Spanish books for A1
At A1 you know the most common words and the present tense. The classics offer no complete texts at this level, so this shelf holds MovaReader adaptations: tales by the Brothers Grimm, Perrault, Andersen and Joseph Jacobs, Browning’s The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Hawthorne’s King Midas, Aesop’s fables and folk tales from Spain, England, Norway and America, retold in simple Spanish. Each book takes about an hour.
A1
25 books
- Little Red Riding Hood Caperucita Roja Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm A Brothers Grimm tale retold for A1 3 313 words 1 hour
- The Three Little Pigs Los tres cerditos Joseph Jacobs A fairy tale adapted for A1 3 315 words 1 hour
- The Emperor’s New Clothes El traje nuevo del emperador Hans Christian Andersen A comic Andersen tale retold for A1 3 372 words 1 hour
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears Ricitos de Oro y los tres osos Robert Southey Southey’s tale: an adaptation for A1 3 379 words 1 hour
- The Frog Prince El príncipe rana Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm A Grimm tale of a promise, retold for A1 3 393 words 1 hour
- The Little Red Hen and Other Farm Tales La gallinita roja y otros cuentos de la granja Anonymous Three farm folk tales retold for A1 3 398 words 1 hour
- Town Musicians of Bremen Los músicos de Bremen Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm A tale of four animals, adapted for A1 3 443 words 1 hour
- Jack and the Beanstalk Juan y las habichuelas mágicas Joseph Jacobs An English fairy tale retold for A1 3 446 words 1 hour
- The Gingerbread Man El hombre de jengibre Anonymous An American folk tale retold for A1 3 473 words 1 hour
- The Elves and the Shoemaker Los duendes y el zapatero Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Three Grimm tales of the little folk for A1 3 476 words 1 hour
- The Pied Piper of Hamelin El flautista de Hamelín Robert Browning A Browning poem retold for A1 3 477 words 1 hour
- The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats El lobo y los siete cabritillos Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm A Grimm tale in very short sentences 3 515 words 1 hour
- Rapunzel Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm A Grimm tale of a tower, retold for A1 3 540 words 1 hour
- Rumpelstiltskin Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm A Grimm tale of straw and gold for A1 3 552 words 1 hour
- Snow White Blancanieves Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm The Grimms’ magic mirror tale, adapted for A1 3 604 words 1 hour
- The Brave Little Tailor El sastrecillo valiente Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm A Grimm tale of a tiny hero, retold for A1 3 668 words 1 hour
- The Ugly Duckling El patito feo Hans Christian Andersen Andersen’s tale adapted for A1 3 678 words 1 hour
- Hop-o’-My-Thumb Pulgarcito Charles Perrault Perrault’s tale of seven brothers, for A1 3 750 words 1 hour
- Aesop’s Fables Fábulas de Esopo Aesop 12 fables adapted for A1 3 815 words 1 hour
- The Princess and the Pea and Other Tales La princesa y el guisante y otros cuentos Hans Christian Andersen Four Andersen tales retold for A1 3 861 words 1 hour
- Puss in Boots El gato con botas Charles Perrault An adaptation of Perrault for A1 3 893 words 1 hour
- Ratoncito Pérez El ratoncito Pérez Luis Coloma A first-tooth tale adapted for A1 3 948 words 1 hour
- The Vain Little Mouse and Other Spanish Folk Tales La ratita presumida y otros cuentos Fernán Caballero Spanish folk tales adapted for A1 3 969 words 1 hour
- Sleeping Beauty La Bella Durmiente Charles Perrault A1 adaptation of Perrault’s fairy tale 4 003 words 1 hour
The level's books side by side
The catalog measures two things: the average sentence length and the share of long words, 9 letters or more. Every book on the shelf averages 5-7 words per sentence, all in the present tense. Long words are rare: from about one in a thousand in Goldilocks and the Three Bears to one in 35 in The Emperor’s New Clothes, where more than half of them are the word emperador itself. The difficulty is even in every chapter. For comparison, the simplest complete text in the catalog, Ellen M. Cyr’s school reader Libro segundo de lectura, has 8 words per sentence, tells its lessons in the past tenses and sits at A2.
- Little Red Riding Hood Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Words per sentence 6Length 3 313 words
- The Three Little Pigs Joseph Jacobs Words per sentence 6Length 3 315 words
- The Emperor’s New Clothes Hans Christian Andersen Words per sentence 6Length 3 372 words
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears Robert Southey Words per sentence 7Length 3 379 words
- The Frog Prince Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Words per sentence 6Length 3 393 words
- The Little Red Hen and Other Farm Tales Anonymous Words per sentence 5Length 3 398 words
- Town Musicians of Bremen Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Words per sentence 6Length 3 443 words
- Jack and the Beanstalk Joseph Jacobs Words per sentence 6Length 3 446 words
- The Gingerbread Man Anonymous Words per sentence 6Length 3 473 words
- The Elves and the Shoemaker Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Words per sentence 6Length 3 476 words
- The Pied Piper of Hamelin Robert Browning Words per sentence 6Length 3 477 words
- The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Words per sentence 5Length 3 515 words
- Rapunzel Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Words per sentence 6Length 3 540 words
- Rumpelstiltskin Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Words per sentence 6Length 3 552 words
- Snow White Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Words per sentence 6Length 3 604 words
- The Brave Little Tailor Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Words per sentence 6Length 3 668 words
- The Ugly Duckling Hans Christian Andersen Words per sentence 6Length 3 678 words
- Hop-o’-My-Thumb Charles Perrault Words per sentence 6Length 3 750 words
- Aesop’s Fables Aesop Words per sentence 6Length 3 815 words
- The Princess and the Pea and Other Tales Hans Christian Andersen Words per sentence 6Length 3 861 words
- Puss in Boots Charles Perrault Words per sentence 7Length 3 893 words
- Ratoncito Pérez Luis Coloma Words per sentence 7Length 3 948 words
- The Vain Little Mouse and Other Spanish Folk Tales Fernán Caballero Words per sentence 7Length 3 969 words
- Sleeping Beauty Charles Perrault Words per sentence 6Length 4 003 words
How these books read in MovaReader
Tap an unfamiliar word and its translation appears right there, with no dictionary in another tab. The reader remembers your place and the words you opened. Signing up is free.
Before you read
Are these the original texts?
No, these are MovaReader adaptations: fairy tales and fables retold in simple Spanish for A1. Each follows a public-domain source: tales by the Brothers Grimm, Perrault, Andersen, Jacobs and Southey, Browning’s poem The Pied Piper of Hamelin and Hawthorne’s King Midas, Aesop’s fables, The Gingerbread Man and The Little Red Hen from American and English folklore, folk tales as written down by Fernán Caballero and Luis Coloma’s Ratón Pérez. The episodes of the sources are kept, the language is simplified.
How is A1 different from A2 in this catalog?
In sentence length and tense. At A1 sentences average 5-7 words and everything is in the present tense; at A2 they average 9-10 words and the story is told in the past tenses.
How long does a book take?
About an hour each: the books on the shelf run from 3,300 to 4,100 words. The chapters are short, a few hundred words each, so one takes a few minutes.
What should I read after A1?
The A2 shelf: Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the Don Quixote adaptation and other books told in the past tenses, at 9-10 words per sentence. The first complete Spanish text in the catalog is on that shelf too: Ellen M. Cyr’s school reader Libro segundo de lectura.
