Graded readers supply a wide variety of tales in a language format which enables learners from beginners upwards to read them in English. Many of these titles concern Myths, Legends, Fantasy … and are a very good way of introducing your learners to the theme.

Here we provide direct links to the graded reader pages of some major publishers, which of course are available at low cost in most EL bookshops. Many are also available for borrowing at British Council libraries - see British Studies Resource Points for library contact details. These libraries will also have UK children’s books on the same themes, often highly illustrated, though without the language control.

·         Cambridge University Press

http://publishing.cambridge.org/ge/elt/readers/

• Oxford University Press (also has teacher’s guides)

www.oup.com/elt/pl/catalogue/readers/

·         MacMillan

www.macmillaneducation.com/catalogue/readers/readindex.htm

·         Penguin (also has teacher’s guides)

www.penguinreaders.com/

·         Express Publishing

www.expresspublishing.co.uk/showclass.php3?class=8&coll=0

Below is a profile of Black Cat Publishing, a smaller FLT publisher which has a strong emphasis on graded readers including many connected to our theme, followed by a review of one of their books.

Black Cat Publishing www.blackcat-cideb.com

Black Cat publishes books for all ages and levels of language with a strong emphasis on literature and the arts. It is a European venture and publishes for learners of French, Spanish, German and Italian as well as English, and such cross-fertilisation may account for some of their originality and freshness from an EFL perspective.

Among many tales both ancient and modern published by Black Cat connected to Myths, Legends, Fantasy … (with British being clearly differentiated from American) we can find:

In their Green Apple series for younger learners

Tom & Co’s Adventures in Cyberspace

King Arthur and his Knights

Halloween … magic, witches and vampires

From their Reading and Training series for older learners

Beowulf

Dr Faustus Christopher Marlowe

Le Morte D’Arthur

The Turn of the Screw Henry James

The Canterville Ghost Oscar Wilde

A Mystery Tour of England

The Time Machine H G Wells

The X-files

For the full catalogue see www.blackcat-cideb.com

Magda Zawadzka, a user of Black Cat books in the class, especially for art and literature, comments:

Among other books published by Black Cat I would recommend Interact with Literature as well as the Web of Themes series. Both offer an interesting insight into literary texts which explore issues such as love, relationships, consciousness, urban experience, alienation and self-awareness. Each book is accompanied by a CD or tape, and contains background information about the author, a list of important literary terms and internet links. The Web of Themes collection also includes Looking into Visual Arts section which analyses the ways in which certain themes have been explored in British and American painting. The variety of poems and prose excerpts in both series makes it possible for teachers to use the books in different contexts for instance literature or regular language classes. Basically - any time you want your students to explore ideas while improving their English at the same time.

Click here for her review of their book and CD British History Seen through Art