Reviews (2)

Good Book for Teaching French to Young Children
Generally a good way to teach very young children French, although I'm not really crazy about the storyline. In the story, each animal is unhappy with its various attributes and wants other ones, i.e. my nose is too long, I want a shorter one, etc - not exactly the kind of message I'd want my toddler to absorb.

Having said that, the illustrations are wonderful and the quality of the hardback book ............. is just great.

Although there is a glossary and pronunciation guide, I would not recommend this book to a parent who does not have a rudimentary knowledge of French.

A great book to teach some basic Spanish vocabulary
As a Spanish teacher in an elementary school, I use this book to help teach describing words. The children love how the elephant and giraffe make silly changes to their appearance; it holds their interest in the story and helps them learn the material. At the end of the story they clearly recognize the lesson: you don't need to change who you are because friends like you just the way you are! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Mostly American songs, with a lot of English, not Russian
My husband, who is Russian, reports that the songs on this are not traditional Russian, to his knowledge, and don't even sound like they might be Russian songs. Many of them are obviously American -- "America the Beautiful" -- and there is a lot of English singing taking up the tape, rather then repeating the Russian verse two or three more times. The Russian itself is well spoken, but for learning traditional Russian children's songs, this is not a good tape.

A must for adopted children
As an adoptive parent and the founder of Building Blocks Adoption Service, Inc. I highly recommend this tape for your adopted child. We adopted our daughter from Russia and she is so into learning her culture and very proud to be able to sing Russian songs. I highly recommend enhancing your child's culture by buying this tape.

Fun Russian Songs
This book & tape uses traditional Russian songs, in addition to songs my daughter all ready knew in English, which she now knows in Russian as well! I was skeptical at first, but now I think it's a great teaching method.

LOVE IT!
My husband, Jim, and I adopted a little 3 year old boy, Steven, from Russia last year. Of course, being three, he spoke Russian as his native language. He had never even heard English until he met us. Now, eight months later, he speaks fluent English. However, I did not want him to lose his Russian speaking skills. As Jim and I only speak a few Russian parenting phrases, we could not really build on his skills.

My sister discovered Teach Me Russian and bought if for us. I put it in the stereo for Steven to hear. I was concerned as it started playing as he sometimes gets tense when he hears people speaking in Russian. But my concerns were needless. He looked up at me and had the biggest grin on his face. He said, "I like this one Mama!"

We often play classical or relaxing music for him as he settles in bed after his bath and reading time. Now when Jim goes to start the stereo he says, "Papa, can I hear the FUNNY one" (Meaning the Russian one)....After a couple of days, I said, "Steven, it's not FUNNY, it's Russian". So now he says, Papa, can I hear the Russian one"....I thought he understood that Russian was another language until the other day when he was watching a cartoon and I said, "That's FUNNY!" He looked up at me and said, "That's not FUNNY Mama, that's RUSSIAN!" I cracked up. I guess he's too young to understand we speak many languages on this Earth, but he's not too young to know he loves your tapes.

While I understand the primary use for your tapes is to teach children other languages, I think it is a wonderful comforting tool for internationally adopted children. International adotption is a humanitarian cause which is helping children all over the world. As Americans in a land of pleanty we have so much to share. So much love, opportunity, and good will to give. ... Read more

Book Description

Count your way through this rollicking adventure in the Southwest. Learn the numbers in English and Spanish from one to ten, plus other words you need to know to be a good cowboy or cowgirl. With armadillos, roadrunners, tumbleweeds, snakes, and coyotes on the loose, it all adds up to great fun! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

a new twist on a counting book
We've really enjoyed this unique counting book.It's very simple and fun.We read it to our three year old and it holds his interest due to the vivid pictures of cowboys & cowgirls, horses, cattle, lassos, snakes, etc.It has the counting in Spanish and English on each page, i.e.una luna or one moon.Then, following the section on counting (one page for each number), it uses repetition to expand on the counting while creating a short, easy to understand storyline.I like that it's bilingual, easy, nice illustrations, and represents the "cowboy" life with both cowboys and cowgirls. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

If I Lived In Spain
I bought this book while my family and I lived in spain.It is great the way it gives a simple introduction to the Spanish language and customs.It also made great gifts to send back to the states for friends with smallchildren. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great book
This is a great book, great pictures, great for object recognition. The only drawback is that the pronunciation guide is at the back of the book. So for each word you have to look through the list of words till you find the word and it's pronunciation. It would have been better if they had done it like they did in, I believe the Russian book, where they put the pronunciation under the word.

