Review Date: 9/5/2022

A friend of mine (in her 60s) asked to study Spanish together once a week. We had each studied Spanish before but are really both beginners, her moreso than me. This book is very, very introductory which was what we needed. It is written for 11 and 12 year olds. A parent with a little bit of prior Spanish knowledge (such as how to pronounce Spanish correctly) could probably use this to introduce their children to basic Spanish. If you are looking for a systematic presentation of basic info such as how to conjugate ser and estar and the difference between those verbs, it's not in this book, though it does lead you to begin to use verbs in "I", "you", and "he/she" forms in a simple way. This is pre-beginner Spanish that gives a first experience that seems meant to ease kids into Spanish without creating anxiety or making them feel too discouraged by encountering something that seems too hard. By the end the student should be able to read very simple paragraphs.

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Review Date: 9/6/2022

I had this book as a young child and I pored over it so much and really learned a lot. It's full of illustrations of every sort of living thing you would find in the wild in North America. While it's a good (albeit not completely exhaustive) all-in-one guide to continent's significant flora and fauna for people of any age, it is IDEAL for kids.

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Review Date: 8/17/2022

I personally knew Fr Victor when he was retired and serving at a university parish in Madison, WI, he was my confessor and even a friend. A very kind and holy man. He served as a missionary priest for decades in Sierra Leone and his account of being held hostage by militants is very dramatic and a true record of things that happened during that country's civil war. It would appeal to many people who like true accounts of adventure and danger, even if not Catholic, though obviously Fr Victor was a faithful and heroic Catholic priest.

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