Product Description

Dive into the tales of Spain-in Spanish and in English!

In Stories from Spain/Historias de España, we've placed the Spanish and English stories side by side--lado a lado--so you can practice and improve your reading skills in your new language while enjoying the support of your native language. This way, you'll avoid the inconvenience of constantly having to look up unfamiliar words and expressions in a dictionary. Read as much as you can understand, and then look to the facing page for help. As you read, you can check your comprehension by comparing the two versions of the story. You'll also find a bilingual vocabulary list at the end of the book, so you'll have a handy reference for new words.

Stories from Spain/Historias de España allows you to explore Spain's rich history. It included 18 well-known Spanish legends that chronicle almost 1,000 years of Spanish history. These tales will introduce you to an array of characters as dynamic and colorful as the country that gave birth to them. Moors, kings, nobles, rogues, and pirates are among those who will make these pages come alive for you! As you read these stories side by side, you will be not only fine-tuning your language skills but also gaining insight into the rich cultural heritage of the Spanish people.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8995 in Books
• Published on: 1999-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

About the Author

Genevieve Barlow and William N. Stivers both authored several language books.

Customer Reviews

A good book for all stages
This book is not only a real help in coming to grips with a new language but also useful for those wishing to improve accuracy in written Spanish. Having the English translation next to the Spanish text means that your'e not constantly looking up dictionaries, so you can actually enjoy reading the stories. The stories show the rich cultural and historical side of this vast and interesting country, making the learning process a whole lot more practical too.

A delight to read / