Reviews (3)

Good idea, bad execution
I am sad to say I cannot recommend this tape. The songs are adorable and the games are fun. Unfortunately, the quality of the recording is not good. The English parts spoken by the "announcer" were obviously recorded at a different time and are clear and easy to hear. In additon, when they speak Spanish in between the songs, it is clear and easy to hear. The Spanish songs themselves, however, are muffled. The songs must have been recorded in a different studio and are not of a good quality. It goes without saying that having clear, easy to hear recordings are crucial when attempting to learn another language.

The booklet that goes along with it is a good one at least. I am using it to follow along to the tape and my daughter and I play the games reading them from the book. We are having to depend on my husband's high school Spanish to get the pronunciations right since the tape is not much help.

I am giving three stars because the book is good, and the games and songs are rather fun for a young child. However, because of the technical problems, I do not recommend this product.

A little hard to follow...
If you are looking for a Spanish tape to entertain you, this would fit the bill. My son (5yo) found it difficult to follow. We enjoy listening to it, but find that identifying vocabulary words from the songs a little hard.

THE BEST CHILDREN'S SPANISH LEARNING TAPE
I AM A MOTHER OF FOUR AND WOULD LIKE FOR MY CHILDREN TO KNOW A FOREIGN LANGUAGE. WE ARE HAVING FUN LEARNING SPANISH. I HAVE PURCHASED SPANISH FOR CHILDREN (PASSPORT) AND LET'S SING AND LEARN IN SPANISH (NERAIDA SMITH) AND BOTH OF THESE ARE VERY GOOD BUT MY FAVORITE IS DRIVE-IN SPANISH. ON THIS TAPE THE NARRATOR ASKS THE CHILDREN TO LISTEN FOR SOMTHING IN EACH SONG SUCH AS WHAT SOUND DOES THE BELL MAKE IN THE SONG? (ANSWER TAN, TAN, TAN EN ESPANOL OR DING, DING, DONG IN ENGLISH)OR TRY AND PICK OUT THE SPANISH WORD FOR SATURDAY. (SABADO) THIS ENCOURAGES THE CHILDREN TO LISTEN BETTER AND THEN AT THE END OF EACH SONG THE NARRATOR DESCRIBES A FUN GAME TO PLAY AND ALL OF THEM CAN BE PLAYEDIN THE CAR. WE HAVE LEARNED A LOT AND CAR TRIPS ARE MUCH MORE FUN. ONE OF OUR FAVORITES IS "THE PIZZA SONG" IT ASKS IF YOU LIKE VARIOUS THINGS. "TE GUSTA?" I USE THIS A LOT AT THE GROCERY STORE. I'LL JUST SAY "TE GUSTA_______ ?" AND MY FIVE YEAR OLD WILL ANSWER SI OR NO. THIS IS A GREAT TAPE AT A GREAT PRICE. IT TEACHES GREETINGS, NUMBERS, DAYS OF THE WEEK, SEASONS, COLORS, CLOTHING, FAMILY MEMBERS, WEATHER, BODY PARTS AND MORE. WE LOVE IT! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

unique collaboration
Here Comes the Cat is an exciting collaboration between an American writer and a Russian illustrator. Both Frank Asch and Vladimir Vagin play their parts distinctively. The story is filled with suspense, exciting action, and a thought-provoking reversal. The mice characters, representing humans of many ethnicities, react to the news of an approaching cat. The words, found in text balloons, repeat the exclamation, "Here comes the cat!" Yet in every case, we find them in both English and Russian. Signs on stores, also in both languages, offer a wider variety of reading opportunities. The book introduces first-grade readers to the concept of translation. All the visual elements of the book, from the calligraphic text to the full-page illustrations, have a strong and authentic Russian style. The art is excellent.

"10-star" childrens' book in English and Russian!
A little Mouse, aloft in his balloon, sees an ominous shadow approaching the country of his people! Fleeing homeward, he cries warning to every Mouse he meets: "Here comes the Cat! Ciuda idyot Kot!" Soon the alarm is being passed from one to the other, until the entire Mouse population awaits in dread the arrival of the Cat. What will happen when Mice and Cat come face to face? Something quite unexpected! Significantly, this lovely little book is the creation of two authors, one American and the other Russian. After meeting in 1986 at a Soviet/American childrens' book symposium, they decided to collaborate on a tale with a message of harmonious coexistence. Vladimir Vagin's exquisite, highly-detailed, colorful paintings must be seen to be appreciated. And Frank Asch's story of fear and friendship will warm the hearts of adults and children lucky enough to read "Here Comes the Cat!" ... Read more

Book Description

Nancy Carlson’s reassuring picture book about getting ready for kindergarten is now available in a Spanish-English edition—and to a whole new audience of young children. The simple, comforting text and big, bright illustrations will ease first-day-of-school jitters and help make the early days of kindergarten exciting and fun. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Bad illustrations
I found this book to be trite and predictable.It could help children and parents to prepare for Kindergarten, but so could many other books that are better, such as the Miss Bindergarten books or The Night Before Kindergarten.I understand that young children need simple, colorful books, but the illustrations in Look Out Kindergarten just did not do it for me.I myself have little visual art ability, but feel I could have illustrated this book better.Being a librarian, I know that preschool age children need great illustrations to enhance their listening; this book was a large disappointment.

