Heather Amery

Wonderful resource. Lots of vocabulary, of course, but clearly organized around specific day-to-day scenes. These words are functional, useful, and clear. I liked that the book included not just nouns, but also verbs and adjectives. I like that the words were listed alphabetically in the back. I especially like that the pronunciation guides, which are by nature imprecise, were relegated to the back of the book where they belong, and not kept in the main section where they could be distracting and misleading. My only criticism is that some words were given only in plural form. I would have liked to see the singular as well. I think children might like this book, and I certainly think they could learn a lot from it. The pictures are interesting and relevant to children, and the pictures build on each other very well. That is, the later images in the book incorporate items featured in earlier vocabulary sections, giving a very natural way for children to review as they go. The ducks to look for in each picture make the reading experience into a hide-and-seek game. Charming.… (more)