Not that great!!, 06 Aug 2008
I was keen to buy a book that would help my three year to not only learn the letters of the alphabet but to also learn the sounds using phonics as well. I thought buying this book would help. Instead, I found the characters dry and the plot of each story tiresome.

Each sound has the letter written in black and white with arrows showing the way the word is to be written, which is helpful. Then in the margin, there are examples of words to match the letter sounds- but they are tiny. Hard to see let alone read. And I don't mean to be petty but the pictures look more freakish then cute.

It was really difficult trying to get my daughter to sit and read the book, because she simply was not interested in the stories or characters whatsoever!


Fantastic with the Phonics Handbook, 24 Jun 2008
I bought this along with the Phonics Handbook to help my daughter learn to read. We live in Brasil so she attends school in Portugese and at 6 was struggling with reading because she was confusing the English sounds with Portugese ones. This whole scheme is fantastic I cannot believe how quickly it has improved her reading and writing. This book is an excellent addition as it is divided into 6 seperate stories, each story introduces a different sound per page in the same order as the Phonics Handbook so you can read a page then do the photocopy sheet that matches the story exactly from the Handbook, my daughter really looks forward to seeing what will happen next in the story and what sound it will introduce. All the other things the earlier reviewers say are also 100% accurate, i.e. fantastic illustrations, sturdy quality etc, but buy it with the Handbook or if your child is doing Jolly Phonics at school and you will get so much more out of it.

Jolly Stories, 24 Feb 2008
This is a lovely book, sturdy pages, colourful and several activities on each page as well as the story relating to the letter sounds. This includes a raised letter for the child to 'trace' over with their finger. We have a Jolly phonics video and the letters in the book follow the same pattern. My 3 1/2 year old loves this book! Would recommend as an introduction to phonics

Absolutely Gorgeous Book From Jolly Phonics, 24 Nov 2007
This book is a pleasure to use and read. It is packed with so much in fabulous full colour pictures. The pages are sturdy, so young ones learning those early sounds can be left alone with it too. There are things to find in the pictures and other activities on each page. There is an excellent 'how to use this book' page in the front too. It's a treasure. Love it.

Not that great!!, 06 Aug 2008
I was keen to buy a book that would help my three year to not only learn the letters of the alphabet but to also learn the sounds using phonics as well. I thought buying this book would help. Instead, I found the characters dry and the plot of each story tiresome.

Each sound has the letter written in black and white with arrows showing the way the word is to be written, which is helpful. Then in the margin, there are examples of words to match the letter sounds- but they are tiny. Hard to see let alone read. And I don't mean to be petty but the pictures look more freakish then cute.

It was really difficult trying to get my daughter to sit and read the book, because she simply was not interested in the stories or characters whatsoever!


Fantastic with the Phonics Handbook, 24 Jun 2008
I bought this along with the Phonics Handbook to help my daughter learn to read. We live in Brasil so she attends school in Portugese and at 6 was struggling with reading because she was confusing the English sounds with Portugese ones. This whole scheme is fantastic I cannot believe how quickly it has improved her reading and writing. This book is an excellent addition as it is divided into 6 seperate stories, each story introduces a different sound per page in the same order as the Phonics Handbook so you can read a page then do the photocopy sheet that matches the story exactly from the Handbook, my daughter really looks forward to seeing what will happen next in the story and what sound it will introduce. All the other things the earlier reviewers say are also 100% accurate, i.e. fantastic illustrations, sturdy quality etc, but buy it with the Handbook or if your child is doing Jolly Phonics at school and you will get so much more out of it.

Jolly Stories, 24 Feb 2008
This is a lovely book, sturdy pages, colourful and several activities on each page as well as the story relating to the letter sounds. This includes a raised letter for the child to 'trace' over with their finger. We have a Jolly phonics video and the letters in the book follow the same pattern. My 3 1/2 year old loves this book! Would recommend as an introduction to phonics

Absolutely Gorgeous Book From Jolly Phonics, 24 Nov 2007
This book is a pleasure to use and read. It is packed with so much in fabulous full colour pictures. The pages are sturdy, so young ones learning those early sounds can be left alone with it too. There are things to find in the pictures and other activities on each page. There is an excellent 'how to use this book' page in the front too. It's a treasure. Love it.

A lovely book for kids to read, 16 Sep 2008
This is a lovely book with illustrations on each page and gutsy stories in each chapter. It is very nicely presented with a ribbon to use as a bookmark. My son is very fond of this book and regularly returns to it.

Not that great!!, 06 Aug 2008
I was keen to buy a book that would help my three year to not only learn the letters of the alphabet but to also learn the sounds using phonics as well. I thought buying this book would help. Instead, I found the characters dry and the plot of each story tiresome.

Each sound has the letter written in black and white with arrows showing the way the word is to be written, which is helpful. Then in the margin, there are examples of words to match the letter sounds- but they are tiny. Hard to see let alone read. And I don't mean to be petty but the pictures look more freakish then cute.

It was really difficult trying to get my daughter to sit and read the book, because she simply was not interested in the stories or characters whatsoever!


Fantastic with the Phonics Handbook, 24 Jun 2008
I bought this along with the Phonics Handbook to help my daughter learn to read. We live in Brasil so she attends school in Portugese and at 6 was struggling with reading because she was confusing the English sounds with Portugese ones. This whole scheme is fantastic I cannot believe how quickly it has improved her reading and writing. This book is an excellent addition as it is divided into 6 seperate stories, each story introduces a different sound per page in the same order as the Phonics Handbook so you can read a page then do the photocopy sheet that matches the story exactly from the Handbook, my daughter really looks forward to seeing what will happen next in the story and what sound it will introduce. All the other things the earlier reviewers say are also 100% accurate, i.e. fantastic illustrations, sturdy quality etc, but buy it with the Handbook or if your child is doing Jolly Phonics at school and you will get so much more out of it.

Jolly Stories, 24 Feb 2008
This is a lovely book, sturdy pages, colourful and several activities on each page as well as the story relating to the letter sounds. This includes a raised letter for the child to 'trace' over with their finger. We have a Jolly phonics video and the letters in the book follow the same pattern. My 3 1/2 year old loves this book! Would recommend as an introduction to phonics

Absolutely Gorgeous Book From Jolly Phonics, 24 Nov 2007
This book is a pleasure to use and read. It is packed with so much in fabulous full colour pictures. The pages are sturdy, so young ones learning those early sounds can be left alone with it too. There are things to find in the pictures and other activities on each page. There is an excellent 'how to use this book' page in the front too. It's a treasure. Love it.

A lovely book for kids to read, 16 Sep 2008
This is a lovely book with illustrations on each page and gutsy stories in each chapter. It is very nicely presented with a ribbon to use as a bookmark. My son is very fond of this book and regularly returns to it.

Not just for English teachers., 03 Apr 2007
This is great for any time of the year but more so when you need a quick start to a lesson or a change during a lesson. I use it sometimes as a pre-starter for the times when pupils aren't arriving all at the same time (after break or lunch). I also use it when I announce to the class "let's have a change as you are working extremely hard" little do they know I planned this and have already identified the activity!

I have taught English in a 'good' school, a school where some pupils are very weak and more recently in a special school for EBD. It gets used in all of them!

A fab resource not just for English teachers.

First wek survival, 30 Aug 2002
A super book for the first week of term! Helps you to analyse children literacy ability as well as having fun with them. Also a good source of INSET introductory games.

A very useful tool book, 30 Oct 2001
This book is a huge resource of ideas for class activities, for one student or a full class. These are all easily adaptable to suit individual requirements and level of competence. As a relatively new tutor of English to ESOL students, I am finding this a real treasure. All of the activities have examples and hints to extend the scope of the ideas. For the experienced teacher or for the newcomer, this is the sort of book one would refer to over and over again. I especially like the fact that I can adapt the ideas to suit my own style and the requirements of my widely disparate students.

this is a brilliant book, 08 Dec 2000
all kinds of activities involved in this book:pictures, games, roleplay etc....but your students need to have at least an intermediate level or certain activities will be very boring for the teacher if your pupils don't have enough vocabulary

The most useful resource book for language teachers around., 03 Apr 1999
Everybody wants to borrow this book from me and not return it! It is the most useful collection of short activities for language teachers available...you can practically open it anywhere, walk into the class and do it...and be sure of success!

