Reviews (1)

A Really Fun Math Adventure
Introducing Geometry has now been made more fun. Cindy Neuschwander has given upper grade teachers an exciting way to introduce a somewhat complex subject through the adventures of Radius, son of Sir Cumference and Lady Di of Ameter. This beautifully written and illustrated book has Radius out on an adventure with only a circular medallion (a protractor which is included with the book) to use to find his way through a maze of angles. Students will love the twists and turns the hero Radius encounters but solves and will be excited to learn how to use their own "circular medallion." I enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to appropriate teachers who I work with as a student teacher supervisor. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

User friendly and nicely organized, adults or kids.
This book is organized in a manner which allows for easy use. Signs are grouped into related categories, and the illustrations are clear and simple. I've used many books on signing, and this one is tops for adults as well as kids.

Not right for kids
I purchased this book after taking a course in signing for my twins. I was looking for a short book with basic signs that we could use everyday. The publisher seems to have missed the mark on what signs kid would want or need in a simple signing book. For example the section titled "Snacks and Food" has 42 signs, but doesn't have the word vegetable, or any sign for any vegetable. Instead, what they do have is a section of 30 signs on religion, including such everyday usage words for children as "resurrection", "missionary", and "devil". A number of words in this category are helpful including "God", "church", and "prayer", but for the most part the book has a lot of words that adults think children should learn and not nearly enough words that children would use everyday. My suggestion would be to buy a real dictionary from a different publisher that has all the words you will be looking up.

Great for Beginners and Parents Teaching Children
I ordered this book to help teach my two year old sign language, as a way to communicate better. The pictures are easy to understand and the discription is very helpful. You are also able to find the signs quickly. I love it and haven't been able to put it down. I hope that the whole family will be signing soon.

Helpful for Toddler Signing
We started our son at 8 months learning sign lanquage with Baby Signs. A friend had this book and I liked the illustrations and the number of different signs that were available. At 18 months our hearing son has over 50 signs and is learning new ones everyday. I do not have anyother books besides Baby Signs to compare with, but the illustrations are large and clear which is helpful.

Cool Book! By Em
Not 5 stars because I have nothing to compare the book to.
Signing for kids- neat book, and good pictures. I've learned all of the food words-I skipped animals. The animal section doesn't really need to have so much detail, maybe instead just cat, dog, pet, zoo, etc. Obviously tons of words aren't in it, but overall it's worth it! When you understand a group of signs, you feel great. Fun for kids who have no relation to the deaf- I don't!
You'll be satisfied if you get the hang of it! (If you don't TRY, you won't have fun...you can't just think you'll understand it all once you use it once-or twice-or...) ... Read more

Book Description

Already a proven home-study program, the Language for Children series is making noise with this updated, integrated book-plus-audio edition. Along with its charming visuals and lively activities, the series now provides in CD format the stimulating sounds of language to entice preschoolers through primary graders into learning a second language. Cute, catchy songs and the humorous, serial adventures of SuperCat are sure to captivate the imagination and foster language acquisition. Each set in the series contains an 80-page full-color activity book coordinated with two 60-minute CDs as well as a Parent/Instructor CD packed with helpful tips.

Together children and parents can master basic language skills, including making introductions, counting from 1 to 20, and describing objects. The perfect package for parents and teachers who want to familiarize three- to nine-year olds with foreign languages and cultures.

Reviews (4)

This was just what I hoped for
I am so happy I chose this item for my children. Although my daughters are only 3 and 5, I wanted something to help them learn basic words and phrases. The lessons are simple with lots of reptition and cute songs. I put the CD on when they are playing and sometimes they participate but just as often not - but later, I'll hear them singing the number song.

Teriffic!
My daughter loved this program! She is homeschooled, and listened to it on her own every day (over & over) with no nagging from me. Because of the use of songs, I feel that a child who enjoys singing will gain more from this program than a child who doesn't. (most children's language programs I've found use a lot of singing) The reviewer who disapproved of the use of witches etc. in the book may not understand that the text is very *German*... I found after living in Germany that Germans have their own ideas about what is appropriate for children. (I see no point in learning a language which has been disjointed from its culture.) My daughter was 8/9 yrs of age when she used this program (cassette version) and nothing was offensive or inappropriate. All in all, a wonderful start to your child's study of German! 5 stars for being fun, easy to use, and educational. I only wish there were a level 2!

what happened to positive reinforcement?
i feel that this program uses vocabulary that should not be introduced to children as primary words when beginning a foreign language. it talks of ghosts, witches and other "scarey" things. i just don't feel that those words are constructive, but that other positive more essential topics could have been chosen to sing and learn about.

