Ecce Romani may be a good choice for you, if you're looking for a reading-based text with a less-rigorous approach to grammar. If you're looking for something more traditional, probably not.
Latin for Americans: An Inviting Intro
The friendly tone, colorful pictures, and the inclusion of random yet interesting tidbits of information make this an inviting entry to the Latin language for average to upper average students.
Appearances Can Deceive: Review of Wheelock’s Latin
Frederick Wheelock, then, did, not see his book as some sort of technical manual. He saw it as an invitation to engage as human beings with our brothers and sisters from the past who expressed themselves through the Latin language.
Something is Always Lost in Translation
The choices, preferences, experiences, and particular strengths and weaknesses of a given book's creators will unavoidably shape its presentation of the Latin language. Any and every introductory text will have a bias of some sort or other.
What’s the Best Kind of Book for Reading Latin?
The good news is that there's something for everyone. There are books for folks who want or need lots of help, there are versions for those who just want to engage the plain Latin text. If you're somewhere in between, well, you're covered too.
Latin Via Ovid: a Message from Exile
So, in the end, the big question is this: do the strengths of the exclusive focus on Ovid outweigh the drawbacks? On the whole, I think they do . . . with conditions.
A Poetic Shock Absorber: Phaedrus’s Fabulae
Phaedrus, it seems, had high expectations for children's literary understanding. Or maybe, as A.A. Milne does in his Winnie the Pooh stories, he wanted to throw in a little something for the benefit of the adults who do the actual reading.
A Go-To Text for Latin III: Jenney’s 2nd Year Latin
And what, you may wonder, are the strongest features? Glad you asked. As is the case with the first book in this series, clarity and thoroughness are the strengths of Jenney's Second Year Latin.
Caesar as Teacher
With Caesar as teacher, we can be his co-teachers. We can help our students see and feel the drama in his narrative.
A Five Tool Player: Latin for the New Millennium
The bottom line is that Latin for the New Millennium does at least reasonably well in all five categories, and better than reasonably well in most. It's a five tool player.