Not that great!!, 06 Aug 2008
I was keen to buy a book that would help my three year to not only learn the letters of the alphabet but to also learn the sounds using phonics as well. I thought buying this book would help. Instead, I found the characters dry and the plot of each story tiresome.

Each sound has the letter written in black and white with arrows showing the way the word is to be written, which is helpful. Then in the margin, there are examples of words to match the letter sounds- but they are tiny. Hard to see let alone read. And I don't mean to be petty but the pictures look more freakish then cute.

It was really difficult trying to get my daughter to sit and read the book, because she simply was not interested in the stories or characters whatsoever!


Fantastic with the Phonics Handbook, 24 Jun 2008
I bought this along with the Phonics Handbook to help my daughter learn to read. We live in Brasil so she attends school in Portugese and at 6 was struggling with reading because she was confusing the English sounds with Portugese ones. This whole scheme is fantastic I cannot believe how quickly it has improved her reading and writing. This book is an excellent addition as it is divided into 6 seperate stories, each story introduces a different sound per page in the same order as the Phonics Handbook so you can read a page then do the photocopy sheet that matches the story exactly from the Handbook, my daughter really looks forward to seeing what will happen next in the story and what sound it will introduce. All the other things the earlier reviewers say are also 100% accurate, i.e. fantastic illustrations, sturdy quality etc, but buy it with the Handbook or if your child is doing Jolly Phonics at school and you will get so much more out of it.

Jolly Stories, 24 Feb 2008
This is a lovely book, sturdy pages, colourful and several activities on each page as well as the story relating to the letter sounds. This includes a raised letter for the child to 'trace' over with their finger. We have a Jolly phonics video and the letters in the book follow the same pattern. My 3 1/2 year old loves this book! Would recommend as an introduction to phonics

Absolutely Gorgeous Book From Jolly Phonics, 24 Nov 2007
This book is a pleasure to use and read. It is packed with so much in fabulous full colour pictures. The pages are sturdy, so young ones learning those early sounds can be left alone with it too. There are things to find in the pictures and other activities on each page. There is an excellent 'how to use this book' page in the front too. It's a treasure. Love it.

A lovely book for kids to read, 16 Sep 2008
This is a lovely book with illustrations on each page and gutsy stories in each chapter. It is very nicely presented with a ribbon to use as a bookmark. My son is very fond of this book and regularly returns to it.

Not just for English teachers., 03 Apr 2007
This is great for any time of the year but more so when you need a quick start to a lesson or a change during a lesson. I use it sometimes as a pre-starter for the times when pupils aren't arriving all at the same time (after break or lunch). I also use it when I announce to the class "let's have a change as you are working extremely hard" little do they know I planned this and have already identified the activity!

I have taught English in a 'good' school, a school where some pupils are very weak and more recently in a special school for EBD. It gets used in all of them!

A fab resource not just for English teachers.

First wek survival, 30 Aug 2002
A super book for the first week of term! Helps you to analyse children literacy ability as well as having fun with them. Also a good source of INSET introductory games.

A very useful tool book, 30 Oct 2001
This book is a huge resource of ideas for class activities, for one student or a full class. These are all easily adaptable to suit individual requirements and level of competence. As a relatively new tutor of English to ESOL students, I am finding this a real treasure. All of the activities have examples and hints to extend the scope of the ideas. For the experienced teacher or for the newcomer, this is the sort of book one would refer to over and over again. I especially like the fact that I can adapt the ideas to suit my own style and the requirements of my widely disparate students.

this is a brilliant book, 08 Dec 2000
all kinds of activities involved in this book:pictures, games, roleplay etc....but your students need to have at least an intermediate level or certain activities will be very boring for the teacher if your pupils don't have enough vocabulary

The most useful resource book for language teachers around., 03 Apr 1999
Everybody wants to borrow this book from me and not return it! It is the most useful collection of short activities for language teachers available...you can practically open it anywhere, walk into the class and do it...and be sure of success!

Absolutely Brilliant!, 25 Apr 2007
I cannot talk highly enough about this series! I have been trying to learn Arabic independently over the last 6 months, in which time I have bought numerous books and dvds to help me. None of these compare to this one: the book is clearly layed out with exercises that are simple to understand and increase in difficulty as you progress through each step. The DVD puts Linguaphone's to shame: it has a menu that makes navigation easy, a variation of teaching techniques for all learners and the sound is of a good quality. I would highly recommend this to anyone trying to learn Arabic independently or with tuition. Al-kitaab fii ta allum al-arabiyya follows this book in the series and is equally as excellently written.

Excellent, 23 Mar 2007
Salaam!

I used this book last semester in Arabic 101. While my instructor was insanely awesome in his teaching methods, this book proved to be a great tool throughout the term. As one of the reviewers described below, it gives complete and thorough instruction for beginners of the Arabic language. The CD's were great to use and really proved immeasurably useful when it came to pronunciation.

As someone who has used this book, I highly recommend it for educators, students, self-teachers, etc.

Absolutely outstanding, a superbly crafted learning resource , 29 Sep 2006
Any review of a language-learning tool should, I think, be prefaced with a brief description of the context in which it is being used. I'm self-teaching (via Alif Baa alone) supported by monthly half-day sessions with a native Arabic-speaking tutor (a PhD student at a local university). We review what I've covered and go through further examples.

Alif Baa comprises 10 units with 2 supporting DVDs. The DVDs are absolutely excellent and very professionally produced. The first 7 units take you through the alphabet, learning pronunciation, learning to write, how to use the various long and short vowels, shedda and sukkun. The remaining 3 units take you through the number system, further grammatical elements of the language plus some cultural aspects and calligraphy.

How much time have I spent? Well, I'm personally pretty serious about learning the language after several holidays to Arabic-speaking countries and have, to date, spent over 200 hours on the first 7 units. Some of them I've done twice because they were quite difficult. In particular, I found units 4 and 5 of the book to be the hardest. Here you learn the so-called emphatic consonants plus the tricky `ayn' and `ghayn' sounds. But don't give up !!! If you don't get it, do it again until you `just about' get it. Further examples later in the book will reinforce your understanding and things do become clearer.

The DVDs contain video footage of a professional calligrapher showing you how to write the letters. The book also takes time and effort to show you how printed forms of letters vary from real handwriting. But, for me, really makes this book such a superb learning tool is the rich range of interactive exercises. Throughout the book you will be referred to the DVDs to perform listening exercises, dictation (listen and write), learn vocabulary, writing exercises (joining letters), view street signs, video footage of everyday scenes and so forth. You can also write directly in the book --- it is a workbook, not a textbook. It makes learning Arabic a completely active, not passive, activity.

How can you monitor your progress? Easy, buy the accompanying answer book but resist the temptation to cheat. Do the exercises because they are absolutely the key to success. Believe me.

Learning Arabic won't happen by osmosis: it takes effort, dedication, practise and perseverance. If you're serious about learning the language then this book/DVD combination will give you an absolutely rock-solid foundation on which to build further studies. For me, I feel a real sense of achievement as the once indecipherable Arabic squiggles slowly take form to become letters, words and sounds.

This book is only the start of a long journey but if you stick with it and complete Alif Baa with DVDs you'll be off to a great start.

Great learning tool., 13 Nov 2005
This is an amasingly well done teaching programme,especially where pronunciation is concerned. The video part with the alaphabet pronunciation is excellent and the different dialogues and pronunciation drills are great. I am going through several methods to learn Arabic and this is not only the most precise but the most effective I have come across. A fantastic tool for any beginers and especially if you have no Arabic speaker around to help.

