English reading book for beginners: The Little Prince by Dangye English

Even in a world where AI keeps advancing and automatic translation is everywhere, reading an English original for yourself is still such an appealing thing. But if you jump straight into a thick, difficult original book from the beginning, the barrier to entry can be so high that it is easy to get discouraged.

I brought along a lovely book that makes starting English originals easy. Today, let me introduce Dangye English The Little Prince.

Can You Read an Original Even with Weak English Basics?

When I was young, I had neither much interest in nor enthusiasm for English, so my basic knowledge is pretty close to zero. At first, I thought reading The Little Prince in the original might be a little difficult.

But after reading Dangye English The Little Prince myself this time, I found that it really is possible. Without a dictionary, too. Amazing, right? As I slowly read from Stage 1, it was so fascinating how the meaning naturally settled into my head. It was not difficult at all.

Even with only the words I memorized for the college entrance exam and that have grown faaaaint over the years, it read so smoothly that my confidence was bursting and the fun kept bubbling up—I just kept reading. So fascinating.

The Little Prince in Five Stages

Honestly, when I thought of reading originals before, all I remembered were thick books, complicated grammar, and struggling over a dictionary—but goodbye to all that~~~ Dangye English The Little Prince has five stages designed so English beginners can read The Little Prince in the original without a dictionary, so I could choose a level that suited me and read comfortably.

And this series, as it turns out, ran that famous Wadiz crowdfunding campaign three whole times. More than 5,000 supporters joined, so I was excitedly curious, but once I read it myself, I immediately understood why.

Stage 1 Starts with Present-Tense Sentences

Stage 1 uses only present-tense sentences, such as “I draw that big snake.” The sentence structures are not long either, so even people who are not confident in English can start reading right away!

From Stage 2, Raise the Tenses to Match the Original

Stage 2 moves along by changing the verb tenses to match the original exactly. Like, “I drew that big snake.” The difficulty rises just a little, but because the content is the same, it feels less intimidating; since you have already read and understood it once, you are naturally only raising the difficulty! Maybe that is why, after Stage 1, I thought, I can do Stage 2 too?!!! Confidence maxed out, haha.

My English basics are quite weak, but I barely got stuck at all in Stage 1. My skills are so thin that there were a few slightly difficult parts, but I could understand them naturally by working them out from the surrounding context.

So the more I read, the more confident I became, the faster I got, and it was so amazing to see whole sentences coming into view at once!!! Of course, by about Stage 4, the content becomes much richer and the sentences start to feel like a real original. Lots of details are added too.

The final Stage 5 is The Little Prince exactly as written, so it feels like the grand final stage. It kind of feels like a game, if you know what I mean.

Read Originals Like a Quest

You do not have to hunt around for an original that suits your own level, because all five stages are perfectly set up in this one book—so there is no need to buy anything else, right?! With Dangye English, reading English originals is no longer a daunting task but a game-like quest where you smash through one stage at a time and grow. Another little bonus: if you buy from the official website, you also receive eight postcards and sticker merchandise as gifts.

I think this is a really good fit for neighbors like me who have motivation but weak foundations, people who vaguely feel that reading originals is difficult, or parents who want to read together with their child without pressure.

With English, I have always started but never finished, perhaps because I had so few success experiences even when I tried hard. But with Dangye English, the thought that maybe I can do this too comes surging up. Chwaaaaa!

Come to think of it, perhaps the real strength of Dangye English The Little Prince is that it builds English confidence. The more you read, the more familiar it becomes, and as the stages rise, you can definitely feel your skills growing—you know what I mean~ If you are planning to read English originals in the new year, Dangye English The Little Prince may be worth keeping an eye on.