stories are already in the book, so you don’t have to wait for the videos to start reading.
Can I read it on my phone?
Yes. The texts are PDFs with A5-size pages, which read comfortably on a phone or tablet. The audio is MP3 and plays on any device.
Can I print it?
Yes. The texts are A5; on A4 or US Letter paper, choose “fit to page”. The study notes are A4.
Is there audio?
Yes, and more is coming. Min reads each episode aloud, slowly, so you can follow along in the pinyin edition. Peter Rabbit (2 episodes) is ready now; the other stories are added as their videos come out, free for everyone who has the book.
I’d like to learn with a teacher.
Min teaches 1-on-1 Chinese lessons on her Good Talk page.
Can I get a refund?
Yes, before your first download.
Or one-to-one with Min
In a lesson you tell a story back in your own words, and Min helps you say what you couldn’t.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny and The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck by Beatrix Potter (1902, 1904, 1908); The Three Little Pigs and Goldilocks and the Three Bears illustrated by L. Leslie Brooke (1904, 1905); The Little Red Hen illustrated by Florence White Williams (1918); The Gingerbread Man illustrated by Robert Gaston Herbert (1910); Aesop’s fables illustrated by Arthur Rackham (1912) and Walter Crane (1887). All in the public domain. Not connected with Frederick Warne & Co., owner of the Peter Rabbit trademarks. Chinese retellings and study notes by Min, for the buyer’s own use.