Excellent introduction to the sounds and letters of Arabic., 28 Feb 2001
Tapes to accompany the introductory volume for the course in Standard Arabic from Georgetown University. Note that these essential tapes are also included in the set of tapes which are needed for part two of the course, confusingly numbered Volume I, so buy that set if you are serious about the course. The three books, Alif Baa and Volumes I and II are sold separately. Recommended.

Not that great!!, 06 Aug 2008
I was keen to buy a book that would help my three year to not only learn the letters of the alphabet but to also learn the sounds using phonics as well. I thought buying this book would help. Instead, I found the characters dry and the plot of each story tiresome.

Each sound has the letter written in black and white with arrows showing the way the word is to be written, which is helpful. Then in the margin, there are examples of words to match the letter sounds- but they are tiny. Hard to see let alone read. And I don't mean to be petty but the pictures look more freakish then cute.

It was really difficult trying to get my daughter to sit and read the book, because she simply was not interested in the stories or characters whatsoever!


Fantastic with the Phonics Handbook, 24 Jun 2008
I bought this along with the Phonics Handbook to help my daughter learn to read. We live in Brasil so she attends school in Portugese and at 6 was struggling with reading because she was confusing the English sounds with Portugese ones. This whole scheme is fantastic I cannot believe how quickly it has improved her reading and writing. This book is an excellent addition as it is divided into 6 seperate stories, each story introduces a different sound per page in the same order as the Phonics Handbook so you can read a page then do the photocopy sheet that matches the story exactly from the Handbook, my daughter really looks forward to seeing what will happen next in the story and what sound it will introduce. All the other things the earlier reviewers say are also 100% accurate, i.e. fantastic illustrations, sturdy quality etc, but buy it with the Handbook or if your child is doing Jolly Phonics at school and you will get so much more out of it.

Jolly Stories, 24 Feb 2008
This is a lovely book, sturdy pages, colourful and several activities on each page as well as the story relating to the letter sounds. This includes a raised letter for the child to 'trace' over with their finger. We have a Jolly phonics video and the letters in the book follow the same pattern. My 3 1/2 year old loves this book! Would recommend as an introduction to phonics

Absolutely Gorgeous Book From Jolly Phonics, 24 Nov 2007
This book is a pleasure to use and read. It is packed with so much in fabulous full colour pictures. The pages are sturdy, so young ones learning those early sounds can be left alone with it too. There are things to find in the pictures and other activities on each page. There is an excellent 'how to use this book' page in the front too. It's a treasure. Love it.

A lovely book for kids to read, 16 Sep 2008
This is a lovely book with illustrations on each page and gutsy stories in each chapter. It is very nicely presented with a ribbon to use as a bookmark. My son is very fond of this book and regularly returns to it.

Not just for English teachers., 03 Apr 2007
This is great for any time of the year but more so when you need a quick start to a lesson or a change during a lesson. I use it sometimes as a pre-starter for the times when pupils aren't arriving all at the same time (after break or lunch). I also use it when I announce to the class "let's have a change as you are working extremely hard" little do they know I planned this and have already identified the activity!

I have taught English in a 'good' school, a school where some pupils are very weak and more recently in a special school for EBD. It gets used in all of them!

A fab resource not just for English teachers.

First wek survival, 30 Aug 2002
A super book for the first week of term! Helps you to analyse children literacy ability as well as having fun with them. Also a good source of INSET introductory games.

A very useful tool book, 30 Oct 2001
This book is a huge resource of ideas for class activities, for one student or a full class. These are all easily adaptable to suit individual requirements and level of competence. As a relatively new tutor of English to ESOL students, I am finding this a real treasure. All of the activities have examples and hints to extend the scope of the ideas. For the experienced teacher or for the newcomer, this is the sort of book one would refer to over and over again. I especially like the fact that I can adapt the ideas to suit my own style and the requirements of my widely disparate students.

this is a brilliant book, 08 Dec 2000
all kinds of activities involved in this book:pictures, games, roleplay etc....but your students need to have at least an intermediate level or certain activities will be very boring for the teacher if your pupils don't have enough vocabulary

The most useful resource book for language teachers around., 03 Apr 1999
Everybody wants to borrow this book from me and not return it! It is the most useful collection of short activities for language teachers available...you can practically open it anywhere, walk into the class and do it...and be sure of success!

Absolutely Brilliant!, 25 Apr 2007
I cannot talk highly enough about this series! I have been trying to learn Arabic independently over the last 6 months, in which time I have bought numerous books and dvds to help me. None of these compare to this one: the book is clearly layed out with exercises that are simple to understand and increase in difficulty as you progress through each step. The DVD puts Linguaphone's to shame: it has a menu that makes navigation easy, a variation of teaching techniques for all learners and the sound is of a good quality. I would highly recommend this to anyone trying to learn Arabic independently or with tuition. Al-kitaab fii ta allum al-arabiyya follows this book in the series and is equally as excellently written.

Excellent, 23 Mar 2007
Salaam!

I used this book last semester in Arabic 101. While my instructor was insanely awesome in his teaching methods, this book proved to be a great tool throughout the term. As one of the reviewers described below, it gives complete and thorough instruction for beginners of the Arabic language. The CD's were great to use and really proved immeasurably useful when it came to pronunciation.

As someone who has used this book, I highly recommend it for educators, students, self-teachers, etc.

Absolutely outstanding, a superbly crafted learning resource , 29 Sep 2006
Any review of a language-learning tool should, I think, be prefaced with a brief description of the context in which it is being used. I'm self-teaching (via Alif Baa alone) supported by monthly half-day sessions with a native Arabic-speaking tutor (a PhD student at a local university). We review what I've covered and go through further examples.

Alif Baa comprises 10 units with 2 supporting DVDs. The DVDs are absolutely excellent and very professionally produced. The first 7 units take you through the alphabet, learning pronunciation, learning to write, how to use the various long and short vowels, shedda and sukkun. The remaining 3 units take you through the number system, further grammatical elements of the language plus some cultural aspects and calligraphy.

How much time have I spent? Well, I'm personally pretty serious about learning the language after several holidays to Arabic-speaking countries and have, to date, spent over 200 hours on the first 7 units. Some of them I've done twice because they were quite difficult. In particular, I found units 4 and 5 of the book to be the hardest. Here you learn the so-called emphatic consonants plus the tricky `ayn' and `ghayn' sounds. But don't give up !!! If you don't get it, do it again until you `just about' get it. Further examples later in the book will reinforce your understanding and things do become clearer.

The DVDs contain video footage of a professional calligrapher showing you how to write the letters. The book also takes time and effort to show you how printed forms of letters vary from real handwriting. But, for me, really makes this book such a superb learning tool is the rich range of interactive exercises. Throughout the book you will be referred to the DVDs to perform listening exercises, dictation (listen and write), learn vocabulary, writing exercises (joining letters), view street signs, video footage of everyday scenes and so forth. You can also write directly in the book --- it is a workbook, not a textbook. It makes learning Arabic a completely active, not passive, activity.

How can you monitor your progress? Easy, buy the accompanying answer book but resist the temptation to cheat. Do the exercises because they are absolutely the key to success. Believe me.

Learning Arabic won't happen by osmosis: it takes effort, dedication, practise and perseverance. If you're serious about learning the language then this book/DVD combination will give you an absolutely rock-solid foundation on which to build further studies. For me, I feel a real sense of achievement as the once indecipherable Arabic squiggles slowly take form to become letters, words and sounds.

This book is only the start of a long journey but if you stick with it and complete Alif Baa with DVDs you'll be off to a great start.

Great learning tool., 13 Nov 2005
This is an amasingly well done teaching programme,especially where pronunciation is concerned. The video part with the alaphabet pronunciation is excellent and the different dialogues and pronunciation drills are great. I am going through several methods to learn Arabic and this is not only the most precise but the most effective I have come across. A fantastic tool for any beginers and especially if you have no Arabic speaker around to help.

