Love 2 Learn.net

Resource Type:

Review:

What a great idea - simple Latin readers to introduce young children to the language. Big pictures are paired with large, clear print, just like an English easy-reader. This first book in the series is a simple picture book with very nicely drawn, realistic pen and ink illustrations. The format allows readers to intuitively figure out what some basic words mean by connecting them with the pictures. The text introduces 13 types of animals, offering each Latin word in the singular and plural. The reader is also exposed to the Roman numerals from I-XII, and C as well as the Latin names for the same numbers. Just the last few pages introduce a few more words, including some relevant adjectives. The book wraps up with a complete translation, glossary and notes in the back.

This is a really nice beginning book for young children - particularly those whose older siblings are studying the language. Highly recommended!

Additional notes:

Donated for review by Bolchazy-Carducci

Reviewed by:

First reviewed:

8-2-04

What Color Is It?/Quo colore est?

Author(s):

Marie Carducci Bolchazy

Illustrator(s):

Yana Igorevna Myaskovskaya

Translator(s):

Mardah B C Weinfield

Number of pages:

60 pages

2003

ISBN:

9780865165397

Publisher:

Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers

Binding:

Softcover

Subject(s):

Resource Type:

Review:

This title offers charming, child-friendly pen-and-ink illustrations to introduce the colors (in Latin) to young children. The text is quite a bit more complex than How Many Animals? Quot Animalia?, but would provide a good opportunity for young Latin scholars to practice their pronunciation by reading the book aloud to a younger sibling. Since the topic is "colors", I think this book will be best enjoyed if an artist in the family colors in the illustrations first. Translations and glossary are in the back.

Additional notes:

Donated for review by Bolchazy-Carducci

Reviewed by:

First reviewed:

8-2-04

What Will I Eat?/Quid Edam?

Author(s):

Marie Carducci Bolchazy

Illustrator(s):

Michelle Kathryn Fraczak

Number of pages:

60 pages

2002

ISBN:

9780865165427

Publisher:

Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers

Binding:

Softcover

Subject(s):

Resource Type:

Picture Books

Review:

Lots of silly black-and-white pictures (which will likely appeal to certain funny-bones) and simple text introduce readers to the Latin words for many types of food. You'll find a monster eating pizza, a cow suggesting pork instead of beef, a hot dog enjoying a soda and... lots of good Latin content. Not my favorite book in this series, but perhaps not a bad way to introduce young children to some relevant Latin vocabulary. Young readers will probably not be ready to translate all the sentences on their own, but they can learn to recognize basic words and get a feel for the sound of the language.

Additional notes:

Donated for review by Bolchazy-Carducci

Reviewed by:

First reviewed:

8-2-04

Who Loves Me? / Quis me amat?

Author(s):

Marie Carducci Bolchazy

Illustrator(s):

Michelle Kathryn Fraczek

Number of pages:

60 pages

2003

ISBN:

9780865165410

Publisher:

Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers

Binding:

Softcover

Subject(s):

Vocabulary

Resource Type:

Review:

This book introduces names of family members - mother, father, sister, brother, grandfather, grandmother, fraternal and paternal aunt and uncle, cousins and God - through the eyes of a baby. I liked how small details on some of the pictures - like the words on a T-shirt - are written in Latin (and the translations are included in the back along with the rest of the text). The text is charming, but these pictures are a bit on the "goofy" side (very cartoon like and some weird proportions). For me, the pictures detracted somewhat from the text (although I admit to being a person who is rather fussy about illustrations - particularly in children's books). Also, there is a slight editing problem on pages 13-14 where the illustrations of the paternal and fraternal aunts are mixed up.

Additional notes:

Donated for review by Bolchazy-Carducci

Reviewed by:

First reviewed:

8-2-04

Gettysburg

Author(s):

MacKinlay Kantor

Number of pages:

189 pages

1952

Publisher:

Random House

Binding:

Softcover

Subject(s):

Setting:

Grade / Age level:

Review:

The Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (July 1 - 3, 1863) is a complex, multi-faceted piece of history that would be difficult to understand after reading just one book. If you ever find yourself in the South-Central Pennsylvania, I would recommend a visit. I've been there twice and it's very a moving, historically interesting site.

This book offers a glimpse into a number of aspects of the human side of the war. The author met with a number of Civil War veterans personally, and so the accounts contained within the book are very human and anecdotal. He tries to give us a sense of the flavor of life in that time period; the way people thought about each other - particularly those on opposite sides of the Potomac River.

Like many Landmark books, this probably isn't the first place you want to turn to in studying about Gettysburg - and this one isn't quite as cohesive as I would like. I think it would be most interesting and accessible to upper grade schoolers who had already become familiar with events in a general way from a textbook or from a visit to the battlefield. My 11 year old daughter tackled this independently this past year in the midst of other books on the civil war, bits and pieces of Ken Burns' Civil War Documentary and enjoyed and benefited from it.