An outstanding resource, even for adults!
Do you want to learn Italian? If you want to begin to master this beautiful language, then I suggest that you acquire this fun approach. This book is for kids, but anyone who is studying a new language needs graphics to see what the words are. This book is a perfect way to visualize Italian nouns ( persons, places, or things) in the home (kitchen,bathroom, bedroom living room stairs, etc.) in the yard, in the workshop and garage, on the street ( anything you can think of), in the toy store (OH, no!), in the park, at the zoo, at the airport, in the country, on the farm, at the ocean, in school ( a scuola) in the hospital ( il gesso e le grucce ), at a party (la festa), in the grocery store ( il negozio ), food to put on the table, parts of the body, clothes, occupations, family members (zio ?) then action words, opposites, story characters, pet favorites, weather ( il tempo ), seasons (le stagioni), sports ( il calcio), colors (verde e bianco), shapes and numbers, the circus, and an amusement park. This book also teaches the masculilne, feminine, plural, and singular form of nouns, aids pronunciation, and has a large list of other useful words. In addition, the picture words are indexed in the back of the book with a pronunciation guide for each book. A must for your Italian language library!

excellent guide for children to learn another language!
My daughter enjoys learning italian through this book! It is very colorful, funny and interactive. This is a great guide for my 2 year old daughter who is learning three languages.I also bought one for my niece and she is 5! Highly recommended.

Motivates interest in children.
This book is bright and cheerful. It is loaded with pictures to capture the attention of the young person interested in Italian language. It's a fun book for the entire family. Full of photographs labeled in Italian and with a glossary that gives the English word, Italian word AND Italian pronunciation. For a children's book we were impressed with the details and tips on pronunciation. Our friend who speaks fluent Italian was so impressed, she purchased it for her American-born children. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

To help you understand you kids!
My husband is Russian and my kids understand and speak Russian, This tape and book helped me learn to pick out words when I hear them in a conversation. Now my in-laws have conversations and I answer them in English.

Also my daughter loves singing the songs.

Russian for the younger set
I thought this was a very cute introduction to Russian. The tape is a great idea because you can tell if you are pronouncing words and phrases correctly. It could have been improved by using traditional Russian songs instead of translated American songs. Also--I could live without the guy oversinging the songs in English. All in all, a very good way to support your child's interest in Russian language. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Moon Rope
Being Peruvian myself, a primary teacher, and knowing many of the legends, this book is a great teaching tool. The illustrations are take from actual textiles from Peru and are just breath taking. The moral of the story is one the children will understand easily. This can be taught in a variety of ways : moon, culture, country study, and more. This is a wonderful book that I strongly recommend. ... Read more

Book Description

This colorfully illustrated picture book charmingly explores the joys and benefits of bilingualism. Capturing the beauty and flavor of biculturalism, this story of a little girl at the crossroads of the English and Spanish-speaking worlds will delight children of all backgrounds who enjoy multicultural identities. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Clearly, the best side-by-side children's bookLATimes 1/98
"Los Angeles Times 1/1/98 Bookshelf for young readers by Kevin Baxter Clearly, the best side-by-side children's book I've run across is Ofelia Dumas Lachtman's Pepita Talks Twice. Beautifully illustrated, the story shows how bilingual skills allow children to move seamlessly from one culture to another, experiencing the best of both as they go ... Read more

Book Description

Trans. by Carlos Rivera. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great book for spanish students!
I am a Spanish teacher and use "Eres tú mi mamá because the book is a great review for the preterite, imperfect and future. I have lessons designed for the verb grammar and my students really have fun reading a childhood story in Spanish that is so familiar to them in English. So if you want a fun way to review the past verb tenses and the future use this book and its video.

A Classic , Must read aloud book for Pre-K children.
This is a particularly excellent book for young children just beginning school (Pre-K). It's a must "read aloud" book which all children love. Children easily relate to "loosing their mother" and crying with the baby bird "Where is my mother". There's lots of repetition which children need at this age and they enjoy repeating the phrases...the cat is not his mother, the dog is not his mother etc. It has all the necessary elements of a quality picture book...childrens' interests, repetition of key phrases, large interesting pictures and emotional content. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Bossy Gallito/El Gallo de Bodas
This is a wonderful children's book. It is a classic Latin American folktale. It was fun to travel with the Bossy Gallito to his uncle's wedding. Along the way, of course, he runs into some trouble and, well, you just have to read the rest! Although this classic cummulative story was familiar to my students, its illustrations captivated my second-grader's attention. We absolutely enjoyed this book! Another plus is that the book is bilingual. What more could you ask for? (For a comparison, try the same title written by Alma Flor Ada.) ... Read more

Book Description

The world of opposites comes alive with vivid illustrations featuring all kinds of delightfully animated creatures. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Entertaining education in concepts and language
My several grandchildren have enjoyed this book as I bring it along on my visits. The size and construction are great for their small hands and the bright colors and animation make the learning process fun and appealing. It seems that most children today know at least one Spanish-speaking family and this is a great tool for bringing better understanding of two languages.