Excellent introduction to the sounds and letters of Arabic., 28 Feb 2001
Tapes to accompany the introductory volume for the course in Standard Arabic from Georgetown University. Note that these essential tapes are also included in the set of tapes which are needed for part two of the course, confusingly numbered Volume I, so buy that set if you are serious about the course. The three books, Alif Baa and Volumes I and II are sold separately. Recommended.

Avoid!, 04 Mar 2008
Nice idea but the author needs a dictionary! Terrifico? That is not a proper translation! I bought this and had to send it back immediately! Get this if you just expect something mediocre.

Good Idea - Incorrect Spanish, 30 Jan 2008
The activities are quite good, creative and fun but incorrect spanish ie el poto "The Pot" the book has many errors in this case: Maceta (Flower Pot)should be the word, this just to illustrate. Pronunciation keys which would have the kids I teach speaking with a pretty notorious and very incorrect accent, doing my own corrections here. So if you plan to use activities and know your spanish well enough to correct the mistakes in the book you may find something worthwhile and usable as I am doing. As a comment I think the authors where advised by someone who has latin-american background, may be very educated but has learned improper Spanish. Shame on the editor.

Worrying review published, 08 Oct 2007
This is so unnecesary, every opportunity exists nowadays to get it right and yet non Spanish words are introduced at this stage already! I am a native speaker and bought this for my grandchild but have not given it to her as it is such poor material.

it translates "terrific" as "terrifico" - very worring, 22 Aug 2007
The Spanish used doesn't seem to have been reviewed by a native speaker, so you could be teaching children inexistent words like "terrifico".

Excellent resource for Spanish teaching, 25 Jul 2005
I bought this book to help me teach my 5 year old son Spanish. I am learning myself so am by no means fluent. It has been a great tool to help cement the major ideas such as numbers, parts of the body, days of the week etc. He has really enjoyed doing each activity. Each activity then forms a page in a book which all binds together and he can then go back to it and use it to help him remember the Spanish he has learnt. Note that it is only really suitable for children who can read. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone teaching young primary children Spanish.

Not that great!!, 06 Aug 2008
I was keen to buy a book that would help my three year to not only learn the letters of the alphabet but to also learn the sounds using phonics as well. I thought buying this book would help. Instead, I found the characters dry and the plot of each story tiresome.

Each sound has the letter written in black and white with arrows showing the way the word is to be written, which is helpful. Then in the margin, there are examples of words to match the letter sounds- but they are tiny. Hard to see let alone read. And I don't mean to be petty but the pictures look more freakish then cute.

It was really difficult trying to get my daughter to sit and read the book, because she simply was not interested in the stories or characters whatsoever!


Fantastic with the Phonics Handbook, 24 Jun 2008
I bought this along with the Phonics Handbook to help my daughter learn to read. We live in Brasil so she attends school in Portugese and at 6 was struggling with reading because she was confusing the English sounds with Portugese ones. This whole scheme is fantastic I cannot believe how quickly it has improved her reading and writing. This book is an excellent addition as it is divided into 6 seperate stories, each story introduces a different sound per page in the same order as the Phonics Handbook so you can read a page then do the photocopy sheet that matches the story exactly from the Handbook, my daughter really looks forward to seeing what will happen next in the story and what sound it will introduce. All the other things the earlier reviewers say are also 100% accurate, i.e. fantastic illustrations, sturdy quality etc, but buy it with the Handbook or if your child is doing Jolly Phonics at school and you will get so much more out of it.

Jolly Stories, 24 Feb 2008
This is a lovely book, sturdy pages, colourful and several activities on each page as well as the story relating to the letter sounds. This includes a raised letter for the child to 'trace' over with their finger. We have a Jolly phonics video and the letters in the book follow the same pattern. My 3 1/2 year old loves this book! Would recommend as an introduction to phonics

Absolutely Gorgeous Book From Jolly Phonics, 24 Nov 2007
This book is a pleasure to use and read. It is packed with so much in fabulous full colour pictures. The pages are sturdy, so young ones learning those early sounds can be left alone with it too. There are things to find in the pictures and other activities on each page. There is an excellent 'how to use this book' page in the front too. It's a treasure. Love it.

A lovely book for kids to read, 16 Sep 2008
This is a lovely book with illustrations on each page and gutsy stories in each chapter. It is very nicely presented with a ribbon to use as a bookmark. My son is very fond of this book and regularly returns to it.

Not just for English teachers., 03 Apr 2007
This is great for any time of the year but more so when you need a quick start to a lesson or a change during a lesson. I use it sometimes as a pre-starter for the times when pupils aren't arriving all at the same time (after break or lunch). I also use it when I announce to the class "let's have a change as you are working extremely hard" little do they know I planned this and have already identified the activity!

I have taught English in a 'good' school, a school where some pupils are very weak and more recently in a special school for EBD. It gets used in all of them!

A fab resource not just for English teachers.

First wek survival, 30 Aug 2002
A super book for the first week of term! Helps you to analyse children literacy ability as well as having fun with them. Also a good source of INSET introductory games.

A very useful tool book, 30 Oct 2001
This book is a huge resource of ideas for class activities, for one student or a full class. These are all easily adaptable to suit individual requirements and level of competence. As a relatively new tutor of English to ESOL students, I am finding this a real treasure. All of the activities have examples and hints to extend the scope of the ideas. For the experienced teacher or for the newcomer, this is the sort of book one would refer to over and over again. I especially like the fact that I can adapt the ideas to suit my own style and the requirements of my widely disparate students.

this is a brilliant book, 08 Dec 2000
all kinds of activities involved in this book:pictures, games, roleplay etc....but your students need to have at least an intermediate level or certain activities will be very boring for the teacher if your pupils don't have enough vocabulary

The most useful resource book for language teachers around., 03 Apr 1999
Everybody wants to borrow this book from me and not return it! It is the most useful collection of short activities for language teachers available...you can practically open it anywhere, walk into the class and do it...and be sure of success!

Absolutely Brilliant!, 25 Apr 2007
I cannot talk highly enough about this series! I have been trying to learn Arabic independently over the last 6 months, in which time I have bought numerous books and dvds to help me. None of these compare to this one: the book is clearly layed out with exercises that are simple to understand and increase in difficulty as you progress through each step. The DVD puts Linguaphone's to shame: it has a menu that makes navigation easy, a variation of teaching techniques for all learners and the sound is of a good quality. I would highly recommend this to anyone trying to learn Arabic independently or with tuition. Al-kitaab fii ta allum al-arabiyya follows this book in the series and is equally as excellently written.

Excellent, 23 Mar 2007
Salaam!

I used this book last semester in Arabic 101. While my instructor was insanely awesome in his teaching methods, this book proved to be a great tool throughout the term. As one of the reviewers described below, it gives complete and thorough instruction for beginners of the Arabic language. The CD's were great to use and really proved immeasurably useful when it came to pronunciation.

As someone who has used this book, I highly recommend it for educators, students, self-teachers, etc.

Absolutely outstanding, a superbly crafted learning resource , 29 Sep 2006
Any review of a language-learning tool should, I think, be prefaced with a brief description of the context in which it is being used. I'm self-teaching (via Alif Baa alone) supported by monthly half-day sessions with a native Arabic-speaking tutor (a PhD student at a local university). We review what I've covered and go through further examples.

Alif Baa comprises 10 units with 2 supporting DVDs. The DVDs are absolutely excellent and very professionally produced. The first 7 units take you through the alphabet, learning pronunciation, learning to write, how to use the various long and short vowels, shedda and sukkun. The remaining 3 units take you through the number system, further grammatical elements of the language plus some cultural aspects and calligraphy.

