Animal Farm Book Release Day!

The big date is here! The Pontes Books versions of Animal Farm are now available!

How to find the books:

• All of the books are available on Amazon (try seaching “Animal Farm Pontes Books”), but they don’t always show up initially in search results on Amazon. Eventually they will be added to our author page on Amazon, but they have not been added yet. The easiest way to get direct links to all the different versions is to visit our Products Page.

How do I know which book(s) to order? Check out the guide below for an explanation of the different versions. (Note: For Animal Farm, we did not make a blue or purple version.)

If you are still unsure about which book is right for you, below we offer a few examples of common scenarios in which someone might be choosing to order one or more Pontes version of Animal Farm. Use these scenarios to help guide your decision.

Scenario #1: A teacher is looking to purchase books for a whole class where students will be reading at least a portion of the story together in class. Students will be responsible for reading at least a portion of the story independently.
Recommended book(s): a combination of Red, Orange, and Pink
Rationale: When a portion of the book is read in class together, the students need to have a common text to read from. The Red, Orange, and Pink versions all have the original text by George Orwell included. Students with strong reading skills can be assigned the Red version, which does not contain any other bridge versions, only Orwell’s original words. Students who may need a little bit more support while reading a text as challenging as Orwell’s can be assigned the Orange or Pink versions, based on their own needs as a reader. These students can then flip over to the Bridge version when they are confused or if they are working to complete a reading assignment independently.

Scenario #2: A teacher is looking to purchase books for small, leveled, reading groups. The students will always be reading the stories either in their separate groups or independently.
Recommended book(s): a combination of Red, Yellow, and White
Rationale: Though the parallel text versions could work in this scenario as well, it may just be easier to assign students the “stand-alone” Bridge Versions. Orwell’s original language does not appear in the Yellow or White versions, but if the groups will always be reading separately, there is no need to necessarily have a text with the same wording among all students. It is still possible to have whole-class discussions about the story because all students will be reading the same content, just with tweaks to vocabulary, sentence structure, and length.

Scenario #3: A parent is looking to purchase a book for their child, who will be reading Animal Farm for a class in the near future.
Recommended book(s): Red, Orange, or Pink
Rationale: If your child will be reading the book as a class, then they will likely be reading Orwell’s original unabridged version. If your child is a strong reader, then purchasing the Red version would be best because it will match what all other students will be reading from. If your child could use a little bit of support while reading a text this complicated, choose the Orange or Pink versions based on their needs. They will still have the original version inside their book, but will have a Bridge version to allow them to read the story at a level closer to their own ability. Your child could pre-read the bridge version ahead of time to prepare for reading the original in class, could read it after reading the original version in class, or could simply refer to it when confusion arises.

Scenario #4: A child or adult is looking to purchase the book to read for the first time for independent reading, unrelated to any assignment for school.
Recommended book(s): Any option!
Rationale: This is entirely up to you! The whole purpose of creating seven different versions so that each individual reader could find one that is the right fit. Decide whether you want to have a parallel text version, or whether to have a book that only contains one version, and then pick which one is best for you!

If you are still unsure, reach out to us at admin@pontesbooks.com.