Great teaching tool
This book is filled with fun and colorful illustrations and keeps the information simple for little kids. I would recommend it to anyone trying to teach little kids about opposites or learn simple words in english and spanish. ... Read more

Book Description

What do children want to be when they grow up? Here’s a great way to introduce them to different kinds of jobs they might see around their own neighborhoods. This fun learning book in English and Spanish depicts people engaged in a wide variety of useful occupations and tells the reader what each person does. The colorful and lively illustrations are especially appealing to children. A complete pronunciation guide is included in the back of the book for quick and easy reference. Inspire children with the possibilities of the workaday world! ... Read more

Book Description

Katie is a young American girl living in present-day Tokyo.One day, as she walks her dog, she meets Keiko, a young Japanese girl, and her brother Kenji.Together they explore the city and its surroundings as they teach each other the customs of their respective countries.Whether dining on soba (spaghetti), studying kana (the alphabet), or dancing at the Obon festival, the Tokyo friends discover just how much their two culture differ - and how much they are alike.

Vibrantly illustrated by the author, Tokyo Friends introduces young readers to Japanese traditions, customs, and the Languageuage by means of helpful English-Japanese glosses, which augment the delightful and lively narrative.Valuable as a beginner's guide to Japanese Languageuage and culture, Tokyo Friends is also an enchanting adventure for young readers. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Great Book
I am a Japanese Chinese American. (Yes, we speak all three languages at home.) I like this book because
(1) it introduces people to Japanese traditions, customs, and the simple Japanese language (by English-Japanese glosses.)
(2) the drawings are excellent. They catch young readers' attention.

My mother, who is 100% Japanese, finds that some of the traditions and customs described in this book are in greater details. She says she doesn't even know some of the information listed. She still finds the book interesting, although she wouldn't recommand it to beginner readers (whom she recommands to get "1st Thousand Words Japanese" and "Let's Learn Japanese Picture Dictionary")

Great Children's book
I am not related to the author and I love this book. I am an expat living in Tokyo and have bought several copies as gifts for my children's friends back home in the States. It gives a nice comparision of typical American living and Japanese living through the eyes of childhood friends. It is a great way to show that although there are cultural difference, we are all friends. The illustrations are wonderful giving both the Japanese and English words for the items in the pictures. Simplistic, but cute.

Cute, funny, & beautifully illustrated!!
My name is Jennifer Reynolds, and I am the author's niece. Actually, the redheaded Katie character is based on me as a child! }:) This book is an EXCELLENT children's guide to Japanese culture...I know because I was there myself! This is a definite must-have for any young child who is either visiting or learning about Japan. The book is gorgeously illustrated w/ watercolour by my aunt, and is humourously written. This book is constantly sold out in Japan, so you'd better buy it here rite now! };) ... Read more

Book Description

The earlier children learn good oral health habits the better.The trouble is finding a way to keep them interested and excited about fighting germs they cannot even see.In Those Icky Sticky Smelly Cavity-Causing but...Invisible Germs, seven-year-old Sal knows that in a typical day, icky, sticky germs can get all over his teeth during breakfast, after lunch and before he goes to bed.But by brushing his teeth and visiting his dentist regularly, Sal can help get rid of the germs that cause cavities and tooth decay.

Those Icky Sticky Smelly Cavity-Causing But...Invisible Germs was designed to encourage the formation of good tooth brushing habits by using this delightful book with young children.Imaginative and fun, this resource was designed to show kids, through playful and colorful illustrations, the germs that cause cavities and how important tooth brushing is to good dental health.It is bilingual in both English and Spanish and makes a great accompaniment to the hand washing book, Those Mean Nasty Dirty Downright Disgusting but...Invisible Germs. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Germs beware!
This is an excellent book for introducing kids as young as 3 to the concept of germs and the use of sanitary precautions. It's a wonderful pre-school teachers aid to bathroom ettiquete and a good tool for parents. The illustrations are wacky and colorful but the message is clear & direct. It's a must for all early ed teachers and a great gift to your local preschool ! Enjoy! ... Read more

Book Description

Over 50 fun songs, games and everyday activities to get started in French!