How much time have I spent? Well, I'm personally pretty serious about learning the language after several holidays to Arabic-speaking countries and have, to date, spent over 200 hours on the first 7 units. Some of them I've done twice because they were quite difficult. In particular, I found units 4 and 5 of the book to be the hardest. Here you learn the so-called emphatic consonants plus the tricky `ayn' and `ghayn' sounds. But don't give up !!! If you don't get it, do it again until you `just about' get it. Further examples later in the book will reinforce your understanding and things do become clearer.

The DVDs contain video footage of a professional calligrapher showing you how to write the letters. The book also takes time and effort to show you how printed forms of letters vary from real handwriting. But, for me, really makes this book such a superb learning tool is the rich range of interactive exercises. Throughout the book you will be referred to the DVDs to perform listening exercises, dictation (listen and write), learn vocabulary, writing exercises (joining letters), view street signs, video footage of everyday scenes and so forth. You can also write directly in the book --- it is a workbook, not a textbook. It makes learning Arabic a completely active, not passive, activity.

How can you monitor your progress? Easy, buy the accompanying answer book but resist the temptation to cheat. Do the exercises because they are absolutely the key to success. Believe me.

Learning Arabic won't happen by osmosis: it takes effort, dedication, practise and perseverance. If you're serious about learning the language then this book/DVD combination will give you an absolutely rock-solid foundation on which to build further studies. For me, I feel a real sense of achievement as the once indecipherable Arabic squiggles slowly take form to become letters, words and sounds.

This book is only the start of a long journey but if you stick with it and complete Alif Baa with DVDs you'll be off to a great start.

Great learning tool., 13 Nov 2005
This is an amasingly well done teaching programme,especially where pronunciation is concerned. The video part with the alaphabet pronunciation is excellent and the different dialogues and pronunciation drills are great. I am going through several methods to learn Arabic and this is not only the most precise but the most effective I have come across. A fantastic tool for any beginers and especially if you have no Arabic speaker around to help.

Excellent introduction to the sounds and letters of Arabic., 28 Feb 2001
Tapes to accompany the introductory volume for the course in Standard Arabic from Georgetown University. Note that these essential tapes are also included in the set of tapes which are needed for part two of the course, confusingly numbered Volume I, so buy that set if you are serious about the course. The three books, Alif Baa and Volumes I and II are sold separately. Recommended.

Avoid!, 04 Mar 2008
Nice idea but the author needs a dictionary! Terrifico? That is not a proper translation! I bought this and had to send it back immediately! Get this if you just expect something mediocre.

Good Idea - Incorrect Spanish, 30 Jan 2008
The activities are quite good, creative and fun but incorrect spanish ie el poto "The Pot" the book has many errors in this case: Maceta (Flower Pot)should be the word, this just to illustrate. Pronunciation keys which would have the kids I teach speaking with a pretty notorious and very incorrect accent, doing my own corrections here. So if you plan to use activities and know your spanish well enough to correct the mistakes in the book you may find something worthwhile and usable as I am doing. As a comment I think the authors where advised by someone who has latin-american background, may be very educated but has learned improper Spanish. Shame on the editor.

Worrying review published, 08 Oct 2007
This is so unnecesary, every opportunity exists nowadays to get it right and yet non Spanish words are introduced at this stage already! I am a native speaker and bought this for my grandchild but have not given it to her as it is such poor material.

it translates "terrific" as "terrifico" - very worring, 22 Aug 2007
The Spanish used doesn't seem to have been reviewed by a native speaker, so you could be teaching children inexistent words like "terrifico".

Excellent resource for Spanish teaching, 25 Jul 2005
I bought this book to help me teach my 5 year old son Spanish. I am learning myself so am by no means fluent. It has been a great tool to help cement the major ideas such as numbers, parts of the body, days of the week etc. He has really enjoyed doing each activity. Each activity then forms a page in a book which all binds together and he can then go back to it and use it to help him remember the Spanish he has learnt. Note that it is only really suitable for children who can read. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone teaching young primary children Spanish.

Fab intro to a fab series of books, 13 Oct 2008
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy is the ideal starter book to this fab series. Its pretty basic compared to some of the later offerings and introduces us to a lot of the characters with its charming rhyming prose. Characters such as "Bottomley Potts, covered in spots" (a dalmation) and "Schnitzel Von-Krumm with the very low tum" (a dachund)(excuse the spelling!). And how could we forget "Scarface Claw" - the toughest tom cat in town, whom my 3 year old is currently totally potty about to the point that he's demanded more books featuring Scarface Claw for Christmas (and its only October). Thankfully he won't be disappointed as there are other books in the series featuring this tough tom cat, including a book dedicated to Scarface Claw himself! Overall I think Hairy Maclary is a brilliant read which will be enjoyed night after night by child AND parent. Some books can become monotonous to read over and over but I haven't yet tired of reading this one to my son who always waits in anticipation until Scarface Claw jumps out of the shadows. He enjoys joining with with the loud MEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOW and also enjoys reciting the final "to bed" at the end. I can't rate this book highly enough. Go buy it ... NOW!

Absolutley brilliant, 08 Jul 2008
My son got a set of these books bought for his birthday and this is his absolute favourite. He is only 2 but he joins in with the actions and certain areas of the book are a highlight for him (where the cat jumps out) I can now read this book without looking after reading it so many times.

I would definitley recommend this for all children - a must have for your library at home!

It'll never be left idyling on the bookshelf....., 26 Nov 2007
My 2 year old absolutely loved this booked from the first time I read it to her. With the rythmic style, tongue-twisting words, great story and wonderful fun, she was laughing with delight sitting still gripped with anticipation. She knows the book off by heart and I've read it so many times, so do I. She particularly loves Scarface Claw! In fact her reaction to this particular book led me to buy all of the Lynley Dodd books in the range! This will definitely be THE book I remember from my daughter's early childhood. So whether it's for your child or someone else's, you've just go to do it.... buy it... it'll never be left idyling on the bookshelf.

Fantastic!!, 01 Dec 2006
This book is an absolute must for every child.....and parent for that matter.

I first read Hairy Maclary to my little brother over 15 years ago and have been given it as a gift for my 1 year old. She thinks that it is fab and loves Scarface Claw - The toughest Tom in Town. The rythmn of the book is great and I have to agree with everyone else who says that it is perfect for bedtime.



Fabulous!, 16 Jul 2006
I started reading Hairy Maclary to my son when he was 6 months old. He is now 3 and it is still a firm favourite - a great achievement I think!

Not that great!!, 06 Aug 2008
I was keen to buy a book that would help my three year to not only learn the letters of the alphabet but to also learn the sounds using phonics as well. I thought buying this book would help. Instead, I found the characters dry and the plot of each story tiresome.

Each sound has the letter written in black and white with arrows showing the way the word is to be written, which is helpful. Then in the margin, there are examples of words to match the letter sounds- but they are tiny. Hard to see let alone read. And I don't mean to be petty but the pictures look more freakish then cute.

It was really difficult trying to get my daughter to sit and read the book, because she simply was not interested in the stories or characters whatsoever!


Fantastic with the Phonics Handbook, 24 Jun 2008
I bought this along with the Phonics Handbook to help my daughter learn to read. We live in Brasil so she attends school in Portugese and at 6 was struggling with reading because she was confusing the English sounds with Portugese ones. This whole scheme is fantastic I cannot believe how quickly it has improved her reading and writing. This book is an excellent addition as it is divided into 6 seperate stories, each story introduces a different sound per page in the same order as the Phonics Handbook so you can read a page then do the photocopy sheet that matches the story exactly from the Handbook, my daughter really looks forward to seeing what will happen next in the story and what sound it will introduce. All the other things the earlier reviewers say are also 100% accurate, i.e. fantastic illustrations, sturdy quality etc, but buy it with the Handbook or if your child is doing Jolly Phonics at school and you will get so much more out of it.