Excellent and very enjoyable
I purchased this book and cassette program for my 3 young boys who have an interest in learning German. They LOVE the program! They sing the songs regularly. It's no wonder, the tunes are catchy and the lyrics are understandable.

I highly recommend this! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Great for kids older than 1 1/2
I enjoy reading this book to my daughter. I thought I would try to see if I could catch her interest. She is almost a 1 1/2 years old, but she enjoys the pictures. Its a little too much for her right now, because she can't do the hand signs, but it's never to early to flame a child's learning ability.

Cute and Fun For Kids!
This is an adorable, small, paperback book. It has within it many very cute, colorful, and attention-getting illustrations that incorporate signs throughout. If you are interested in teaching your young child some basic sign vocabulary, this is a fun way to start. You'll get their attention, they'll think they're having fun (and not working), and you'll by far get your money's worth. This Deaf ASL teacher recommends this as a delightful start on the road to sign language. :o)

Great book for pre-schoolers
My 3-year-old son really enjoys this book. The illustrations are bright, colourful and easy to understand, very well targeted to the audience. My son likes to 'try out' phrases and words in sign language, and does use them with me and his little brother. This is not a book to teach true sign language, but it is an excellent introduction for young children to the concept and basics of sign language. GREAT BOOK!

Very easy to understand
This book is great for me because I am a beginner- it shows the letter of the alphabet and 3 words for each letter that are useful to know. It's real easy to understand and recreate the hand signs. The illustrations are great. I feel like I can use this to teach my son a few signs.

My baby loves this book
We are signing with our 1 year old, hearing, baby. We have enjoyed "reading" this book together and learning the signs. The pictures are so clear and present situations that she understands (a baby in her crib, a dog drinking from a bowl, a girl kissing her mommy) so we can talk about them and learn the signs together. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Only if you use in conjunction with the videos
I bought this cards thinking that they had true photographs of the actual objects. Instead, the animals are the stuffed creations from the videos and not photos of real animals at all. I thought this was very disappointing, especially since I loved the concept of the different languages on the cards. I think this set is only useful when used with the videos.

Warped
The concept for these cards is great, but I do not recommend you buy them. The pictures of the animals are not of animals at all, but of stuffed toys that barely even resemble the animals "depicted." Children would be confused by, for example, a frog that barely even resembles a real frog. I pulled all of the "warped" cards and have used the remaining ones with my daughter.

Best Baby Einstein item I've bought!!!
My son and I absolutely love these cards. It's very educational and my son spoke his first word as soon as I pointed to one card. The quality is great; each card is laminated to last you many years. All the items in the cards are found in other Baby Einstein videos/dvds. I especially love the teaching aides and words in various languages on the back of the cards to help parents use the cards effectively. I found that it's not only educational for the child but for the parent as well. ... Read more

Book Description

Already a proven home-study program, the Language for Children series is making noise with this updated, integrated book-plus-audio edition. Along with its charming visuals and lively activities, the series now provides in CD format the stimulating sounds of language to entice preschoolers through primary graders into learning a second language. Cute, catchy songs and the humorous, serial adventures of SuperCat are sure to captivate the imagination and foster language acquisition. Each set in the series contains an 80-page full-color activity book coordinated with two 60-minute CDs as well as a Parent/Instructor CD packed with helpful tips.

Together children and parents can master basic language skills, including making introductions, counting from 1 to 20, and describing objects. The perfect package for parents and teachers who want to familiarize three- to nine-year olds with foreign languages and cultures.

Reviews (4)

Best foreign language program for YOUNG children I've seen.
I teach preschool children French in my home and have not seen an easier method for children who do not yet read. Though designed for beginning readers it is easily adapted to non-readers. Parents who do not speak the language can learn along with their child. The program comes with an activity book children can draw, color and cut in, along with 3 cassettes. Two cassettes are the lesson plans (1-10), and the third is an instructional guide for parents.

