A joy. These simple stories are excellent for students of French, or for anyone looking to improve French vocabulary and confidence. The writing styleA joy. These simple stories are excellent for students of French, or for anyone looking to improve French vocabulary and confidence. The writing style may not be the most elegant—I think most of the stories are told in present tense only, for example—but the tales are straightforward and far more interesting than the plots of many other easy readers. Since most of my French reading happens via print books, I was happy for the chance to listen to this in an audio format. It gave me a chance to practice my understanding of spoken French. The stories were fun, and each was followed by a list of vocabulary and an English translation of the story. I was grateful very much for that, as it allowed me to check my understanding and fill in some holes. On a few of the tales, I re-read the French afterward, and I found I got even more out of it the second time.
I knew this book would be special right from the introduction. Many foreign language books start with something along the lines of "Thank you for buying this book. Foreign languages can enrich your life." This book, however, had a much friendlier attitude, more like, "Wow, you can do it, and I'm here to help. We'll have so much fun!" (Note: This is NOT a quote from the book. It's just my take on the author's tone at the beginning.) Reading this book was like having a friend by my side to help me with the tough bits. The reader was clearly a French native speaker, and strange as it may seem, I was grateful for his French accent when he read the English bits. It reminded me that both of them (the author and the reader) had been through all the rigors of learning a second language. Even though the narrator still had a French accent, he was completely intelligible and had an excellent command of the English language; it was a welcome reminder that one doesn't have to be perfect to be understood. ...more
This short book was not at all what I expected. I thought I’d be reading a book that taught German, either with grammar rules, vocabulary, or helpful This short book was not at all what I expected. I thought I’d be reading a book that taught German, either with grammar rules, vocabulary, or helpful hints for English-speakers. Instead, this book is more of a guide to how to study German. For example, it gives advice on how to connect online with native speakers. This book includes some history and culture information about Germany, but there is no (or very little) specific language information to be had. It’s a little bit more “big-picture” than that. It’s simple and clear, and it’s well-researched. The tone is upbeat, and this author really has the knack for making something as difficult as learning German seem possible, even fun. On the whole, an excellent guide, and a good supplement to one’s foreign-language learning....more
What a fascinating book! An overview of the Cyrillic letters and their sounds, and all given in the context of a gallery of Russian art. What a creatiWhat a fascinating book! An overview of the Cyrillic letters and their sounds, and all given in the context of a gallery of Russian art. What a creative idea!
The writing is clear and easy to follow, and the book, being such a basic introduction to Cyrillic, doesn’t bog readers down in a lot of extra information. This book offers a great way to learn the letters, and the explanation in context of English sounds removes the need for guesswork. The artwork, all explained with informative captions, is the icing on the cake. The book’s layout is clean and uncluttered, and the pictures are clear and colorful. A lovely book, for many reasons. ...more
This excellent children’s book introduces the history of the Rosetta Stone and the way its discovery has shaped our understanding of ancient Egyptian This excellent children’s book introduces the history of the Rosetta Stone and the way its discovery has shaped our understanding of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Although the subject matter is complicated, the author does a terrific job of explaining things clearly without ever condescending to his audience. An informative look at history and the methods by which the past is studied. Highly recommended for kids (or adults) who are at all interested in foreign languages, dead language, or ancient Egypt....more
I read the first story in German and found a couple of the German spellings (word forms?) to be different from what I expected. I figured thDNF at 20%
I read the first story in German and found a couple of the German spellings (word forms?) to be different from what I expected. I figured that either I had been spelling the words wrong previously, or else they had different forms in these contexts (case changes or something). But then, a section in English had a few orthographic anomalies, too, and even grammatical concerns. I don’t typically like to judge books too harshly for typos, since that’s less an authorial issue and more an editing concern, BUT typically, typos do not interfere with a reader’s understanding. Here, though—as with any language book—it is key. How am I to trust the German sections if I can’t even trust the English? How can I learn the language if it may be presented incorrectly? And how can I be sure what is intentional and what is a mistake? I went ahead and read the second story as well, two out of the ten included in this collection, but I don’t trust the quality of writing enough to continue. I don’t want to learn bad German, and if the English portions are any indication, the book’s language benefits are decidedly suspect. Too bad, too, because the book’s format is excellent. I liked the side-by-side English/German text, and I was especially glad that the comprehension quizzes also included the answers, something that is missing from many other foreign-language books.
Slightly less important than the language elements is the entertainment value of the stories, which were also not my cup of tea. The first story had characters who, while likeable enough, were difficult to root for. One in particular couldn’t let go of an old grudge, and the ending, while I think it’s meant to be funny, just made me feel empty and sad. The second story is about a religious family in which the parents worry when their children actually want to go to church. The parents solve the problem by proving that ALL religion is a brain disease. Honestly, I don’t know which group of people should be more insulted: religious people for being portrayed as mentally diseased, or NONreligious people who come off as intolerant, judgemental hypocrites. I think it’s supposed to be funny, but I just don’t get it. Not the book for me, and not even something I could recommend to another....more
Charming, whimsical artwork, variety of languages and phrases, maps showing relationship between the different countries’ languages.
