Phew! That's about all for my rusty Spanish as I have about 10 reviews that I'm trying to work on. I remember this book from my childhood. It reads pretty simply now, even in Spanish, but I can see the value of repetition when children are learning to read or learning another language. Prepositions and opposites are sprinkled throughout the story, adding another aspect of learning. And after all, what child could resist rainbow-coloured dogs, dogs driving cars, a party and the repeated silly question, "¿Te gusta mi sombrero? (Do you like my hat?)"
If anyone knows of some easy Spanish books, I'd really appreciate any recommendations. For some reason I'm struggling with coming up with any. It's very sad when you can think of more Latin books to read than Spanish ……
Hi, if you're looking for easy Spanish books, I'd say stick to children's literature!
ReplyDeleteYou had me thinking about the books I used to love when I was a little girl, and this was the first that came to mind. It's called El Secreto de la arboleda, and its author is Fernando Lalana, in case you're interested :-D.
I think that's a good idea. Your El Secreto de la Arboleda looks perfect; it's longer that an easy children's book, yet still simple. I've put one in my Amazon cart. Thanks for the recommendation, Marsar!
DeleteMany libraries have large collections of international books in a variety of languages, or will be willing to do an inter library loan for a specific book. When I was little, my mother got many Spanish translations of Classic children's literature for us to read, so I suggest trying that, as you can have the English version right next to it for comparison. Some to try that I remember loving: The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, and Are You My Mother by PD Eastman (this guy is awesome). I actually have never read these books in their original English - I think of them as Spanish books. They translate very well.
ReplyDeleteBut if you think of your favorite children's book, there is most likely a Spanish translation, so ask at your local library.
Good luck!
PS also, try the Muzzy cartoons. They are excellent! :)
Thanks for the recommendations, Sophia. I think I have both Ferdinand (I was going to read it in Latin too) and Are You My Mother?.
DeleteWe don't have as many Spanish books in Canada (more French) but there are some, so I will check it out.
I have a couple of "classic" French children's books which are a little longer reads (Le Petit Nicolas & Les Malheurs de Sophie), so I was hoping to find something similar in Spanish but I'm not really sure where to search.
Ah yes, Muzzy! Thanks for reminding me. I've heard that these cartoons are very good!
I'm sure I have commented already, but now I see my comment is not here :( So I'll write it again :)
ReplyDeleteFirst, congrats on finishing! When starting to learn Spanish, I also found highly repetitive children's books to be helpful! I chose some folk tales for this purpose, and they also worked really well! Silly stuff is also great - you'll never make a mistake in the "Te gusta" question, because you'll immediately remember the sombrero :)))
Yes, comments seem to get eaten up sometimes. :-)
DeleteThanks, Ekaterina. I'll check into some Spanish folktales.