Jolly Stories, 24 Feb 2008
This is a lovely book, sturdy pages, colourful and several activities on each page as well as the story relating to the letter sounds. This includes a raised letter for the child to 'trace' over with their finger. We have a Jolly phonics video and the letters in the book follow the same pattern. My 3 1/2 year old loves this book! Would recommend as an introduction to phonics

Absolutely Gorgeous Book From Jolly Phonics, 24 Nov 2007
This book is a pleasure to use and read. It is packed with so much in fabulous full colour pictures. The pages are sturdy, so young ones learning those early sounds can be left alone with it too. There are things to find in the pictures and other activities on each page. There is an excellent 'how to use this book' page in the front too. It's a treasure. Love it.

A lovely book for kids to read, 16 Sep 2008
This is a lovely book with illustrations on each page and gutsy stories in each chapter. It is very nicely presented with a ribbon to use as a bookmark. My son is very fond of this book and regularly returns to it.

Not just for English teachers., 03 Apr 2007
This is great for any time of the year but more so when you need a quick start to a lesson or a change during a lesson. I use it sometimes as a pre-starter for the times when pupils aren't arriving all at the same time (after break or lunch). I also use it when I announce to the class "let's have a change as you are working extremely hard" little do they know I planned this and have already identified the activity!

I have taught English in a 'good' school, a school where some pupils are very weak and more recently in a special school for EBD. It gets used in all of them!

A fab resource not just for English teachers.

First wek survival, 30 Aug 2002
A super book for the first week of term! Helps you to analyse children literacy ability as well as having fun with them. Also a good source of INSET introductory games.

A very useful tool book, 30 Oct 2001
This book is a huge resource of ideas for class activities, for one student or a full class. These are all easily adaptable to suit individual requirements and level of competence. As a relatively new tutor of English to ESOL students, I am finding this a real treasure. All of the activities have examples and hints to extend the scope of the ideas. For the experienced teacher or for the newcomer, this is the sort of book one would refer to over and over again. I especially like the fact that I can adapt the ideas to suit my own style and the requirements of my widely disparate students.

this is a brilliant book, 08 Dec 2000
all kinds of activities involved in this book:pictures, games, roleplay etc....but your students need to have at least an intermediate level or certain activities will be very boring for the teacher if your pupils don't have enough vocabulary

The most useful resource book for language teachers around., 03 Apr 1999
Everybody wants to borrow this book from me and not return it! It is the most useful collection of short activities for language teachers available...you can practically open it anywhere, walk into the class and do it...and be sure of success!

Absolutely Brilliant!, 25 Apr 2007
I cannot talk highly enough about this series! I have been trying to learn Arabic independently over the last 6 months, in which time I have bought numerous books and dvds to help me. None of these compare to this one: the book is clearly layed out with exercises that are simple to understand and increase in difficulty as you progress through each step. The DVD puts Linguaphone's to shame: it has a menu that makes navigation easy, a variation of teaching techniques for all learners and the sound is of a good quality. I would highly recommend this to anyone trying to learn Arabic independently or with tuition. Al-kitaab fii ta allum al-arabiyya follows this book in the series and is equally as excellently written.

Excellent, 23 Mar 2007
Salaam!

I used this book last semester in Arabic 101. While my instructor was insanely awesome in his teaching methods, this book proved to be a great tool throughout the term. As one of the reviewers described below, it gives complete and thorough instruction for beginners of the Arabic language. The CD's were great to use and really proved immeasurably useful when it came to pronunciation.

As someone who has used this book, I highly recommend it for educators, students, self-teachers, etc.

Absolutely outstanding, a superbly crafted learning resource , 29 Sep 2006
Any review of a language-learning tool should, I think, be prefaced with a brief description of the context in which it is being used. I'm self-teaching (via Alif Baa alone) supported by monthly half-day sessions with a native Arabic-speaking tutor (a PhD student at a local university). We review what I've covered and go through further examples.

Alif Baa comprises 10 units with 2 supporting DVDs. The DVDs are absolutely excellent and very professionally produced. The first 7 units take you through the alphabet, learning pronunciation, learning to write, how to use the various long and short vowels, shedda and sukkun. The remaining 3 units take you through the number system, further grammatical elements of the language plus some cultural aspects and calligraphy.

How much time have I spent? Well, I'm personally pretty serious about learning the language after several holidays to Arabic-speaking countries and have, to date, spent over 200 hours on the first 7 units. Some of them I've done twice because they were quite difficult. In particular, I found units 4 and 5 of the book to be the hardest. Here you learn the so-called emphatic consonants plus the tricky `ayn' and `ghayn' sounds. But don't give up !!! If you don't get it, do it again until you `just about' get it. Further examples later in the book will reinforce your understanding and things do become clearer.

The DVDs contain video footage of a professional calligrapher showing you how to write the letters. The book also takes time and effort to show you how printed forms of letters vary from real handwriting. But, for me, really makes this book such a superb learning tool is the rich range of interactive exercises. Throughout the book you will be referred to the DVDs to perform listening exercises, dictation (listen and write), learn vocabulary, writing exercises (joining letters), view street signs, video footage of everyday scenes and so forth. You can also write directly in the book --- it is a workbook, not a textbook. It makes learning Arabic a completely active, not passive, activity.

How can you monitor your progress? Easy, buy the accompanying answer book but resist the temptation to cheat. Do the exercises because they are absolutely the key to success. Believe me.

Learning Arabic won't happen by osmosis: it takes effort, dedication, practise and perseverance. If you're serious about learning the language then this book/DVD combination will give you an absolutely rock-solid foundation on which to build further studies. For me, I feel a real sense of achievement as the once indecipherable Arabic squiggles slowly take form to become letters, words and sounds.

This book is only the start of a long journey but if you stick with it and complete Alif Baa with DVDs you'll be off to a great start.

Great learning tool., 13 Nov 2005
This is an amasingly well done teaching programme,especially where pronunciation is concerned. The video part with the alaphabet pronunciation is excellent and the different dialogues and pronunciation drills are great. I am going through several methods to learn Arabic and this is not only the most precise but the most effective I have come across. A fantastic tool for any beginers and especially if you have no Arabic speaker around to help.

Excellent introduction to the sounds and letters of Arabic., 28 Feb 2001
Tapes to accompany the introductory volume for the course in Standard Arabic from Georgetown University. Note that these essential tapes are also included in the set of tapes which are needed for part two of the course, confusingly numbered Volume I, so buy that set if you are serious about the course. The three books, Alif Baa and Volumes I and II are sold separately. Recommended.

Avoid!, 04 Mar 2008
Nice idea but the author needs a dictionary! Terrifico? That is not a proper translation! I bought this and had to send it back immediately! Get this if you just expect something mediocre.

Good Idea - Incorrect Spanish, 30 Jan 2008
The activities are quite good, creative and fun but incorrect spanish ie el poto "The Pot" the book has many errors in this case: Maceta (Flower Pot)should be the word, this just to illustrate. Pronunciation keys which would have the kids I teach speaking with a pretty notorious and very incorrect accent, doing my own corrections here. So if you plan to use activities and know your spanish well enough to correct the mistakes in the book you may find something worthwhile and usable as I am doing. As a comment I think the authors where advised by someone who has latin-american background, may be very educated but has learned improper Spanish. Shame on the editor.

Worrying review published, 08 Oct 2007
This is so unnecesary, every opportunity exists nowadays to get it right and yet non Spanish words are introduced at this stage already! I am a native speaker and bought this for my grandchild but have not given it to her as it is such poor material.

it translates "terrific" as "terrifico" - very worring, 22 Aug 2007
The Spanish used doesn't seem to have been reviewed by a native speaker, so you could be teaching children inexistent words like "terrifico".

Excellent resource for Spanish teaching, 25 Jul 2005
I bought this book to help me teach my 5 year old son Spanish. I am learning myself so am by no means fluent. It has been a great tool to help cement the major ideas such as numbers, parts of the body, days of the week etc. He has really enjoyed doing each activity. Each activity then forms a page in a book which all binds together and he can then go back to it and use it to help him remember the Spanish he has learnt. Note that it is only really suitable for children who can read. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone teaching young primary children Spanish.