For Younger children
I bought this book for my almost five year old granddaughter who is about to enter kindergarten and found it to be below her comprehension and appreciation standards.Her younger sister who is 2 seemed to enjoy it.

Beginning Kindergarten
I am a Kindergarten Teacher and my students loved reading this book. It is a great way to introduce the school year. Parents this is also a great book to read to your little one as they begin school-it discuss first day ofschool jitters and excitement. Nancy Carlson does a wonderful job! ... Read more

Book Description

A range of popular DK titles now available in Spanish.

The colorful photographs and fun model characters in this first phrase book make learning Spanish both easy and enjoyable. A pronunciation guide for each word and a handy subject index make the book simple to use. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good variety and fun music
These songs are fun and interesting for all kinds of ages and levels of Spanish.The singing is clear and varied enough to keep it interesting.I noticed the music helping me learn more hidden details of Spanish such aswhere emphasis might be placed in a phrase, or how to express ideas morenaturally rather than in "book language".The illustrations inthe book are a little too like high school text books, but at least theyare clear.The Spanish used seems to me more Castilian rather than theMexican or Latin American one would run into here in the U.S., but is whatis usually taught here anyway.Even my two-and-a-half year old enjoyedthis thoroughly! ... Read more

Book Description

Ever since she can remember, Prietita has heard terrifying tales of la llorona — the legendary ghost woman who steals children at night. Against a background of vibrant folk paintings, Gloria Anzaldua reinterprets, in a bilingual format, one of the most famous Mexican legends. In this version, Prietita discovers that la llorona is not what she expects, but rather a compassionate woman who helps Prietita on her journey of self-discovery. “This tale provides a fascinating context in which to introduce and discuss folktales.” — School Library Journal ... Read more

Reviews (1)

At least the illustrations are good
The good news: it's a feminist version of the La Llorona story. The Bad news: it's BORING!! In order to make it more woman-friendly, the author took all the suspense and horror out of the story. The result is only slightly interesting. But, hey, at least the illustrations are good . . . ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Life Saver
We don't know if it is effective yet with learning Spanish, but this tape is the only thing that will calm my 10 month old daughter. We just traveled for 16 hours straight and for some reason, this tape helps to place her in an amiable mood. The songs are sung in both English and Spanish, switching between verses and sometimes between words. They are very catchy tunes and not annoying like some other children's songs we have had to listen to repeatedly. We own both the Spanish tapes, I and II as well as the two German tapes. We would recommend the Spanish tapes to anyone who would like their kids to be familiar with another language, as long as it is supplemented by other learning methods. The German tapes are another matter; they are sung out of key and not at all melodic. They will become annoying the second time you hear them and anyone with kids could tell you, you'll be listening to them more times than you would like to count. ... Read more

Book Description

It's bedtime for baby. This delightful little Spanish book explores the everyday world of babies in simple words and pictures.

Bilingual text throughout makes these Spanish and English books fun for baby and parent to read together, exploring simple language with each brightly colored spread. ... Read more

Book Description

Espanol Activo is a four-book series designed for use in middle school/junior high classes (5-8 grades). The series allows for a wide range of techniques normally used in teaching Spanish. Each book has 12 lessons, 4 review sections and a vocabulary list, with space for translation, at the back of each book.

The lessons integrate curricular content as Spanish is tied to the educational process of learners according to their age group. The texts stimulate student interest and are presented in varied forms through dialogues, letters, interviews, humorous stories, etc. The texts present situations drawn from day-to-day life.

The lessons present the following parts
* Comprendiendo el Texto (understanding the text): A text or dialogue with questions to verify reading comprehension.
* Practicando los Dilogos (practicing the dialogues): Oral practice in pairs, with set dialogues or dialogues to be completed by students. This practice is related to a text, a picture or a topic of general interest.
* Ampliando el Vocabulario (expanding vocabulary): Introduction of additional words, related to the lesson theme, through pictures, drawings and written exercises.
* Haciendo Cosas Prcticas (doing practical things): Written work that includes filling out forms, doing interviews and writing messages and letters.
* Construyendo la Gramtica (building up grammar): Structural content is presented in a way that leads the student through the process of deduction/building up of the grammar drawing from structures taken from the texts. Rules are fixed through written exercises.
* Leyendo (reading): Reading texts.
* Jugando (playing): Humorous texts, word hunts, crossword puzzles, all using the vocabulary or theme of the lesson.