My only disappointment is that there is not another level after the child completes the book.

We also have the German for Children(it comes in several languages). We spend time in the evening doing the program with our 4 year old son. I soon realised that my 2 year old knew all of the songs and was responding to questions directed at his older brother in German. They love the Super Cat cartoon.

Note: A young child can not do the lessons without help from an adult.

Slightly disappointing
I was surprised to find out that this book doesn't really come with a cassette for the kids to listen to. I talked with some customer service people and found that there may be quite a few different versions of this book, and unfortunatly not all of these versions are currently available. But other than that this book is still a pretty good french instructor for young children.

One of the best I've seen.
Our family has a small library of French materials for children and this is the one my children enjoy using the most. The songs are catchy and understandable (many we have are hard for me to understand what they are singing and I have had 6 years of French language). There is a good mix of activities and games that reinforce what they are learning.

An excellent program to introduce children to French.
This program is a wonderful balance between written and spoken French, with cute songs and games which entertain children as they learn. Most notable is that the program is presented by a native French speaker, not a speaker of French as a second language. I highly recommend this program, especially for (but not limited to) children who can read. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

EDL Cor Vocabularies
This is a collection of word lists, alphabetically arranged. It's sources are the textbooks used in grades pre-primary through grade 13. The words are listed by grade level, and then combined in a cumulative list. In the cumulative list, the year in which each word was introduced is given next to the word. Also included are mathematics, science and social studies word lists for grades 1 through 6, as well as a aural comprehension list for adults with low reading skills. No thesaurus is included. This book is most valuable to anyone writing for a target audience of grade school children. It answers the question,"Can I expect a reader in this particular grade to comprehend this particular word?" ... Read more

Book Description

Already a proven home-study program, the Language for Children series is making noise with this updated, integrated book-plus-audio edition. Along with its charming visuals and lively activities, the series now provides in CD format the stimulating sounds of language to entice preschoolers through primary graders into learning a second language. Cute, catchy songs and the humorous, serial adventures of SuperCat are sure to captivate the imagination and foster language acquisition. Each set in the series contains an 80-page full-color activity book coordinated with two 60-minute CDs as well as a Parent/Instructor CD packed with helpful tips.

Together children and parents can master basic language skills, including making introductions, counting from 1 to 20, and describing objects. The perfect package for parents and teachers who want to familiarize three- to nine-year olds with foreign languages and cultures.

Reviews (4)

A good way to start out with a second language for kids
I bought this set for my 5 year-old and 8 year-old. For the most part, they and I like it, but I must admit it takes a wee bit of getting used to. You won't be able to just put the tape on and walk away with this set, you'll need to sit with your kids and go through it together. But if you're willing to do that you'll reap some very real benefits, and your kids will too!

Fun Learning for the Young
This is a great set to introduce Spanish to young kids. I have been using it with my four year old with great success. The book and cassette compliment each other well and really hold his attention. Each chapter contains several simple yet creative games to help reinforce the vocabulary and phrases being taught and ends with an on-going story in the form of a cartoon. I enjoy the program too!

Spanish for Children (Passport Books)
This is a wonderful program that I have successfully used with children from kindergarten through grade three. The kids love the songs and games. It's lively and a lot of fun. Just what learning should be!

Fun and Effective!
This is a great way to introduce your children (and yourself) to Spanish. The book is colorful with lots of songs and games. The cassette recordings are very clear and the instructor is warm and cheerful. My 5-year-old daughter and I absolutely loved this! The only problem is, now that we have finished it we are looking for the next step. Highly recommended. P.S. My daughter often serenades us in the morning with her Spanish songs. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Every household needs this book!
This is a very concise, yet thorough look at our language. It starts with the history of languages, the percentage of the world population that speak the most common languages, a diagram of Indo-European languages and which one evolved from what. It defines terms like "semantics", "phonetics", "phonemics", "phonics", "morphemics", etc. It gives nine different alphabets, including sign language, smoke signals and morse code. It gives examples of Hebrew and Japanese. There are some very informative drawings of the mouth, and how sounds are made.

And that's just the first 15 pages.

If you want to know what the "CAT" in CAT scan stands for, or why we write "please R.S.V.P." on party invitations, you can find the answers here.

