Graded Readers in the App Store

Do you need it to be available in e-book form, or would you be ok with physical formats too?

I’ve been working through these: 採用情報 – 英語編集部 – アスク出版
It’s cheapest/easiest for me in the UK to buy them via amazon.co.jp, but you might have more luck getting second-hand copies in the States.

I’ve always been a bit confused by them though, because I’m pretty sure the e-graded readers available from White Rabbit Press are just e-versions of those physical books.

The KLC graded reader series is constructed really amazingly, but I personally find it much easier to make myself read a story. If you find any good e-options, let me know!

Thanks, this does work on my Kindle

I like reading stories too, but would rather have something digital. Don’t have room for physical things.

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Cool, just wanted to throw it out there in case it being an e-book was incidental :slight_smile:

Yea…I don’t see them ever re-releasing it. They won’t say why but the digital downloads were actually pulled over 3 years ago now after finding a bunch of comments in random obscure blogs indicating this.

Hi Everyone, Good news! Yesterday we launched a new version of our Japanese Graded Readers. This is our first public post about it! We completed rewrote the app, so that it now works on both iOS and Android devices. Additionally, stories are available as in-app purchases (previously, each story was a separate iPad app.)

For those of you who are new to the concept, “graded readers” are books especially written for language learners. They employ a limited set of grammar and vocabulary which allows learners to enjoy reading without struggling. Each story is handcrafted by a team of Japanese language teachers to be read without a dictionary. New vocabulary and difficult concepts are illustrated with carefully created artwork. Additionally, each story includes audio of the full-text narrated by professional Japanese voice actors.

We encourage you not to reach for a dictionary while reading Japanese Graded Readers. Try to skip words and phrases that you don’t understand and simply keep on reading. Their meanings will become apparent eventually from the context and illustrations. Finally, if the going gets tough, simply stop reading and try a different one.

Studies show learners who use graded readers improve reading speed, reading fluency, help develop and enrich already known vocabulary, and improve the ability to move from working with words to working with ideas when reading.

We do plan to add some new features—so please be kind with your ratings and feedback—but we wanted to get this “version 1” released to the public so that we can start gathering user feedback. Our top priority is to get more stories created. We’re also working on a free, sample story.

Try Japanese Graded Readers:

https://www.whiterabbitpress.com/japanesegradedreaders/

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I love graded readers so this is purely for my own curiosity and interest in pedagogy, but I’d love to actually read some of these studies if you have any citations to give!

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I believe I picked that up here
http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/PastIssues/rfl122nation.pdf

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Thanks, I appreciate it!

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I tried out the app. I’d been waiting for it to be rereleased! The biggest feature that seems to be missing is that I want to be able to turn off furigana on katakana and certain kanji. The screenshots show that level 2 still uses furigana on katakana! Ideally I’d be able to click on a kanji/word in the story to be able to toggle furigana off and on. You’re linking this on a kanji learning site, so likely most people here would want this feature.

Are you able to talk about what features are planned for future releases?

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Love the app and the stories. I think the stories are a bit too expensive though… Satori Reader at 10 USD/month is way more “bang for the buck” than this.

The ability to toggle furigana on/off is something we are carefully considering. We didn’t include this features because our product is really purposefully design to facilitate reading. There are other products optimized for kanji drills, but we feel flipping back-and-forth between kana-mode to self-check your ability to read kanji undermines the purpose of our app. Reading is a separate and distinct skill from kanji and vocabulary drills. Beyond recognition and recall of grammar and vocabulary, reading enriches the ability to work with ideas. Focusing on self-testing and brushing up on your kanji skills while reading is at cross-purposes with staying in the story and making reading as pleasure an activity as possible.

This is why we are adamant about not using a dictionary when reading graded readers (see earlier post). Our stories aren’t intended as material for a study session. Japanese Graded Readers are designed so that learners can experience reading in Japanese at a level of comfort and fluency approaching first language reading.

After considering our argument on this topic, do you still feel this is an important feature for you? Can you help us better understand your reasons?

Sure! Currently we are working on:

  • get kanji w/ruby in the story titles (currently they are only in kana on some screens).
  • add a feedback form/contact us page
  • add a help page (where the various features and gestures are explained)
  • improve image sizes (make images larger)
  • various minor tweaks
  • creating new and improved stories!
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White Rabbit Press Japanese Graded Readers are a very different kind of product from Satori Readers. If you enjoy reading Satori Reader articles you’re doing great, and graded readers may be of little use for you.