All material in the student books is in Spanish. There is a space after each word in the vocabulary lists for the English translation to be written by the student. The cassettes and teachers' kits are exclusively in Spanish. The cassettes contain the lesson texts and reading texts (with the exception of the comics, which are not recorded). The teachers' kits are spiral-bound and have suggestions for written evaluation and testing with answer keys. They also contain an answer key for all exercises in the student books. ... Read more

Book Description

In English and in Spanish, Lynn Reiser presents the Central American companion book to her Cherry Pies and Lullabies. Again, four generations of mothers and daughters participate in family traditions-this time within a Costa Rican culture in which they share such things as tortilla making and flower gathering. Extraordinary folk-art painting by "Corazones Valientes," an organization of women artists in Costa Rica, accompany this universal and unforgettable story of family love. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Fun, Friendly, and Factual
Tired of boring and bland spanish tools? This book is bursting with vivid, whimsical, illustrations depicting everyday life with humor and clarity that will attract even beginning adult students. The apealing story type pictures not only define spanish words, but they also promote spanish interaction between reader and child or student with student. On "la cocina" page, a father washes dises amidst a swirling pandemonium of dropping dishes, spilt juice, and a todler with a pot on his head. A teacher or parent could easily springboard off of this illustration to begin to form whole sentences based on the action in the picture.

This intriguing book is sure to be a winner with you and children alike.

Wonderful for Toddlers
First Thousand Words in Spanish is an enjoyable book with playful, colorful illustrations. We are a bilingual household and so this is a great way to share Spanish with our child (2 1/2 yrs old) and have fun in the process. There are so many details in the pictures that you can read it over and over. This would be a great gift for a bilingual household for a child one and older.

Learning Spanish for a missions trip
This book really helped me work on my pronunciation and vocabulary for a mission trip I took to Mexico in early January. I plan on passing it on to my daughter as she gets older...

Not recommended as one's primary resource to learn Spanish
There are pictures with the corresponding Spanish definition but the literal English translation is not included. I find this to be a bit challenging for some of the items as there can be multiple English words referring to a single object and without the exact English translation you aren't sure. For example, there is a picture of a 3 drawer dresser defined as comoda. In English this could be nightstand, dresser, bureau... Also some of the pictures are difficult to distinguish. One page has a picture of a sheet and of a pillow and they look almost identical.

Usborne First 1000 Words in Spanish
As a second grade teacher who teaches Spanish to his students, this book was a big help as well as an excellent resource for the kids. It was an often used resource and invaluable when it came to helping the kids who were having a more difficult time learning the vocabulary and the simple conversation pieces. ... Read more

Book Description

This attractive paperback book-and-audiocassette combination is anew title in Barron's "I Can Read" series.They introduce a second language tochildren of pre-school and early school age. An appealing story comes with full- color illustrations on every page, accompanied by simple text in two languages.The tapes repeat the books' bilingual texts so kids can hear the actual soundsof spoken French and English. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Get Dressed Robbie
I am passionate that my children will begin foreign language develoment early. I have been spending 1/2 hour per week day having them do a French activity (cd rom, music, videos) for the past year. My 7-year-old is losing interest but became motivated when she was introduced to Get Dressed Robbie. She is easily able to read the English to her 2-year-old brother and is working on the French. My children are picking up vocabulary and grammar naturally through this books and others in the collection. I appreciate the pronunciation guide and the encouragement to parents to attempt to pronounce even if we may be off! ... Read more

Book Description

Avec des aquarelles de l'auteur ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Forever
I read this book in its portuguese version when I was stil living in Brazil (my home land); french, when I started learning it as well as spanish . Despite all "nuances" of each language the book keeps its majesty. Everytime I read it I think it was not written for children. In Le Petit Prince, St. Exupery made life wonderful, beyond comprehension.

A book of true beauty.
I do not read a lot of books. I have only read what was assigned to me throughout school and the occasional NY Times bestseller. A friend of mine gave me this book as a gift one day, she said I would enjoy it. She was right - I loved it. I didn't read it right away, but when I did I couldn't put it down. I am not an emotional person, or at least I never thought of myself as one, but this book made me look at myself and it broke my heart. I related with the character of the pilot and I felt as though the Little Prince was talking to me. The book helped me realize that I had forgotten a lot of things since childhood, like the meaning of friendship. The book also reminded me of what love really is. It made me realize what "grown-ups" really are, children who lost their innocence. The greatest thing about the book is that it is universal. It's message is simple: "love has no prejuducies, never dies and always forgives." It is a children's story but it is something all adults should read. There are few books that can do what this "children's story" can do. It will make you laugh, break your heart and make you think about what really is important in your life.