The bad:
FThe good:
Charming, whimsical artwork, variety of languages and phrases, maps showing relationship between the different countries’ languages.
The bad:
First of all, so many languages didn't make the cut. So many common languages. This book is advertised as featuring both common and lesser-known languages, and for highlighting more than just a country's official language when there are pocket communities who use another. So, for example, how is it Canada's and the USA's substantial population of Pennsylvania Dutch speakers don't seem to exist here? It's such a distinct dialect of Deutsch (Deitsch!), and it covers such a broad geographic range, and it isn't even mentioned. Also, too much information that did make the cut has been relegated to the app. No pronunciation is given (not even IPA, which is both succinct and precise), nor any explanation on the languages and their difference. I have listened, for example, to the news from Paris and from Quebec, and even though they’re both recorded in French, they have a distinctly different sound. The Democratic Republic of the Congo uses yet a different style of pronunciation. In addition, even the similarities are hard to spot. Languages that are related often have words that are cognate, but here, the related languages are often separated by others in between, making it hard to see their linguistic connection. There’s enough here to inspire kids, I guess, but I think the most I got out of it was being able to look at a map and see (some of the places) where these different languages are spoken. I don’t know how useful or practical any of it is.
The ugly:
I had such a wretched time with the app. I thought, when I got the book, that the book would be a complete thing unto itself. But that’s not the case here; this book is meant to be read alongside an app that will talk in all the languages. That sounded nice at first, since I’d much rather hear something than read a person try to describe how something should sound. However, it was a little alarming to me how absolutely central the app was to understanding the book. (I mean, doesn’t the book mean anything?) Anyway, I installed the app, and it doesn’t work. I can select a country or a language, and I can see the picture of a smiling child, but the app freezes up and won’t speak. I tried restarting, uninstalling, reinstalling—nothing. I told some relatives, and we tried it on three different devices, and it didn’t work anywhere. Worse, I couldn’t even delete it successfully; now, it randomly keeps trying to re-install itself, and it makes the whole device crash. I can’t make it go away. So, to sum up, the book is kind of worthless without the app, and the app is kind of worthless anyway. Cute pictures, and a nice idea, but far too inaccessible to be worthwhile....more
Overall, this is an excellent introduction to English runes. The author clearly describes what runes are, what they meant, who carved them, how scholaOverall, this is an excellent introduction to English runes. The author clearly describes what runes are, what they meant, who carved them, how scholars interpret them, etc. He lists the runes of various groups across different time periods and regions, and he matches each one to the letter used in transliterating. He tone is easy, and his writing is clear even for people who have not previously studied runes or Old English. His work is clearly divided into chapters by topic, so there is a chapter on cryptic runes, and a chapter on ecclesiastical rune-stones, and so on. His maps showing the locations of different findings, as well as the section of photographs, lend even more background to a well-organized volume. As the title suggests, he focuses specifically on English runes, but he also isn't afraid to describe other runic traditions when doing so will help paint a more complete picture. He gives plenty of context for his conclusions. So all of that is good.
In general, information is only as good as its source, and since so much runic interpretation depends on the biases of the scholar, it is necessary to examine that scholar in depth. R. I. Page evidently agrees with this, since he is self-aware enough at the beginning to state that he tends toward the skeptical side of runic interpretation. He does not claim to be always right, or even always completely objective, and he is very open about the difficulties of some interpretations, right from the beginning. This type of honesty comes as sort of a breath of fresh air, and it helps me at least to know where he's coming from in all this. Moreover, throughout the book, he'll make sure to mention differing opinions. He'll describe an inscription, mention that so-and-so scholar thinks XYZ, while such-and-such believes it means ABC, and that he thinks the first one is right. So that is also good.
However—could you tell a "however" was coming?—I am seriously wondering if he started to get tired while writing this. About halfway through, the tone changes a little bit, and his remarks get a little more snide. At one point, he references another professional's opinion of a word's meaning, adding that people who would believe her would tend to believe anything. At first, I thought it might be a form of sexism, that he was disparaging the scholarly efforts of his female peers, but he seems equally dismissive of some of the men in the field. He'll quote some opinions, say that they're completely wrong, and then never speak of them again. On the one hand, I understand that this is meant to be a general overview, and that he can't take the time to outline his reasoning on every point. On the other hand, it felt a little abrupt. He made one very troubling comment about religion that didn't belong in a history book. His opinions about all things runic come so strongly to the center that it's hard to get a sense of the whole picture. It's hard to understand what alternatives exist beyond simply agreeing with him in all things.
And just when I thought I'd had enough, he landed his final insult—on himself. For being so old-fashioned and out-of-date that it was up to his readers (the next generation of scholars) to do even greater things than he. So yes, he was a bit harsh and cold, but he was just as likely to turn that on himself as on others.