As mentioned above:

The vocabulary load of unsimplified material is so high that learners would have to study for several years before they could read a book where they knew most of the vocabulary. In a single Satori Reader article we found vocabulary such as “medal of honor,” “(battle) front”, “departure for war,” and “meritorious achievement.” Their solution to the problem of unknown vocabulary is to provide a Rikaichan-like tool which converts characters and words into links which reveal definitions and usage guidance in English.

Our approach is radically different. We simplify stories, into discrete levels, by reducing story complexity, reducing vocabulary and grammar, and provide additional context by using carefully considered illustrations to elucidate vocabulary. Along with the use of illustrations, each story is painstakingly handcrafted to introduce vocabulary and use grammar with a certain amount of redundancy so that unfamiliar terms and ideas can be grasped contextually, as you keep reading, without needing to jump away to a dictionary.

Regarding price, unfortunately creating illustrations and simplifying stories this way is more labor intensive than adding a Rikaichan-like dictionary widget, but we believe the benefits of our approach are worth it! (The stories, after all, cost less than a cup of coffee!)

I don’t mean to disparage Satori Readers. It seems they’ve certainly invested a lot of hard work into their product, and we wish them a lot of success. But their approach isn’t the right approach for the kind of product we wanted to create. Our stories don’t have any links because links distract from the reading experience–each link presents the reader with a decision whether or not to click the link. As technology writer Nicholas Carr has written about links:

“they’re tiny distractions, little textual gnats buzzing around your head. Even if you don’t click on a link, your eyes notice it, and your frontal cortex has to fire up a bunch of neurons to decide whether to click or not. You may not notice the little extra cognitive load placed on your brain, but it’s there and it matters. People who read hypertext comprehend and learn less, studies show, than those who read the same material in printed form. The more links in a piece of writing, the bigger the hit on comprehension.”

While popup definitions certainly provide a form of instant gratification, they have a way of interfering with learning and short-circuiting comprehension.

We certainly hope you’ll give Japanese Graded Readers a try and see for yourself.

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For me it would be very important to be able to turn furigana off. I have certain copies of older Graded Readers and I use a piece of paper to keep furigana covered until I run into a word I don’t know the reading of. I hear you on how you want the readers to just read, rather than learn, but that’s not how I personally use the Graded Readers that I have.

Just cramming vocab isn’t enough to really master it. I have to see the kanji “in the wild.” It’s nicer to do this with a Graded Reader that more befits my low level, rather than hope an NHK Easy article will use a lot of the relatively basic words that I’m learning. Forced furigana means that I can’t begin to cement my lower level knowledge with reading material befitting that lower level. That would frustrate me.

I understand that there is a certain vision of the mindset you wish people to have when using your product, but forced furigana would greatly reduce the value of the product for me personally. Graded Readers are fundamentally aimed at students of Japanese, so it’s safe to assume that at least some will use it as a practice/learning resource, rather than only something to relax with a Japanese story.

I prefer to read something above my level and look things up in a dictionary, rather than tell myself I mustn’t use a dictionary and delay Graded Readers until I have the needed vobac to get all the details. I do use Graded Reader as a study tool, because I know that I learn better and far more enjoyably that way. Just cramming kanji and vocab only gets me so far in retention.

I know it’ll likely involve coding hassle, but from a consumer standpoint I see it thus: if it can be toggled, people can use it as they see fit. The reader knows how they want to read it - options to personalize it to their wishes will only ever increase satisfaction. It would for me, at least.

But of course: that’s just me. You know what you have in mind for your app, and you know better than I what your users are asking for in features. Just putting in my two cents on why I wouldn’t feel a strong pull towards using it if I can’t adapt it to my personal learning style and preferences.

Thank you for taking the time to answer questions and clarify your viewpoints! Best of luck!

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I’d like to add to this that even with the mindset of using Graded Readers to read smoothly and without lookup, being able to turn furigana off is a valuable option.

I like to return to my low-level Graded Readers sometimes to practise reading without furigana (and have to do the same annoying paper trick). They’re well within my level of comfort in terms of grammar, vocabulary and kanji, so reading them without furigana does not interrupt the ‘easy reading experience’ I’m looking for. It just helps me to consolidate my kanji recognition in the wild, and gives me that rush of “woah, I’m reading Japanese!” which the Graded Readers are designed for - but this time the rush is from reading seamlessly without furigana.