Reviewed by:

First reviewed:

12-29-04

The Swamp Fox of the Revolution

Author(s):

Stewart Holbrook

Number of pages:

180 pages

1959

Publisher:

Random House

Binding:

Sewn Hardcover

Subject(s):

Biographies

Setting:

American Revolution Era

Grade / Age level:

Grades 6-8

Review:

Back in print! This interesting and entertaining story is a biography of Revolutionary War General Francis Marion and his significant but oft-forgotten role in winning our independence. Marion is a very interesting character I should have learned about in my history classes in grade school! He fought the British against what seemed like impossible odds (in the Southern Colonies) and ended up playing a very significant role in winning the British surrender. His courage and mercy (he allows his prisoners go free if they promise not to rejoin the other side) are admirable.

Additional notes:

A Landmark book with complete index

Reviewed by:

First reviewed:

1998-99

Language of God for Little Folks (Level D)

Author(s):

Nancy Nicholson

Number of pages:

139 pages

2005

Publisher:

Catholic Heritage Curriculum

Binding:

Spiralbound

Sample Pages

Subject(s):

Grade / Age level:

Resource Type:

Review:

Designed for 4th or 5th grade, this level of the popular Catholic grammar curriculum is another winner! The book has been improved from the earliest editions of the lower levels by using a high-quality, bright-white, erasable paper with a lay-flat spiral binding. The 120 exercises in the worktext provide four short lessons per week for thirty weeks, including regular review of concepts already taught on lessons titled "Practice". There are no tests, although the "Practice" pages could be used as tests. The examples and exercises are gently Catholic, using bits of Catholic history, explanations of Catholic customs, and illustrations from daily family life as the sentences upon which the students practice. Pictures are simple black-and-white drawings and sketches and add to the simplicity of the book. It is very refreshing to use a text that is not filled with politically correct rhetoric and visually overwhelming photos and diagrams!

This level reviews grammar topics covered in earlier grades and extends these topics with grade-level information. A study of the parts of speech and their usage comprises the majority of the lessons. An introduction to traditional sentence diagramming (7 lessons) and sentence construction is also included (about 10 lessons). The exercises require very little actual pen-and-paper work and are ideal for a child who struggles with the physical act of writing. To practice a child's handwriting and to improve his retention, I have my children copy some of the daily practice sentences into their grammar notebooks, rather than just filling-in-the-blanks. For a student of this age, this text is not a complete language arts curriculum; you will also need regular composition exercises.

Perspective:

Catholic

Additional notes:

Copyrights 2001/2005

Reviewed by:

Susan Kalis

First reviewed:

1998-99

Language of God Level E

Author(s):

Christine Schintgen

Number of pages:

170 pages

2008

Publisher:

Catholic Heritage Curricula

Binding:

Spiralbound

Subject(s):

Grammar

Grade / Age level:

sixth grade

Resource Type:

Workbook

Review:

We love CHC English workbooks, this one is no exception. From details such as being spiralbound and nice, white paper, an uncluttered layout, to the pictures and Catholic content, these books offer a superior choice! This is the first middle school level of the series and the first no longer written by Nancy Nicholson but by Christine Schintgen, an English college professor, who happens to be the grandaughter of Hilda Van Stockum! This level has a part dedicated to writing skills that is taken more in-depth than previous levels: paragraph format, the Writing Process, pre-writing, drafting, transitions, editing, proofreading, five-paragraph essay, thesis statement, etc As with the rest of the series, the book has the right amount of information and exercises--we do a page or two a day in our homeschool. The Catholic content makes this book a wondeful choice for Catholic families!

Perspective:

Catholic

Reviewed by:

Ana Braga-Henebry

First reviewed:

9-12-2009

The Big Dipper

Author(s):

Franklyn M. Branley

Illustrator(s):

Molly Coxe

Number of pages:

32 pages

1991

ISBN:

9780060205119

Publisher:

Harper Collins

Binding:

Softcover

Subject(s):

Astronomy

Grade / Age level:

Preschool

Kindergarten

Review:

A very simple science book for children with cartoon-like pictures (nice cartoon, not cheezy-cartoon) that introduces some basic concepts about the stars. The very simple story line discusses looking at the night sky, that you see different stars in the summer and winter, where the big dipper got it's name, the names of the stars that make up the big dipper, how people can find direction from the North Star and the traditional constellation Ursa Major that the Big Dipper belongs to. The language is very simple, but not at all dumbed down - especially appropriate for preschool.

Additional notes:

Copyrights 1962/1991

Reviewed by:

First reviewed:

1-29-01

The Moon Seems to Change

Author(s):

Franklyn M. Branley

Illustrator(s):

Barbara Emberley

Ed Emberley

Number of pages:

32 pages

2015

ISBN:

9780062382061

Publisher:

Harper Collins

Binding:

Softcover

Subject(s):

Astronomy

Grade / Age level:

Grades K-2

Review:

This book, through simple illustrations and very readable text, gives young children (approximately Kindergarten thru third grade) an excellent explanation of the moon and the changes we can easily observe in it during a month. What often seem like complex concepts - the phases of the moon and its movement relative to the earth - are made very understandable through the text and a very simple experiment involving an orange stuck onto a pencil (a styrofoam ball stuck onto a chopstick worked quite well for us with less mess) and a flashlight. Naturally, it's recommended to do some real observations along with the book.

Additional notes:

Many editions, 1960 onwards.

Reviewed by: