Currently the book on the left by Katherine Carruthers is far and away the best available textbook for beginners. The book is suitable for children aged 10 and above, as well as for adults. It avoids the major error in most introductory texts for English speakers learning Chinese, which is the excessive use of Pinyin. This book forces you to learn Chinese characters from the outset, which is the only way to make any serious progress in the language. This book should be bought in conjunction with the GCSE Chinese Examination Study Guide, listed next to it, which is very thorough in its presentation of all aspects of the basic language, and which therefore allows you to test yourself at a GCSE level. You will very quickly find out which characters you have remembered, and which you have forgotten.