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Very true. I definitely enjoy that rush you mention!

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Just wanted to let you know: we are listening! We aren’t staying “'no” to the “turn on/off furigana” feature, we just want to think it through carefully. It’s helpful to hear your reasons. Also I’d like to try and correct some misunderstandings which seems to have emerged:

Sorry if I’ve not explained things well. It’s not correct that we don’t want readers to “learn”. Graded Readers are absolutely designed with Japanese language learning in mind. Along with improving reading speed, reading fluency, and reinforcing already known vocabulary, Graded Readers introduce new vocabulary and grammar as well.

It’s just that we recommend a certain approach and mindset in order to best reap these many benefits.

This isn’t what we are recommending either. There is a third alternative between 1) reaching for a dictionary as you come across new words; and, 2) delaying your reading until you “have the needed vocab to get all the details”.

What we recommend is that instead of reaching for a dictionary while reading Japanese Graded Readers, just keep reading! Try to skip words and phrases that you don’t understand and simply keep on reading. Their meanings will become apparent eventually from the context and illustrations.

Consider it like working on a crossword puzzle.

image

Maybe you’re struggling with 17 ACROSS “Prized taste in ramen”. Sure, you could flip to the solution and copy the answer. But we’re just saying, “Try to keep going! Because as you make progress with the surrounding puzzle, useful clues may start to fall in place.” Eventually, you should have enough clues to complete the puzzle.

Finally, if the story is hopelessly difficult, then you may be reading too high above your level. While readers could certainly break open a dictionary, we recommend simply stepping down a level. We believe readers will learn more by working things out for themselves rather than falling back on a dictionary whenever the going gets tough.

Reading in a foreign language involves a lot of uncertainty and confusion as learners try to process ambiguous vocabulary, grammar, and cultural inputs. While too much ambiguity can result in counter-productive anxiety, success may often depend on the tolerance of ambiguity that learners exhibit during reading. Some studies show that ambiguity tolerance is correlated with achievement in language learning. Findings also indicate that the higher the proficiency level, the more tolerant learners become in foreign language learning. Perhaps it’s a two-way street: leaners excel in proficiency as they develop better skills for dealing with such ambiguity, which in turn enables them to tackle more challenging material . . .

Reaching for a dictionary too quickly may undermine the development of subtle but important language acquisition skills, such as the ability to hold what-if scenarios in one’s head, create and test hypotheses, and to adjust one’s interpretations as new information comes in. But these skills may never have a chance to develop if a low tolerance for ambiguity compels readers to dig the answer out of a dictionary every time they get stuck instead of plowing ahead into the mist.

Of course graded readers may not be for everyone, and that’s fine too!

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I also want to mention that turning Furigana off would be a great feature. Having Furigana makes me read the kanji without double checking if I know it or not. Since graded readers is aimed at introducing beginners to reading real japanese texts, we should also get used at not having furigana. A toggle to switch it on or off would be really helpful.

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And I think we are all appreciating that you are engaging with our feedback ^^ That’s certainly why I added my comment to the mix.

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Hello, I love graded readers. Actually I have a whole bunch of them from at least three different series up to now.

I really love to see a new series comming.

While I have soft spot for the actual physical book, two features I would love to see are: the above mentioned on/off furigana option and the possibility to pick up and make a list of unknown vocab while reading. By the way is vertical orientation an option?, so far I have only see horizontal text.

As some people mentioned, actual price seems high. After all you’re not getting the actual copy of the book, so it’s to be expected that the costs involved in production are less.
As a reference: Taishukan Graded Series with shipping costs from Japan goes for about 24 euros (to Spain) and the Let’s Read Japanese series goes for almost the same amount (free shipping in Europe), both prices from the respective Amazon Japan and Spain website.
The Taishukan series are 7 stories (somewhat shorter) per volume and the Let’s read Japanese series has five per volume.

If no extra features taking advantage of the digital format ar present, it’s difficult to see the actual improvement over the rest of the series.

Edit: maybe some of the request been made here don’t fit exactly to the Tadoku graded readers description… but then, who knows… maybe the next research study actually shows that graded readers are actually a terrific tool for learning kanji gradually. So with small changes you can accomodate a larger audience and make this series a very distinctive product :wink:

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