Review | The Everything KIDS Learning Spanish Book 2nd Ed.

The Everything KIDS Learning Spanish Book 2nd ed, not to be confused with either the first edition--which has a different author, or the puzzle and activity book which is by a different author and is meant to serve a seperate purpose Is written to the motivated older child, somewhere between the 2nd and 5th grade, and would be best used by children old enough to either read the instructions and directions themselves or be able to follow along as a more experienced adult helped them through the material.

The book has a ton of vocabulary and provides a minimum of writing practice, so if you have a child who loves learning vocabulary and would enjoy a gentle and topical treatment of the basic grammar points. Because of the style of the book, I can't recommend it for young kids ages 1-5, but I can--and do--recommend it as a neat resource for parents! The book is small yet packs a real nice Spanish punch at just under 140 pages, the text includes 10 chapters covering a wide range of topics, some neat puzzles, 3 appendices, and the answers to the puzzles found throughout the text.

The chapters don't spend a lot of time on the usual fluff found in Spanish programs for children either, but don't take my word for it, you can pop over to Amazon and use their nifty "Look Inside" feature if you're curious. The book features approximately 1000 words, so even if you just wanted to use it as a source for everyday vocabulary and phrases then it would prove itself exceedingly helpful.

Ch01 The Basics
Ch02 Being Polite
Ch03 People
Ch04 Places and Things
Ch05 At Home
Ch06 School and Work
Ch07 Time and Dates
Ch08 Food and Drink
Ch09 Who Are You
Ch10 Just for Fun

Using this book in conjunction with a more accessible text could make for a very well rounded Spanish program for a child whose parents are non-speakers or even if Spanish is their 2nd language, but it would require a lot of extra work from mom and/or dad to make it reach its potential.

Cecilla I. Sojo's The Everything KIDS' Learning Spanish Book is a nice addition to an introductory Spanish program for a child who is comfortable working (with a little help) on a 2nd grade level and above, so it wouldn't be one of my "First Draft Picks" for an EL kid exactly, but with some clever adaptation and a healthy dose of creative effort on mom or dads part, this book can serve as a really helpful source and guide to enriching the Spanish you are already doing with your children at home or supplement the exposure that they are getting at school.