This book is very nicely laid out, easy to read and aesthetic, with nice pictures and lots of color. There is just tons of information in this book, but it's not weighty or difficult to understand. Unlike a typical textbook, one piece can be understood at a time - one doesn't need to start from the beginning and read all the way through it.

I knew this book would be useful for my kids, but when I read the page that completely - and simply - defined "past perfect tense", "present perfect tense" and "future perfect tense", I was sold. I immediately called my friend who is the head teacher at a K-12 school, and told her she needed to get this book! (Turns out she already has it, and uses it all the time with her students.)

I can't say enough good things about this book!

Awesome English Reference
As a home schooler I continually search for quality books at an affordable price. This book was an excellent find. The amount of information included here is exceptional. One look at the table of contents, I was sold. It covers topics from the history of language and alphabets to creative writing and reading literature, and of course, all the basics are here too. Each section is color coded for quick and easy reference. "Everything You Need To Know About English" makes English easy and understandable. This little book is not just a great value for the home schooling household, but should be in every home with school aged children or where anyone may need a well prepared English reference book. ... Read more

Book Description

Already a proven home-study program, the Language for Children series is making noise with this updated, integrated book-plus-audio edition. Along with its charming visuals and lively activities, the series now provides in CD format the stimulating sounds of language to entice preschoolers through primary graders into learning a second language. Cute, catchy songs and the humorous, serial adventures of SuperCat are sure to captivate the imagination and foster language acquisition. Each set in the series contains an 80-page full-color activity book coordinated with two 60-minute CDs as well as a Parent/Instructor CD packed with helpful tips.

Together children and parents can master basic language skills, including making introductions, counting from 1 to 20, and describing objects. The perfect package for parents and teachers who want to familiarize three- to nine-year olds with foreign languages and cultures.

Reviews (2)

Learn Italian!
I have been searching for an easy way to teach my daughter, age 4 who has grown up only speaking english, my native Italian. I have tried various computer programs, books and tapes, and other teaching methods. All were rather boring and unhelpful, my daughter soon lost interest. This system is wonderful! The lessons are interesting and fun. They are blended wonderfully with songs and activities that keep a child's attention. I highly recommend this program. I do recommend that someone in the family practice with the child and participate with them while they listen. This is by far the best children's language packet I've seen.

An engaging and informative program for learning Italian.
My son and I enjoyed the music, activities and games provided in this learning program. The use of children's voices for the cassette was very effective. A great starting point for both children and adults alike.

It would be great to have this program on video.

's ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Homophone fun with Mr. G!!
Most people over the age of, say, 28 will remember Fred Gwynne most for his role as the flat-headed, bolt-necked Herman Munster on the TV show, "The Munsters." He also starred in a number of miscellaneous movies and "Car 54, Where Are You?" However, many people do not know that he is a gifted and very humorous author of children's picture books. "The King who Rained" is but one of his fine works for children that plays with language, especially homophones.

Homophones are words that sound alike but are spelled differently or have multiple meanings, and this book is full of 'em!! A little girl explains all the odd things she hears her family say, like "Daddy says he has a mole on his nose". The accompanying illustration has a tall, thin man (who looks profoundly like Mr. Gwynne himself) with a small, brown, furry subterranean mammal perched on his nose. Similarly, the girl's mother is "a little horse" sometimes and asks for the throat spray ("when I bring it to her, she calls me a little deer"). The title of the book itself is a wonderful play on words as well.

Mr. G. has written and illustrated three books of homophones, "The King Who Rained" as well as "A Chocolate Mouse for Dinner" and "A Little Pigeon Toad". He's also written a beautiful and very funny book about a girl taking her mutt dog to a dog show, "Easy to See Why."

All these books by Mr. Gwynne are easy to read and lavishly illustrated with large pictures. They're perfect choices to bring into any classroom to illustrate English homonyms and idiom. When I use them in class, I encourage students to create their own (of course, I also love to tell them a bit about Mr. Gwynne the actor, too!!). This and other works by Mr. G. come highly recommended!!

