English for Speakers of Other Languages: Reading
Reading
The library has books and articles to help you build your reading skills. They are available in print and online. What works best for you?!
Streaming audiobooks
Listen to an audiobook for your reading level. You can listen to these books on your phone through the Libby app, which allows you to slow down the speed. You may want to get the book in print also so you can read and listen at the same time. Here are audiobooks for each level:
Learn more about the Libby app below.
Recommended audiobooks and ebooks
Charlotte's Web by Call Number: AudiobookWilbur, the pig, is desolate when he discovers that he is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until his spider friend, Charlotte, decides to help him. A beloved children's story.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by Call Number: Ebook and print bookFirst book in the Harry Potter series.
Hatchet by Call Number: Available as ebook, audiobook and print bookAfter a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the Canadian wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet.
Ebooks and Audiobooks with Overdrive and Libby
Some of PCC Library's audiobooks and ebooks are now available through a service called OverDrive. You can borrow these books through the Libby App. Download this at the link below. Learn more about PCC Library's ebooks and audiobooks available through Overdrive and Libby.
Have a public library card? You can use the apps to search the PCC Overdrive collection and the titles available through your public library at the same time. Learn more about getting a public library card (if you don't have one) and accessing popular audio and ebooks through local public libraries.
Download the Libby App:
Get Help:
Browse PCC's Audiobooks and Ebooks:
- OverDrive This link opens in a new windowPCC Library provides access to a small collection of ebooks and streaming audiobooks, both fiction and non-fiction. You can use an internet browser or a mobile app to listen to audiobooks.
PCC Library Search
News & Newspapers
- ESOL News OregonOregon news for language learners hosted by PCC instructor Tim Krause
- News For YouPaper newspaper at Southeast & Sylvania Library with current events and stories designed to be easy to read, yet interesting. Found in the magazine shelves (1st floor at Sylvania, 2nd floor at Southeast).
Print books in the ESOL collection
PCC Libraries have books for each level of ESOL classes. Readers can choose from fiction, nonfiction and biography titles. Here are a few examples.
Malala Yousafzai: : education activistCall Number: Level 2 biography
Oregon by Call Number: Level 3 Non-fiction
The House on Mango Street by Call Number: Level 6 Fiction
To Kill a Mockingbird by Call Number: Level 8 Fiction
Dictionaries / Vocabulary
Oxford Picture Dictionary by Call Number: ESOL 428.1 A33o 2017
- Oxford English Dictionary (OED) This link opens in a new windowMore than 600,000 words defined, including historical meanings, word origins, and pronunciations. Examples of past usage are shown through quotations from a rich variety of English language sources.
- English language dictionariesFind more English language dictionaries at the PCC Library. You can also find specific dictionaries by searching their title such as: Longman Dictionary or by type of dictionary such as idioms dictionaries when you use the library catalog.
This work by PCC Library is licensed by Portland Community College under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.- Last Updated: Mar 26, 2025 4:52 PM
- URL: https://guides.pcc.edu/ESOL
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