Easy Finnish book tips

The best thing about simplifying Finnish novels is to see and hear how happy the readers are when they can understand and enjoy a book that they are reading in Finnish. You don't have to be advanced or even intermediate to enjoy a book in easy Finnish, but you might need some guidance in choosing a suitable book.

Here are my reading tips:

1. Start with short texts

You don't have to start with a 200 page easy Finnish novel. Start with a book with short, independent texts, for example Toppatakin alla on sydän.

2. Read with children

If you have kids who understand Finnish, you can read the easy Finnish books together with them! Try Heinähattu, Vilttitossu ja ärhäkkä koululainen for a bedtime story for kids between the ages 4 and 10. Read it aloud in Finnish and talk about the book in your mother tongue. I also have exercises about the book.

3. Read to learn more about Finland

If you live in Finland, you have to know how this country works. Selkeästi Suomessa is a social studies text book in easy Finnish. You can find extra material in http://selkeastisuomessa.blogspot.com/.

4. Read to learn history

You can learn about the history in easy Finnish through the books by Pertti Rajala, but you can also read a novel. Ne lensivät tästä yli is a fictional diary of a young woman during the Winter War. There's a useful vocabulary list in my earlier blog post.

5. Read just because it's fun!

I just finished reading Avioliittotesti, and I liked it a lot. I will write about it in Finnish in my next post, but here's a short description in English: Aino is from Eastern Finland, and her boyfriend Jussi is wrom the Western part of Finland. They fall in love, and Aino moves to Jussi's family's farm for the summer. Jussi's family feels a bit strange to Aino, and that causes some drama but also funny situations.

You can buy the books online, or book them from your local library, if you live in Finland and have a library card. (I even have a YouTube video about reserving library books!)