Excellent Book for Fun & Teaching
"The King Who Rained"" written & illustrated by Fred Gwynne, Aladdin Paperbacks, / Simon & Schuster 1970

Homonym is the term for words which sound alike but mean different things. Because of its historical roots in both the Germanic and Latin branches of the Indo-European language family, the English language is rich in homonyms. Fred Gwynne, the noted TV actor, plays upon "reign", (from Latin/French roots, and meaning to rule), and the word "rain", from the Old Anglo-Saxon, and meaning "water dropping from the heavens". His front cover shows a king in ermine robes contentedly raining on the countryside, while a young girl, with an umbrella, gazes up at the ruler. This kind of thing continues through the book, making every page funny and interesting.

The illustrations are colorfully done in what appears to be pastel chalks, and Fred Gwynne has probably included some autobiographical drawings as, for example, the Daddy with the mole on his nose is easily recognizable as the TV actor. This book is nicely illustrated and will provide many hours of reading enjoyment and learning.

Personally, I found that the child-reader has to be in the first or second grade, or at least fairly well exposed to the nuances of the English language, or else the play on words, using homonyms, will be lost. The younger children appeared to be interested in the illustrations alone, which are stand-alone funny.

Gwynne makes me Grin!
I knew about Fred Gwynnes'writing and artwork in children's books. This was the first one I bought, what a delight!.. I'll be back for more!

this was so funny
that was one of the funniest books that i ever read!!! such work

The King Who Rained
This book is about a girl who will take what people say and tell the reader how she sees it. Like when her mom says she has a frog in her throat, so she thinks her mom has a real frog in her throat. This book is a realy easy reader for young children and a fun one that you can laugh at . ... Read more

Book Description

Give kids a head start on a lifetime of reading. The best-selling My First Word Book and My First Word Board Book have been highly acclaimed by parents and educators alike since they were first published. Now DK is adding to these two favorites with a line of First Word books that will entertain and educate youngsters for years to come. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

the book has too many illustrations; bad photographs
Though there are many worthwhile photographs in this book, I felt that many of them were indistinct to my 14-month old child. For example, a photograph of a pillow with pairs of animals on it, simply did not look like a "pillow" and a tube of toothpaste or container of talcum powder without a label or any coloring (re: a generic label) simply does not look like the article trying to be delineated. Also, the illustrations would have better left out, in my opinion--I believe that photographs of real objects should be maintained throughout the book. The actual photos of real animals in the "At the zoo" page, for example, look foolish beside the inferior "illustrations." Surely, photographs could have been obtained for animals such as tigers, buffalo, penguins, etc.

Also, the book seems like it's trying too hard at times. Unnecessary inclusions seemed quite prevalent, as if the "voluminous index" was the aim rather than, simply, a picture book for 0-3 year old children.

Some of the unnecessary inclusions include: cotton swabs (especially the way they are photographed), barette (looks atypical), soap frog (looks like a green frog toy), bubbles, lawnmover (photo would have been great, but illustration is not good), canes for the garden (they look like sticks of incense), traffic circle (another bad illustration), cygnet (swan=okay; cygnet=not okay, too sophisticated), no school bus (in " things that move"), tidal pool (bad illustration and unnecessary addition), "weather" illustrations behind children and bad illustrations re: "seasons"; also, "Actions" section and others with pictures of children doing things are too "chock-full" to be effective; etc.

Again, some photos are nice and my son truly enjoys the book--I'm just voicing some things that I would have omitted and/or done differently for the overall aesthetics of the book. In the end, it seems "overly-ambitious" and some photographs are taken from too far away (the plate of rice is indistinct as is the floor mat, among other items). Also, the colors of "everyday objects" are too colorful to be recognized as objects that one might have in their own home (red and/or black telephone, TV, teapot, placemat, dustpan, mixing bowl, broom, to name a few). Also, the ham looks like it's a week old. Very unappetizing.

Other than all that, the book is quite good. Thank you.

1000 vivid,colorful, photographs of words in a child's world
This book has been wonderful for our little girl who we adopted from Romania at age 3 1/2 years. She only spoke three words in Romanian. This book has helped her make sense of her new surroundings by seeing photgraphs and learning the words. She loves to find the foods, animals and toys that she likes and to name them. I would highly recommend this book for every child as well as second language learner. There is no guessing about what the pictures are as almost everything is real. The few drawings are very clear and understandable. There is a Spanish version that gives the Spanish and the English word. I am an elementary principal and I ordered multiples of this book for each of my kindergarten through second grade classrooms. 90% of our students have Spanish as a first language so it has been great to share with our families. Our parents use it as a reference, too, to learn English!

