Briefly About World Cultural Heritage

Discover world cultures through English stories!

World Cultural Heritage is a digitally compatible graded reader series designed for children aged 7–12 learning English. Through 50 original stories from around the world, the series supports and enriches English language learning in an engaging and enjoyable way. Each story is carefully written at three different NGSL vocabulary levels, offering children multiple pathways to develop their language skills.

World Cultural Heritage Series I has been released as the first collection. Series II and Series III will be published soon.

Key Features of World Cultural Heritage

150 Books from 50 Stories
The series consists of 50 original stories, each adapted into three different language levels, resulting in a total of 150 books.

Graded Readers
Learners can (1) enjoy reading stories at their own level, (2) start with a story at their level and move on to a higher-level version of the same story to challenge themselves, or (3) read a lower-level version after reading at their own level to improve reading speed and fluency.

Cultural Focus
Each book presents important stories from different countries, highlighting unique cultural elements, traditions, and characters. This approach enables learners to explore world cultures while improving their English.

CEFR & NGSL Aligned
The series is based on the 2,800-word New General Service List (NGSL), the most up-to-date list of high-frequency English words. This core vocabulary provides 92% coverage of everyday English and nearly 99% coverage of graded readers worldwide. All texts are carefully aligned with CEFR levels (A1–B2).

Keywords & Comprehension Questions
At the beginning of each book, learners are introduced to essential keywords, while comprehension questions at the end support deeper understanding and critical thinking.

Global Access
Fully compatible with all digital platforms. Regional digital and print publishing rights are available.

World Cultural Heritage – Series I: Sample Titles

• Sakura and the Lost Wish (Japan)
  A girl sets out on a journey to find her lost wish and discovers the true meaning of wishes.
• The Bullfight Story (Spain)
  A boy faces his fears and learns about courage at a Spanish bullfighting festival.
• K-pop Dreams (South Korea)
  A girl dreams of joining a K-pop group and learns the value of hard work and perseverance.
• Pizza Makers of Naples (Italy)
  A boy learns his family’s secret pizza recipe.
• Dragon Boat (China)
  A young girl learns about the Dragon Boat Festival and explores its traditions.

Dr. Charles Browne – Author & Editor

Dr. Charles Browne is Professor of Applied Linguistics at Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo. He is the co-creator and Director of the New General Service List (NGSL) Project, which includes eight internationally recognized corpus-based word lists and accompanying teaching and learning resources. Dr. Browne has delivered dozens of keynote and plenary presentations on this work and has participated in two TEDx talks. With over 35 years of experience as a teacher trainer, author, and materials developer, he has served as an EFL Specialist for the U.S. State Department, worked on advisory committees for Japan’s Ministry of Education (MEXT), and conducted hundreds of training workshops for thousands of English teachers in Japan and around the world.

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