Language Fun -- Summertime Fun

Disclosure: I was sent these books free of charge. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As always I am providing links to the book for your convenience.

Today I am sharing some books and products to have fun with new languages this summer (or any time). Two of these are books that use words from a different language in the stories and the third are a flash card and more set. I always find that these type of books and products help us continue to learn about different countries and cultures. We will start with Asha Loves Science Over in the Meadow by Dr. Najla Ahmed. I am reviewing this book as part of Multicultural Kids Product Promotional Services. 

The text in this book is very simple. There are Hindu or Urdu words intertwined into the story/song. At the end of the book it mentions that the text is a song and the song is available on YouTube as well as some more videos to learn other Hindu words and science. Then there are science lessons that teach about classifying animals and more. Then there is a section that reviews the Hindu words and what they mean. Overall this book is perfect for a younger child and will work as an introduction to the differences in the world and to the Hindu language. I was sent a digital version for this review so I cannot review the quality of the physical book. For more Hindu resources please check out Math from the Middle East, the History of Zero, Exploring Diwali, a Cinderella Tale from India, and Nur Jahan of India.

Another fun book is My First Book of Indonesian Words by Linda Hibbs and illustrated by Julia Laud. This book is a great introduction to Indonesia culture as well as the language. 

This book is a rhyming alphabet book. It goes through the English alphabet introducing Indonesian words and a bit of culture. Bahasa Indonesia does not have words that start with Q, V, X or Z so it uses English words that begin with these letters and gives the Indonesian words for the English words. The pictures are colorful and fun as well. The book ends with a summary of the Indonesian words and their definitions. When a word that has to do with the Indonesian culture is introduced there is an explanation of it and there are pronunciation tips throughout it. Personally with my quilting background I loved learning about batik and the method of making it. For more resources on Indonesia check out: All About Indonesia, a fairy tale from Indonesia, yoga inspired by Bali, and Balinese dance.

Our final product for today is Let's Learn Mandarin Chinese by Li Yu. This is a kit that includes 64 cards, a booklet, a CD and a wall chart.

The cards and wall chart are color coded so the words are grouped into Daily Routines, Family Members, Everyday Objects, Body Parts, Numbers, Things to Like or Not, and Actions. 

 The cards are double sided. The front has a picture, the Chinese characters and the pronunciation. On the back side are the characters, pronunciation, English and radicals. Then examples of using the word and finally lessons on how to write the characters.

The CD gives pronunciation of the words as well as nine songs including Happy Birthday, Multiplication Table Rhymes, and three Famous Chinese Poems. It is such a nice addition to the kit so that the learner can hear the proper pronunciation of the words. The wall chart shows the picture from the card with the characters and pronunciation. It is perfect for a classroom. Overall this is a fun kit that helps the start of learning Mandarin Chinese. For more about Chinese check out All About China, The History of Zero, A Little Mandarin, and Chinese Calligraphy.

All three of these products help introduce a new language and a bit of a culture to younger learners. I hope you will check them out and bring a little language learning to your summertime fun!!