You Must Buy This Book
I bought this book for my first child in 1995 and now my second child loves it just as much. EVERY page is taped up because they looked at it so much and both were very young so they would tear the pages as well. They both were probably 7-8 months old when they first fell in love with it. The revised edition is similar but yet very different; it is definately going under my tree this Christmas! Worth every penny and then some!!

Young minds love it!
We have had the book since our first boy was born. It has been literally torn to shreads since he has read it more than any other book. I am continually amazed as he pulls it out of the pile again and again to look at all the pictures. Kids love details and he notices them all. The book is full of intricate pictures and he and his brother love to pore over it for a long time. I came online just now to buy another copy since ours has lasted only three years and he still loves it. Maybe the publisher would consider a version made of rip-stop nylon?

My First Word Book-Excellent Gift
This book is a fantastic book for a First or Second Year birthday gift...just right for those little minds learning so much and saying so much...I give this to all of my friends children. It is beautiful to boot. Enjoy! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick team up yet again for another perfectlittle I Spy picture book. In this one, kids who are just learning toread can practice their ABC's with Wick's special photo illustrations andMarzollo's clever alphabetical rhymes: "I spy an L wearing lacy white, and ametal M that's screwed on tight." Borrowing from some of their previous books(I Spy, I Spy School Days, and others),the author-illustrator team adds an original twist to the usual alphabet book,with each letter covered in its own letter-inspired design. P is plaid, E is apink eraser, V is veiled with vines. Surrounding each letter are pictures ofobjects beginning with that letter (octopus, orange, ostrich). Young childrenwill enjoy identifying the crisp, detailed pictures and reciting the bouncyrhymes. (Ages 2 to 5) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great for those learning their letters.
This book is perfect for a child learning their letters, colors and names of familiar objects. My two-year-old has fun finding objects that begin with each letter of the alphabet and the rhymes are just his speed. Parenst of toddlers know how some books can wear on you after a few reads...this one doesn't. :)

Can you find...?
We play a game I invented called "Can you find...?" in many other related books and when I came across the I SPY series, I knew the author had a winner. We own a number of the I SPY books today and they have become our favorites. It teaches patients and focuses her attention on looking for the little details in life. I will admit that I still use my phrase "Can you find?" to this day. Easy to read series. Highly recommended to 3 years old.

Nice, but not what expected
Since I'm restricted to ordering my books online, I'm unable to peek inside to check out the pages.

The alphabet is great with a picture scheme on each of the letters that represent the first letter of the word. It's not difficult to find the letters as they place about 3 large letters on a page with anywhere between 4-7 small pictures around..all on a white background. The inside pages are nothing like the cover.

The numbers and alphabet books might be better for a child up to age 1 (at least in the case for my child).

I bought this for my child's 2nd birthday hoping she'd have to search and find the letters of the alphabet to make it a little more interesting for her. It's still a nice alphabet book for practicing, but not so much for searching.

I found the numbers book to be more interesting since it offered more objects on the page that is more similar to the typical 'I Spy' series. The numbers are still clearly visible, so still not much searching. I'll have to order the older children's I Spy books since young children are more intriqued with complexity than with simple unchallenging pictures.

I SPY LITTLE LETTERS
I have worked with children as a pediatric nurse for 31 years and have spent a great deal of time reading children's storybooks to the children under my care. I purchased "I SPY LITTLE LETTERS" for my 29 month old grandchild. There is no better way to give a young child a sense of pride than by asking them to find objects on the page of a book. I am a believer in the "I SPY" concept so we proceeded to read the book together. What a delightful book! It is colorful, cheerful and fun too. The pages will keep a child busy for a while for there is a lot to do. Colorful letters and easily identifiable objects and figures are to be found on every page. The book challenges a child to observe, find and verbally express their discoveries. What a sense of accomplishment it is for a child to be able to discover things. I highly recommend this little board book for toddlers. It is a terrific early introduction to reading. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (6)

Great for ALL kids
Use this book (alone or in conjunction with a book like "Baby Signs") to communicate with your baby long before they can speak. We started signing when my son was 8 mos old. He learned the signs very quickly and being able to make us understood what he wanted eliminated temper tantrums almost immediately - until he was 2 that is! When he started to talk, he continued signing for a while but then stopped using them on his own. I HIGHLY recommend signing with ALL babies - regardless of whether or not they have developmental issues.

