Ranked #2 of 32 — easiest first.
The most common words in this book that fall outside the core vocabulary. Names are left out; these are the ones that actually repay learning before you start.
The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it. Some shady trees leaned over it, and rushes and water-lilies grew at the deep end. Over the hedge on one side we looked into a plowed field, and on the other we looked over a gate at our master's house, which stood by the roadside; at the top of the meadow was a grove of fir trees, and at the bottom a running brook…
Btelo English plays Black Beauty one sentence at a time, highlighting each word as it is spoken, with a tap on any word opening its dictionary card. The full text is also free at Project Gutenberg if you would rather read it straight through.