Flat Out Greatest Way to Learn Spanish, October 23, 2007
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Author “This is the P...” (Los Angeles, CA USA)

Feliz Navidad is a “Teach Me...” book designed to learn songs and traditions in Spanish. It includes a CD with music so a child can hear Spanish as well as see the written word. It is simply, flat-out the best way to learn Spanish I have found. With visuals. With auditory. With rhythm. Hooray for Anna Maria Mahoney and illustrator Barb Bjornson. I’ll be buying several copies for children I tutor and grandkids, too.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 6—The traditions of Mexico at Christmas are warmly presented through songs woven together by a personal narrative. Twelve familiar Christmas songs are sung in English and in Spanish, and nine Mexican Christmas tunes are sung in Spanish. To introduce each group of songs, a Spanish-speaking narrator relates short stories about Christmas customs based on his childhood in Mexico. The Christmas songs with familiar tunes but somewhat modern renditions are clearly sung by a children’s choir and two adults, with instrumental accompaniment.

The book includes English and Spanish lyrics for the familiar songs, Spanish lyrics only for the Mexican tunes, and narratives accompanied by warmly colored illustrations. Although the translations for the songs are not always literal, the clear diction of the narrator and singers makes this an enjoyable way to reinforce Spanish-language learning.

Teresa Wittmann, West-gate Elementary School, Edmonds, WA

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
All rights reserved.

Product Description: Learn the customs and traditions of Christmas in Mexico through a bilingual story while enjoying the season's favorite songs. This beautifully illustrated 32 page hardcover book comes with an audio CD, including the narration in Spanish and 20 songs to sing along and enjoy.

BACK