Book Review: Cinderlla / Cenicienta

Katie February 23, 2014 0 Comments

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. Cenicienta is another book from Happy Language Kids in which kids can learn Spanish by reading the story of Cinderella in both Spanish and English.  The book is illustrated with text bubbles written out in Spanish with the English captions written below.  Since I’ve been reading all these Happy Language Kids books and I have taken some Spanish classes (though 10+) years ago, I decided to try  and test my knowledge by covering up the captions and seeing if I could figure out what the speech bubbles said based on what I know and what it looked like was going on in the photos.  I think I got most of the key words but I’m not sure I’ll be able to hold my own in a conversation in Spanish anytime soon.  But I definitely think that I am learning!

This is a bit more basic and shorter version of the Cinderella tale than you may be used to, but I think this is just so that the words and phrases in Spanish are not too difficult for a child or someone just learning Spanish for the first time to understand.  The basic idea of the story is there – there is a ball, Cinderella needs to work, there is a fairy godmother, she loses her shoe, she marries the price.  That’s basically the story in a nutshell, right?

About the Book

This book is the THIRD in a series of bilingual books for children to either learn Spanish or English.

The book is accompanied by a website were the book is available in an
animated format as well as many games to practice the vocabulary.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Book Review: I Am #11 Walt Disney

Katie February 23, 2014 0 Comments

Scholastic has a new series of books called “I Am”.  #11 is dedicated to Walt Disney.  The book tells the story of Walt’s life and in an easy to read way as the series is geared towards kids.  It includes all sorts of information and photos as well as a list of all the people you’ll meet in the story and who they are right away. When the book ends there are a couple of top 10 things to know and top 10 cool things to know about Walt.

This is a quick and easy read, 130 pages. I am hoping to read some more from the series!

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

I am the creator of Mickey Mouse. I am Walt Disney.

As a child, I had a wild imagination and a great curiosity. As I grew up, I used those qualities to become a cartoonist. Eventually, I turned these drawings into films and began my own animation business. One of my characters, Mickey Mouse, became so popular that movie theaters sold out and I won an Academy Award. After pursuing a career as a film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, entrepreneur and entertainer, I added developer to my resume when I created Disneyland amusement park. I became tremendously successful and beloved by children of all ages because of my belief that even the impossible is possible. I am Walt Disney.

To this day, Walt Disney’s characters remain some of the most recognizable images in the world. With books, TV shows, films, and amusement parks devoted to his creations, the Walt Disney name lives on. Learn all about this remarkable man’s fascinating life in Scholastic’s biography series, I AM.