Fab intro to a fab series of books, 13 Oct 2008
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy is the ideal starter book to this fab series. Its pretty basic compared to some of the later offerings and introduces us to a lot of the characters with its charming rhyming prose. Characters such as "Bottomley Potts, covered in spots" (a dalmation) and "Schnitzel Von-Krumm with the very low tum" (a dachund)(excuse the spelling!). And how could we forget "Scarface Claw" - the toughest tom cat in town, whom my 3 year old is currently totally potty about to the point that he's demanded more books featuring Scarface Claw for Christmas (and its only October). Thankfully he won't be disappointed as there are other books in the series featuring this tough tom cat, including a book dedicated to Scarface Claw himself! Overall I think Hairy Maclary is a brilliant read which will be enjoyed night after night by child AND parent. Some books can become monotonous to read over and over but I haven't yet tired of reading this one to my son who always waits in anticipation until Scarface Claw jumps out of the shadows. He enjoys joining with with the loud MEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOW and also enjoys reciting the final "to bed" at the end. I can't rate this book highly enough. Go buy it ... NOW!

Absolutley brilliant, 08 Jul 2008
My son got a set of these books bought for his birthday and this is his absolute favourite. He is only 2 but he joins in with the actions and certain areas of the book are a highlight for him (where the cat jumps out) I can now read this book without looking after reading it so many times.

I would definitley recommend this for all children - a must have for your library at home!

It'll never be left idyling on the bookshelf....., 26 Nov 2007
My 2 year old absolutely loved this booked from the first time I read it to her. With the rythmic style, tongue-twisting words, great story and wonderful fun, she was laughing with delight sitting still gripped with anticipation. She knows the book off by heart and I've read it so many times, so do I. She particularly loves Scarface Claw! In fact her reaction to this particular book led me to buy all of the Lynley Dodd books in the range! This will definitely be THE book I remember from my daughter's early childhood. So whether it's for your child or someone else's, you've just go to do it.... buy it... it'll never be left idyling on the bookshelf.

Fantastic!!, 01 Dec 2006
This book is an absolute must for every child.....and parent for that matter.

I first read Hairy Maclary to my little brother over 15 years ago and have been given it as a gift for my 1 year old. She thinks that it is fab and loves Scarface Claw - The toughest Tom in Town. The rythmn of the book is great and I have to agree with everyone else who says that it is perfect for bedtime.



Fabulous!, 16 Jul 2006
I started reading Hairy Maclary to my son when he was 6 months old. He is now 3 and it is still a firm favourite - a great achievement I think!


Text Level Year 1, 30 Jun 2003
This is a good book to dip into. I also found it easy to adapt work to, thus allowing for more differentiation. The sheets are big enough for children's writing (which can often be on the large size). I sometimes use A3 copies when the children are working together in pairs or groups. The sheets are generally well laid out with good pictures (well better than I can do anyway!).

Excellent value for money!, 11 Oct 2001
When money is tight and you have to make the most of your resources, a book like this is an absolute godsend. It is full of intelligent and practical examples which really help you to focus your teaching, and give the children frameworks in which to develop their critical thinking skills. The objectives are clearly defined for each activity and they are very well matched. The children enjoy doing the work and there are ample opportunities to challenge them. Invaluable to anyone starting teaching at this stage even if you are lucky enough not to have to deal with the literacy strategy because this is just a plain good teaching resource.

Fantastic resource, excellent ideas and teaching materials., 20 May 2001
Developing Literacy - text level for Year 6 is a fantastic book full of work sheets which actually match the teaching and learning objectives for that year group. I have used this resources again and again and have found that not only does it save me time, but the children actually enjoy the work.

This book saves time, 04 Mar 2001
This book provides lessons on all of the text level objectives for Year 4. It has plenty of work on a page (I often find books have little actual work) and provides clear instructions for the children to follow independently if you wish. It has saved me valuable time searching for suitable examples and writing frames.

Not that great!!, 06 Aug 2008
I was keen to buy a book that would help my three year to not only learn the letters of the alphabet but to also learn the sounds using phonics as well. I thought buying this book would help. Instead, I found the characters dry and the plot of each story tiresome.

Each sound has the letter written in black and white with arrows showing the way the word is to be written, which is helpful. Then in the margin, there are examples of words to match the letter sounds- but they are tiny. Hard to see let alone read. And I don't mean to be petty but the pictures look more freakish then cute.

It was really difficult trying to get my daughter to sit and read the book, because she simply was not interested in the stories or characters whatsoever!


Fantastic with the Phonics Handbook, 24 Jun 2008
I bought this along with the Phonics Handbook to help my daughter learn to read. We live in Brasil so she attends school in Portugese and at 6 was struggling with reading because she was confusing the English sounds with Portugese ones. This whole scheme is fantastic I cannot believe how quickly it has improved her reading and writing. This book is an excellent addition as it is divided into 6 seperate stories, each story introduces a different sound per page in the same order as the Phonics Handbook so you can read a page then do the photocopy sheet that matches the story exactly from the Handbook, my daughter really looks forward to seeing what will happen next in the story and what sound it will introduce. All the other things the earlier reviewers say are also 100% accurate, i.e. fantastic illustrations, sturdy quality etc, but buy it with the Handbook or if your child is doing Jolly Phonics at school and you will get so much more out of it.

Jolly Stories, 24 Feb 2008
This is a lovely book, sturdy pages, colourful and several activities on each page as well as the story relating to the letter sounds. This includes a raised letter for the child to 'trace' over with their finger. We have a Jolly phonics video and the letters in the book follow the same pattern. My 3 1/2 year old loves this book! Would recommend as an introduction to phonics

Absolutely Gorgeous Book From Jolly Phonics, 24 Nov 2007
This book is a pleasure to use and read. It is packed with so much in fabulous full colour pictures. The pages are sturdy, so young ones learning those early sounds can be left alone with it too. There are things to find in the pictures and other activities on each page. There is an excellent 'how to use this book' page in the front too. It's a treasure. Love it.

A lovely book for kids to read, 16 Sep 2008
This is a lovely book with illustrations on each page and gutsy stories in each chapter. It is very nicely presented with a ribbon to use as a bookmark. My son is very fond of this book and regularly returns to it.

Not just for English teachers., 03 Apr 2007
This is great for any time of the year but more so when you need a quick start to a lesson or a change during a lesson. I use it sometimes as a pre-starter for the times when pupils aren't arriving all at the same time (after break or lunch). I also use it when I announce to the class "let's have a change as you are working extremely hard" little do they know I planned this and have already identified the activity!

I have taught English in a 'good' school, a school where some pupils are very weak and more recently in a special school for EBD. It gets used in all of them!

A fab resource not just for English teachers.

First wek survival, 30 Aug 2002
A super book for the first week of term! Helps you to analyse children literacy ability as well as having fun with them. Also a good source of INSET introductory games.

A very useful tool book, 30 Oct 2001
This book is a huge resource of ideas for class activities, for one student or a full class. These are all easily adaptable to suit individual requirements and level of competence. As a relatively new tutor of English to ESOL students, I am finding this a real treasure. All of the activities have examples and hints to extend the scope of the ideas. For the experienced teacher or for the newcomer, this is the sort of book one would refer to over and over again. I especially like the fact that I can adapt the ideas to suit my own style and the requirements of my widely disparate students.

this is a brilliant book, 08 Dec 2000
all kinds of activities involved in this book:pictures, games, roleplay etc....but your students need to have at least an intermediate level or certain activities will be very boring for the teacher if your pupils don't have enough vocabulary

The most useful resource book for language teachers around., 03 Apr 1999
Everybody wants to borrow this book from me and not return it! It is the most useful collection of short activities for language teachers available...you can practically open it anywhere, walk into the class and do it...and be sure of success!

