Do children's books make good study aids?
Am a 41 year old male. Went to the library today and checked out the Spanish version of "The Cat In the Hat" by Dr. Suess. Would aids like this help, or would they do more harm in the long run?
4 Answers
Hola! Children's books are GREAT learning tools. With much repetition and the basics, it is a good way to start. My teacher has me read them for meaning and also has me read them aloud for practice. You have a great idea there, go for it. Also, listening to Spanish language music is good for training your ear. You don't have to understand what they are saying, but surprisingly you will begin to pick out words. It's pretty exciting the first time you understand an actual phrase! One easy way to familiarize yourself with various Spanish music is to try Pandora radio on the internet. Its a free site and it will introduce you to many artists. If you already know some Spanish group you like, just plug that in and it will go from there. I also just discovered that some of the lyrics are also available on Pandora! Just don't get too used to them, there are some errors...but, it is a good start. And good luck in your efforts!
I bought a copy of 'Biblia Juvenil' that is totally in Spanish. I am not religious but because I do know basic parts of the Bible story I find it very helpful to read through it, Basically because when I read many words I don't know I can guess the meaning from the context. I'd recommend it - doesn't really matter what the book is. It is also a great way of learning new words.
another source that I found useful is the mexican tv series!
The conversations are very simple most of them in the present or past tense and you get to hear the same thing over and over in different persons or tenses 
Children's books are very good help. They are written in a simple language thus it is not frustrating to read them a understand them as opose to trying to read magazines or a newspaper.