- Jeff

One of a Kind
This book is not for everybody; only for those with a great heart, a natural smile and soul.

ummm...i must be a moron
Someone please shoot me in the face, am i the only one who didn't enjoy this book. i read it last year in my 4th year honors french class, now up until the semester when we read this book, i had been a fairly good french student, i have family who live in provence, i visit them often and i had never made a B in french until the semester of junior year when we read "le petit prince" needless to say i made a C that semester. this was the dumbest thing i've ever laid eyes on...well besides a few girls i know. but who gives a merde about some little kid going from planet to planet asking a bunch of dumb questions, and be in love with a rose. im (upset), cause this made me totally lose intrest in french, and now that im a senior and in AP french...im not trying at all, this book is awful, maybe i should read it in english.......nah. oh well, c'est la vie

One of My Favorites!
When I first read this book when I was a senior in high school and read it for my French class, I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy this book. I'd heard so much about it. After reading it I can say that I love this book so much, no wonder Le Petit Prince is on some French currency! I've read this book in English and French, and I'd have to say that the French is sooo much better if you know French. It's not all that difficult to understand if you are at a beginning level. This is a great book and is worth every penny in both languages! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

It's OK, not great
I would recommend this set only because good Japanese learning tools for young children are so hard to find. The adult singers are not native speakers; if you buy this, tell your little listeners to concentrate on the way the native children singers pronounce words. The English 'translations' are merely the usual English lyrics; many words have been altered in the Japanese to fit the rhyme and rhythm. For example, the last line of 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' should be translated as "isn't it cute?" not "the lamb was sure to go."

Excellent
Familiar tunes and lovely singing (both in Japanese and English.)After we played this CD twice, my 2-year-old son has started to sing along and in Japanse.

His eyes lighted up when he first heard his favorite songs in a "new" language (Japanese is the 3rd languages my son is learning.We now have songs in all three languages!)

Music is a good way to get to know/learn a new language.It sort of take the fear away and get your all comfortable about learning new language.My family highly recommand "Teach Me Japanese (Paperback and Audio CD): A Musical Journey Through the Day" by Judy Mahoney.

Perfect for young children just learning English
They say it is best to teach children second languages as young as possible, and the best way to do that isn't necessarily to stumble through a foreign language ourselves.This is a fun, exciting way to get aquaintedwith Japanese, to open a new door in the young mind for the language. Mychildren, ages 6 and 3, love this tape, and are wearing it out.Within afew minutes they were picking up the lyrics in Japanese and relating themto English words too.Its fun for parents too.

This tape is designed for preschool - 1st grade only.
The songs are for preschool age children which my 5 year old daughter enjoyed, but the songbook does not have the English translation on the same page which makes it difficult to follow. My older children were notinterested in this tape at all.

Wonderfully fun and educational for infants to grade school
The tape has been enjoyed by both my infant and my second grader. Therepition in English and Japanese help older childern recognize and learnthe translations of familiar songs. The whole family enjoys it. ... Read more

Book Description

In this collection of Mexican dichos (proverbs), artists Ralfka Gonzalez and Ana Ruiz bring to life their favorite sayings from Mexico and the United States. These dichos celebrate life and culture, reminding young readers that “Donde hay gana, hay mana / Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” With vibrant color and folk art flavor, the festive paintings draw readers into a whimsical world where bumblebees play bongo drums and roosters sing all day. The cloth edition is an American Booksellers Kids’ Pick of the Lists and a National Parenting Publications Gold Medal Winner. “One might describe this book with the dicho, ‘Chiquito pero picoso.’ Small, but very hot.” — Children’s Book Review “Brilliantly hued...somewhere between a southwestern sensibility and the look of urban graffiti...” — Publishers Weekly ... Read more

Book Description

Learning a foreign language has never been this much fun! Just pull the sturdy tabs and change the words under the pictures from English to Spanish and back again to English! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A very interesting book
I am a spanish teacher and I strongly recommnend this book for beginners students (K-2nd grade). It is very interesting for the child to see the object in English and then pull the tab and find the word in spanish. The prononunciation guide is very helpful.

An introductory book to Spanish.
There are 5 locations (farm, store, park, town, and home) fromwhich 20 words are translated from English to Spanish by the pull of atab. I was disappointed that the basic words like colors or body parts were not chosen as part of the 100 words. On the left side of each page is a full picture of the location; on the right side is the 20 words with a picture of each directly above the written word. The individual pictures do not directly match the same object on the opposite page; often the object is flipped or is seen from a different angle. I did appreciate the back two pages which gave a summary of all the words listed, including the English word, the Spanish word, and the Spanish pronunciation. I also liked the sturdy tabs which seem like they will last a long time. ... Read more