Does anyone escape from these judgments and insults? Yes. The readers. Page is insanely protective of those who read his books. Remember how I said that it was okay not to have a background in this? That if you were picking the book up cold, he'd still explain things okay? I stand by that. Furthermore, to people like myself who have dabbled in Old English, the runes seen here are very intimidating. Even transliterated, they don't make sense. Page is absolutely reassuring. He'll say things like "If this section seems confusing to students of Old English, it's because these runes are much older than the manuscripts, and they're in the Northumbrian dialect." That's a paraphrase, since I don't have the book in front of me at the moment, but you get the idea. He anticipated confusion, anxiety, and feelings of being overwhelmed, and he put those all to rest. At times, reading this book felt like someone next to me, holding my hand and saying "Of course it looks tough, but it's not so difficult. Start here, and read this section, and you'll understand." And then he made a completely inappropriate comment about Christianity, and I was unsure, all over again, what to think about this enigmatic author....more
What a pleasure to listen to this series of lectures! Drout covers the history of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, beginning with their migration into BWhat a pleasure to listen to this series of lectures! Drout covers the history of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, beginning with their migration into Britain. Drout’s love for this culture really shines through, and his excitement is both genuine and contagious. If his goal was to teach history, he succeeded; if his goal was to get people excited, well, he succeeded there, too. A few of the events he described were things I’d read about before, but he put a unique spin on them. For example, I had already read about the custom of passing a lyre around a hall so that people could take turns singing. But Drout made me laugh when he described this as “Medieval Karaoke Night” and then added the disclaimer, “I am not making this up.” What a fun way of looking at it! It’s so lovely when the author’s personality shines through.
He describes different facets of Anglo-Saxon life, from the extreme amount of labor that was involved in making a book, to the relatively poor living conditions of the masses, to the king who lamented that most of his people never bothered to learn a language other than English. Drout tells of the heroes and the idiots who shaped the course of British history, and he traces the development of certain ideas and practices across the centuries. He traces the fall of this culture, which was conquered and, in many respects, completely destroyed by William.
My two favorite elements of this lecture series are both literary. I enjoyed learning about King Alfred, who pushed for books in the vernacular, who fostered increased literacy among his subjects and his court, and who worked as both translator and author. And I absolutely adored Drout’s in-depth look at a variety of works of literature. Not just Beowulf—although that is, of course, the subject of one lecture—but also many of the great works of that period. “The Wanderer,” “The Seafarer,” “Judith” (he uses the phrase “Braveheart speech” to describe this warrior woman), religious poetry, wisdom poems, “The Dream of the Rood,” King Alfred’s writings, and more: Drout paints a vivid portrait of these and other writings, and he offers in-depth literary analysis. As if that weren’t enough, he also reads from these texts in the original Old English, which is such a beautiful and melodic language.
All in all, highly informative. A well-rounded picture of many different elements of this particular history and culture....more
I was a little disappointed in the story. I didn’t connect to the characters, and I found the plot just a bit lacking. On the othGreatly enjoyed this!
I was a little disappointed in the story. I didn’t connect to the characters, and I found the plot just a bit lacking. On the other hand, this is a pretty straightforward fairy tale, and that’s probably just the nature of the genre. My German skills are not terribly strong, either, so I’m sure I missed some of the subtler points as I was reading. I did appreciate the humor, and in one place, I even laughed out loud. So content-wise, just as interesting as some of the selections in the other Hagboldt graded reader, and amusing overall.
Language-wise, this was an excellent reader for someone trying to learn German. It started with simple vocabulary and built from there, and the glossary at the end was quite useful. The other German reader starts with tiny unrelated vignettes, so I was a bit surprised here to see that the first booklet was all the same story. It challenged me a bit more because if there was something I didn’t understand, that could affect my understanding of the rest of the story as well. I enjoyed the journey, and I also appreciated the care it must have taken to craft such a long tale in such simple words. The writers of this book care—about the story, the folklore around it, the German language, and especially their readers—and that, more than anything, makes for a charming reading experience....more
2.5 stars A nice idea, but the execution isn’t as good as it should be. Don’t get me wrong—I like the idea of using songs to help learn a language. I h2.5 stars A nice idea, but the execution isn’t as good as it should be. Don’t get me wrong—I like the idea of using songs to help learn a language. I have used them myself on other occasions; they are wonderful as a language tool. Songs tend to use a slightly richer vocabulary than is found in ordinary conversation, and the music slows down the words, making it easier for children to hear the individual phonemes. I have especially enjoyed the light songs can shed on grammatical structure; the music makes it easy to recall the specific words, giving children a nice template for creating similar sentences.
These songs don’t do that so much. For one thing, they really aren’t traditional French songs for the most part; they’re traditional English songs that have been translated into French. Sometimes it’s awkward and stilted, and this means that the words aren’t always as fluid and natural as they should be. Second, it means that there is no translation given, just the English words, and since they worked so hard to recreate the same rhyme and meter in French, the songs’ meanings have changed a great deal. So it isn’t learning a song in a foreign language as much as it is simply repeating syllables whose real meaning has been lost. Third, the singers on the CD aren’t quite all together. They’re singing in a chorus in slightly different time (which is cute and all), but this makes it very difficult to understand the sounds.
The most useful parts of this book are the spoken bits, where the children in the story use simple words to introduce their family, their pets, and their home. But the music is more a distraction than a resource. All in all, it’s a nice diversion, but it’s unlikely to provide the linguistic aid that parents might expect....more
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