Very good
Cheerful picture with illustrations. Highly recommended. My daughter love this book.

Excellent
I am trying to teach my developmentally challenged son sign language - as well as teach his grandparents and father. This book really helped all of them and kept his attention while we read it. It is simple and easy to understand. Just what we needed!

This one is a favorite at our house!
My two year old learned to sign these words quickly and enjoys reading this book over and over again. It has clear illustrations of signs and attractive pictures of common nouns and verbs in a young child's world.

Beautiful and simplistic, a great starter book
I have a toddler with speech disorder and use signs to agument communication. the easy to understand diagrams and simple description of how to make the sign was extremely useful to me. My son enjoyed the wonderful illustrations. I am using this book and its companion "More Simple Signs" to aid his teacher and classmates. Cindy Wheeler should be commended on her beautiful books. Only a parent of a "special" child understands how issues should be presented. These books are extremely useful ... Read more

Book Description

One of the oldest and best ways to teach kids languages, updated for the 21st century

Grownups have been using simple songs to teach young children the rudiments of languages since long before people danced sur le pont d'Avignon. Now the Let's Sing and Learn series, CD Editions brings that tried-and-true method up-to-date for today's modern kid. Each book/CD set contains collection of 20 original songs that combine catchy melodies with simple, cleverly-disguised lessoning vocabulary and expression.

Written by accomplished songwriter-linguists, the songs cover a variety of subjects, including greetings, colors, counting, the alphabet, the days of the month, relationships, and more. And most importantly, the songs are easy to learn and fun to sing, making them the perfect medium for introducing children, ages three to six, to the words, accents, and rhythms of other languages.

Each book/CD set includes:

• 20 original tunes covering an array of everyday subjects
• A CD recording of the songs that provides a model of proper pronunciation and rhythm
• Simple musical scores that parents and teachers can use to accompany young learners
• English translations for each song and suggested actions

Reviews (4)

Easy to sing along!
I just love the CD to sing along with my baby. The quality of the CD is very good, the words are clearly spoken and repeated, and the melodies are fun and playful. I also liked having the book to follow along and make sure I have understood the words. I highly recommend this book/CD for those who want to make it fun for their baby to begin to learn the melody and words of a new language.

Great for classroom use!
I have used this book and cassette of Spanish songs in elementary classrooms to supplement our learning of Spanish. I have also recommended it to the teachers I work with during in-service sessions. The songs reinforce the material covered in the classroom: days of the week, parts of the body,colors, saying your name, sounds of the vowels and much more. The tunes are catchy and easy to learn. You find yourself humming them all day long which of course means you're menatlly "practicing" Spanish too! I appreciate this book so much I have recommended it in the reading list of my own book, "Say It in Spanish! Language and Activities for the Elementary Classroom."

FUN, BUT NOT TOO INFORMATIVE OR INSTRUCTIONAL
I PURCHASED THIS BOOK/CASSETTE IN THE HOPES THAT MY SON WOULD LEARN SPANISH (OR A BIT OF SPANISH AT LEAST) WHILE HAVING FUN SINGING THE MUSIC. HE NOW KNOWS THE WORDS TO ALL OF THE SONGS IN SPANISH, BUT HE HAS NOT A CLUE TO WHAT HE IS SINGING. IT IS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED. THERE IS NO INSTRUCTION OR TRANSLATION. I WOULD ONLY RECOMMEND IT TO SOMEONE WHO WAS LOOKING FOR A SPANISH CHILDRENS CASSETTE, NOT TO ONE WHO IS LOOKING TO LEARN SOME OF THE LANGUAGE.

This book & cassete set is fun, easy and imminently helpful!
I purchased the book and cassette set when I was trying to teach myself spanish. I was 16 at the time, and though the songs on the tape are definitely geared toward younger kids, the music is very catchy, and 7 years later I can still sing those songs. (To be honest, when I had Spanish tests in High School, I could sing the songs in my head and remember what I needed to know!) In addition to sentence structure, the set teaches a vocabulary including colors, animals, verbs, numbers, clothing, and more. I *strongly* recommend this book and cassette to anyone learning, refreshing, or teaching spanish. I found it to be an invaluable tool. ... Read more