《Basic Readers》是美国现代时期一套广泛使用的标准化英语阅读课本，在美国学校一直使用到20 世纪70 年代。全套书由芝加哥大学阅读研究专家、世界阅读学会首任会长威廉·格雷教授与著名教材专家威廉·爱尔森共同编写。从选文篇幅、词汇难度、故事内容、课后练习、插图使用等方面，编者都做了精心考量。该读本以综合培养学生的朗读（oral reading）与默读（silent reading）技巧为目的，让孩子们学会阅读，并通过阅读为今后的人生阶段打下基础。对中国孩子来讲，这是一套循序渐进地进行英语阅读训练的优秀读本。适合从学前阶段开始，向小学和中学阶段扩展训练。
　　全套书共7 册（入门级、第1-6 级）。从英文难度来讲，适合国内学前段至中小学阶段的学生使用。期望国内学生使用这些原版读物时，不仅从学习素材，而且从语言学习规律与方法等，更接近英语为母语的孩子的学习方法，以起到事半功倍的效果。同时全书提供配套英文朗读免费下载，让孩子在阅读精彩故事的同时亦能更好练习英语发音。
　　This set of textbook readers was used in the schools of the United States till 1970s. It was the first reading series to enforce strict vocabulary control over selections. William S. Gray, a renowned educational psychologist and reading authority from the University of Chicago became a senior co-author with William H. Elson in creating this series.
　　The authors have attempted to provide an interesting, purposeful, and comprehensive reading course for children. To achieve this purpose the authors have assembled materials from the worldwide field of children’s favorite readings. Thus basic reading attitudes and habits are developed through the purposeful use of interesting and significant content. Using this series of readers, the children can learn to read first, and then read to learn in their future life.