Do you remember the “Choose your Own Adventure” series of children’s books from the 1970s? They were wildly popular then, and they’re popular again now.
The reader – generally a child in late primary or early secondary school – becomes the most important character in the book. He or she makes dozens of decisions, changing the direction of the story. There are multiple endings, and after every ending the reader can go back and start again.
The short storylines and the chance to get involved in the story and to change the course of events make these books quick, fun reads. They’re especially suitable for reluctant readers.
It occurred to me that children who are happy to read in their own language are often reluctant readers when they’re asked to read a book in English. So I took the choose your own adventure idea and combined it with – fairy tales!
Why fairy tales? Because almost every child knows the famous fairy tales, both from books and from the Disney movies. This means that fairy tale characters are perfect for the short storylines of the choose your own adventure format. When the reader meets Snow White, he immediately understands her relationship with the seven dwarves and the evil intentions of the neighbour who offers her a tempting red apple. No explanations are needed. The reader can jump straight into Snow White’s story and can save her life – or not! Not every fairy tale ends happily, but there’s always the opportunity to go back to the beginning and go in a different direction, to reach a different ending.
“Your Bilingual Fairy Tale Adventure – You choose!” has 1 beginning and 19 different endings. It’s currently available in English / German and in English / French, with Italian to follow soon. The book is written especially for children learning English at A2 level, and is recommended for early to mid-secondary school. There are vocabulary lists and a full translation.
Happy decision-making! May at least some of your adventures have a happy ending!
