Currently the first three episodes of Gnomeville are available as either ebooks from Amazon or as physical comic books from https://sandrabogerd.square.site.
Designed to introduce one or two new words or concepts per page, and to exploit the over 1,000 words that are the same in French and English, you learn the most frequently occurring words in French, while being entertained with a story about gnomes, mages and dragons. While the series is optimised for language learning, by using sight gags and visual humour it still manages to be entertaining from the first few pages. Follow the adventure of Jacques, Magnifica the mage, the gnomes Didi and Dada, and the griffon, as they commence their quest to capture a rogue dragon.
Each book includes further stories to reinforce the vocabulary learnt so far, as well as a crossword and songs. The series exploits several principles of language acquisition via reading:
- language can be acquired by reading extensively at a comfortable level of difficulty;
- images increase retention of language;
- glosses increase vocabulary retention;
- repeated occurrences of new vocabulary increase vocabulary retention;
- comprehension-based activities (eg. crosswords) related to the reading improve retention of language;
- once you know the meaning of more than 95% of the words in the text (episode 2), then it is possible to guess the meaning of new words, and confirm by checking the gloss after guessing, which further increases vocabulary retention.
This is the first episode in the series, and is arguably the easiest book in French for native English speakers. It introduces most of the main characters and the quest that they are about to embark on.
The 28-page comic book has been checked by three native/near-native speakers of French to ensure authenticity.
It teaches 12 of the 20 most frequently occurring words in French newspapers. It provides more than 300 words of reading, with pictures! Read this before you read anything else in French. And then read Episode 2!
This is the second episode of the series. Jacques, Magnifica the mage, the gnomes Didi and Dada, and the griffon commence their quest to capture a rogue dragon. We also meet Chantal the oracle of Marieville.
The 28-page comic book has been checked by native/near-native speakers of French to ensure authenticity. Once you know the meaning of more than 95% of the words in the text (Episode 2 – this episode), then it is possible to guess the meaning of new words, and confirm by checking the gloss after guessing, which further increases vocabulary retention.
It teaches the remaining 8 of the 20 most frequently occurring words in French newspapers, giving you an understanding of at least 25% of the words in most French texts. It is arguably the second easiest French graded reader (easy reader) available, and yet provides more than 700 words of reading, with pictures!
This is the third episode in series. The quest to capture the rogue dragon continues, but not everyone agrees with their plan. We meet Pépin Python, who joins the group to help the group with their quest.
The 32-page comic book has been proof-read by a native speaker of French to check authenticity.
It teaches 9 frequently occurring words in French text, giving you an understanding of about 44% of the words in most French texts. It provides more than 1200 words of reading, with pictures! Read Episode 1 and Episode 2. Then read this!
Gnomeville 
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