First Thousand Words in German

This book is great for two reasons:

1) The article is included with each word, making it easier to remember (e.g. "die Leiter")

2) The pictures help you put the words in context - it's how we learn naturally! I am learning quickly from this book - I try to do a double-page spread each evening in bed, then I test myself by looking at the central picture and trying to name the things in it. I also find it useful because I can try to describe out loud in German what is going on in the each picture.

As someone returning to German and trying to brush up on lost vocabulary I am finding this useful, even though it's clearly a kid's book. It's just more fun to sit browsing through this of an evening, rather than scrolling through long lists of vocab. More useful, I would imagine, in a classroom situation, as the large pictures would surely make for great Q and A sessions... direct the postman to the post office.... tell the little girl where her dog is.... describe what's under the window etc etc etc... The illustrations are very sweet too.

The book's a great way to learn. The genders are listed alongside every noun helping to build the foundations of learning German, without you even realising.
Although the cartoon pictures and hidden duck on every page may be aimed at a younger audience, I believe it has a lot to offer GCSE and A-level pupils too.
I'm graduating from Uni this year - I only wish I'd discovered it sooner!

This is like a mini version of The Oxford-Duden Pictorial German-English Dictionary.

Only this one shows the big picture. It has an index of words and more words that at not pictured. It even comes with an Easy Pronunciation Guide. The pictures are cute and colorful.