Bookworm Cafe: *Review* ¡HOLA! Let's Learn Spanish by Judy Martialay

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Review ¡HOLA! Let's Learn Spanish by Judy Martialay

Synopsis:

¡HOLA! gives children 6-10 an early and fun start in learning Spanish. Parents can use it with their children, whether or not they know Spanish. Go to website http://www.polyglotkidz.com and download the audio. Follow the book along with the audio to learn the pronunciation. Kids take an imaginary trip to Mexico where they meet Panchito the Mexican Jumping Bean. They follow his adventures while being drawn into the culture and learning Spanish. Activities follow to practice Spanish. They include a treasure hunt and a skit. Culture Corner give more ideas for practicing Spanish while learning more about Mexico, including the song for breaking a piñata. Children can follow directions for making a traditional Mexican Mask. Parents should go to Parents' page on website for more advice on how to use the book.

My Review:

4 out of 5 stars

Hola, Let's Learn Spanish is a great resource for anyone who would like to learn some beginner/basic Spanish. This book is geared towards ages 5 through 10. Since my sons are older (11 and 9), the story was a little "baby-ish" for them, but they still enjoyed the book and following the story of Panchito, the mexican jumping bean. They haven't had any Spanish lessons at all, so they learned a lot of new words and phrases by reading this book.

I have taken Spanish classes before, so I was able to help my sons with the pronunciation of these words. However, if you are unsure on how to pronounce the Spanish words in this book, you can visit the website listed above in the synopsis and go to the 'audio' tab to download an audio version of the book. The website is full of a lot of useful information.

The inside of the book is fun and colorful and uses repetition to help learn the Spanish vocabulary. After Panchito's story there are sections that list Spanish words and phrases that you will use in everyday life. There is also a section talking about culture that my sons really enjoyed reading.