Absolutely Brilliant!, 25 Apr 2007
I cannot talk highly enough about this series! I have been trying to learn Arabic independently over the last 6 months, in which time I have bought numerous books and dvds to help me. None of these compare to this one: the book is clearly layed out with exercises that are simple to understand and increase in difficulty as you progress through each step. The DVD puts Linguaphone's to shame: it has a menu that makes navigation easy, a variation of teaching techniques for all learners and the sound is of a good quality. I would highly recommend this to anyone trying to learn Arabic independently or with tuition. Al-kitaab fii ta allum al-arabiyya follows this book in the series and is equally as excellently written.

Excellent, 23 Mar 2007
Salaam!

I used this book last semester in Arabic 101. While my instructor was insanely awesome in his teaching methods, this book proved to be a great tool throughout the term. As one of the reviewers described below, it gives complete and thorough instruction for beginners of the Arabic language. The CD's were great to use and really proved immeasurably useful when it came to pronunciation.

As someone who has used this book, I highly recommend it for educators, students, self-teachers, etc.

Absolutely outstanding, a superbly crafted learning resource , 29 Sep 2006
Any review of a language-learning tool should, I think, be prefaced with a brief description of the context in which it is being used. I'm self-teaching (via Alif Baa alone) supported by monthly half-day sessions with a native Arabic-speaking tutor (a PhD student at a local university). We review what I've covered and go through further examples.

Alif Baa comprises 10 units with 2 supporting DVDs. The DVDs are absolutely excellent and very professionally produced. The first 7 units take you through the alphabet, learning pronunciation, learning to write, how to use the various long and short vowels, shedda and sukkun. The remaining 3 units take you through the number system, further grammatical elements of the language plus some cultural aspects and calligraphy.

How much time have I spent? Well, I'm personally pretty serious about learning the language after several holidays to Arabic-speaking countries and have, to date, spent over 200 hours on the first 7 units. Some of them I've done twice because they were quite difficult. In particular, I found units 4 and 5 of the book to be the hardest. Here you learn the so-called emphatic consonants plus the tricky `ayn' and `ghayn' sounds. But don't give up !!! If you don't get it, do it again until you `just about' get it. Further examples later in the book will reinforce your understanding and things do become clearer.

The DVDs contain video footage of a professional calligrapher showing you how to write the letters. The book also takes time and effort to show you how printed forms of letters vary from real handwriting. But, for me, really makes this book such a superb learning tool is the rich range of interactive exercises. Throughout the book you will be referred to the DVDs to perform listening exercises, dictation (listen and write), learn vocabulary, writing exercises (joining letters), view street signs, video footage of everyday scenes and so forth. You can also write directly in the book --- it is a workbook, not a textbook. It makes learning Arabic a completely active, not passive, activity.

How can you monitor your progress? Easy, buy the accompanying answer book but resist the temptation to cheat. Do the exercises because they are absolutely the key to success. Believe me.

Learning Arabic won't happen by osmosis: it takes effort, dedication, practise and perseverance. If you're serious about learning the language then this book/DVD combination will give you an absolutely rock-solid foundation on which to build further studies. For me, I feel a real sense of achievement as the once indecipherable Arabic squiggles slowly take form to become letters, words and sounds.

This book is only the start of a long journey but if you stick with it and complete Alif Baa with DVDs you'll be off to a great start.

Great learning tool., 13 Nov 2005
This is an amasingly well done teaching programme,especially where pronunciation is concerned. The video part with the alaphabet pronunciation is excellent and the different dialogues and pronunciation drills are great. I am going through several methods to learn Arabic and this is not only the most precise but the most effective I have come across. A fantastic tool for any beginers and especially if you have no Arabic speaker around to help.

Excellent introduction to the sounds and letters of Arabic., 28 Feb 2001
Tapes to accompany the introductory volume for the course in Standard Arabic from Georgetown University. Note that these essential tapes are also included in the set of tapes which are needed for part two of the course, confusingly numbered Volume I, so buy that set if you are serious about the course. The three books, Alif Baa and Volumes I and II are sold separately. Recommended.

Avoid!, 04 Mar 2008
Nice idea but the author needs a dictionary! Terrifico? That is not a proper translation! I bought this and had to send it back immediately! Get this if you just expect something mediocre.

Good Idea - Incorrect Spanish, 30 Jan 2008
The activities are quite good, creative and fun but incorrect spanish ie el poto "The Pot" the book has many errors in this case: Maceta (Flower Pot)should be the word, this just to illustrate. Pronunciation keys which would have the kids I teach speaking with a pretty notorious and very incorrect accent, doing my own corrections here. So if you plan to use activities and know your spanish well enough to correct the mistakes in the book you may find something worthwhile and usable as I am doing. As a comment I think the authors where advised by someone who has latin-american background, may be very educated but has learned improper Spanish. Shame on the editor.

Worrying review published, 08 Oct 2007
This is so unnecesary, every opportunity exists nowadays to get it right and yet non Spanish words are introduced at this stage already! I am a native speaker and bought this for my grandchild but have not given it to her as it is such poor material.

it translates "terrific" as "terrifico" - very worring, 22 Aug 2007
The Spanish used doesn't seem to have been reviewed by a native speaker, so you could be teaching children inexistent words like "terrifico".

Excellent resource for Spanish teaching, 25 Jul 2005
I bought this book to help me teach my 5 year old son Spanish. I am learning myself so am by no means fluent. It has been a great tool to help cement the major ideas such as numbers, parts of the body, days of the week etc. He has really enjoyed doing each activity. Each activity then forms a page in a book which all binds together and he can then go back to it and use it to help him remember the Spanish he has learnt. Note that it is only really suitable for children who can read. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone teaching young primary children Spanish.

Fab intro to a fab series of books, 13 Oct 2008
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy is the ideal starter book to this fab series. Its pretty basic compared to some of the later offerings and introduces us to a lot of the characters with its charming rhyming prose. Characters such as "Bottomley Potts, covered in spots" (a dalmation) and "Schnitzel Von-Krumm with the very low tum" (a dachund)(excuse the spelling!). And how could we forget "Scarface Claw" - the toughest tom cat in town, whom my 3 year old is currently totally potty about to the point that he's demanded more books featuring Scarface Claw for Christmas (and its only October). Thankfully he won't be disappointed as there are other books in the series featuring this tough tom cat, including a book dedicated to Scarface Claw himself! Overall I think Hairy Maclary is a brilliant read which will be enjoyed night after night by child AND parent. Some books can become monotonous to read over and over but I haven't yet tired of reading this one to my son who always waits in anticipation until Scarface Claw jumps out of the shadows. He enjoys joining with with the loud MEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOW and also enjoys reciting the final "to bed" at the end. I can't rate this book highly enough. Go buy it ... NOW!

Absolutley brilliant, 08 Jul 2008
My son got a set of these books bought for his birthday and this is his absolute favourite. He is only 2 but he joins in with the actions and certain areas of the book are a highlight for him (where the cat jumps out) I can now read this book without looking after reading it so many times.

I would definitley recommend this for all children - a must have for your library at home!

It'll never be left idyling on the bookshelf....., 26 Nov 2007
My 2 year old absolutely loved this booked from the first time I read it to her. With the rythmic style, tongue-twisting words, great story and wonderful fun, she was laughing with delight sitting still gripped with anticipation. She knows the book off by heart and I've read it so many times, so do I. She particularly loves Scarface Claw! In fact her reaction to this particular book led me to buy all of the Lynley Dodd books in the range! This will definitely be THE book I remember from my daughter's early childhood. So whether it's for your child or someone else's, you've just go to do it.... buy it... it'll never be left idyling on the bookshelf.

Fantastic!!, 01 Dec 2006
This book is an absolute must for every child.....and parent for that matter.

I first read Hairy Maclary to my little brother over 15 years ago and have been given it as a gift for my 1 year old. She thinks that it is fab and loves Scarface Claw - The toughest Tom in Town. The rythmn of the book is great and I have to agree with everyone else who says that it is perfect for bedtime.