From taking a bath to going shopping, books in the Play and Learn Language series turn everyday routines into fun language-learning activities for parents and children. Packed with lively four-color illustrations, each package features:

• Fun songs, games, and activities
• Key word illustrations
• Engaging comic strips
• Sidebars with fun cultural information
• English translations for all activities

Packaged inside each book is an audio CD that includes all the songs, games, and expressions in the course.

Book Description

When he mother was worn out from caring for her five sisters, her father gave her lessons in brushwork and color. When polio kept her bedridden for nine months, drawing saved her from boredom.When a bus accident left her in unimaginable agony, her paintings expressed her pain and depression ­ and eventually, her joys and triumphs.Again and again, Frida Kahlo turned the challenges of her life into art. Now Jonah Winter and Ana Juan have drawn on both the art and the life to create an insightful, playful tribute to one of the twentieth century¹s most influential artists. This is the Spanish language version of this book. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

The Amazing Life of Frida Kahlo.....
"Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo was born in Mexico in 1907. This is the story of how she learned to paint, how painting saved her life, and why her paintings are like no one else's. Like Frida's art, it is a work of the imagination, but it is also true." So begins Jonah Winter's introductory, picture book biography. His simple, spare, poetic text brings this remarkable artist to life, and illuminates her lonely childhood, the polio that kept her bedridden for almost a year, and the almost fatal bus accident that left her crippled and in constant pain for the rest of her life. But through it all Frida's art kept her going. "Painting is like her imaginary friend. It is there whenever she wants it. It keeps her company. It keeps her from giving up hope." Ana Juan's bold and vibrant, Mexican folk-art style illustrations, rich in brilliant color and inhabited by expressive imaginary creatures and Kahlo-like touches, complement the text beautifully. Together word and art paint a vivid and inspiring portrait of a courageous and resilient artist with a unique style. "Her paintings are like nothing else. In museums, people still look at them and weep and sigh and smile. She turns her pain into something beautiful. It is like a miracle." Perfect for youngsters 6-10, Frida includes both Author's and Artist's notes at the end to explain and enhance the brief story. This is a fascinating and engaging biography that is sure to peak the interest and whet the appetite of art lovers young and old.

Wonderful
Since Salma Hayek's biopic "Frida" came out, there have been more and more Frida-holics surfacing. Jonah Winter seems to have been a Frida fan his whole life, and he's devoted a beautiful children's book to her. It gently tells the sad life story of Frida, although he leaves out the more grim details for the kids (in the afterword, he tells us Frida's horrific bus accident was "too nightmarish to describe here".). He also tried to use imagery that was very common to Mexican art at the time, images that would have been familiar to Frida herself. Ana Juan's illustrations are gorgeous. Such a pretty, wonderful book. I'm thrilled to see more and more kids picture books dedicated to teaching children about famous artists. This one's a keeper.

You Go Girl!
Frida is a tragic figure who despite horrific experiences becomes an inspiration and role model to artistic women all over the world. This story is a wonderful biography for girls to show thay can overcome obsticles and be what they want to be. The artwork is very colorful and creative. Susan Senn

LIfe of Frida Kahlo
Frida is a wonderful biographical picture book about the childhood of Frida Kahlo. It represents her tragic childhood and life in a very interesting way through pictures. The illustrations in this book were absolutely fabulous and truly added to the text in the story.

Long live Frida!
I was very surprised when I stumbled upon this book today - I had no idea there was a children's book about Frida. I'm so glad - children need to be exposed to different cultures and interesting people as much as possible. This book is beautiful - the words, and especially the art. The book explains Frida's hard life in a way that children can understand, and it gracefully leaves out those parts of her life that may not be suitable for young children. This book is a work of art - I'm so glad I found it! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Thumbs up!
I ordered this book for my 8 year old stepson and he loves it!Everytime I call he's ready to quiz me with Spanish Vocabulary! I ordered several other Spanish books at the same time but this is the one he really has madethe most use of.It is easy to read and makes learning fun with all theillustrations! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Quick italian for ambitious beginner
I think the book is great and valuable language quick start for the beginners. ... Read more

Book Description

Friendly teddy bears teach new words to very young children--and in two languages! Bilingual First Books give little boys and girls an early start in learning a foreign language at the same time that kids are learning their own language. Books are arranged as a series of brightly illustrated two-page spreads, each spread showing teddy bears engaged in an activity that kids will recognize immediately. A simple word that describes the activity is presented in English on the left-hand page and in French on the right-hand page. This attractive little volume is entirely bilingual, and will find a welcome place in homes where the children's parents' first language is English, or French. A word pronunciation guide appears on the last page. (Ages 2 and older) ... Read more