cover image At Home/La Casa

At Home/La Casa

Clare Beaton, Beaton. Barron's Educational Series, $4.99 (24pp) ISBN 978-0-7641-1692-6

Two lovable teddy bears serve as readers' guides to this very early vocabulary builder for ages two and up. Familiar situations and activities are depicted in the cheerful illustrations. The English word appears on the lefthand page; the Spanish word (along with its pronunciation guide) appears on the right. The pronunciation guide is geared toward native English speakers and is actually helpful. Weather shows outdoor scenes and showcases words such as lluvia/ rain, sol/ sun, niebla/ fog, nieve/ snow, etc. At Home presents interior domestic scenes and names items of furniture and fixtures such as puerta/ door, ventana/ window, silla/ chair, mesa/ table, cama/ bed, etc. Although the illustrations are definitely geared toward toddlers, the side-by-side bilingual vocabulary is an effective teaching tool for beginning readers of most ages. Other titles in this series are Los animales/ Animals, Los colores/ Colors, Los contrarios/ Opposites, La familia/ The Family, and La ropa/ Clothing. Recommended for school libraries, public libraries, and bookstores. M.O.B.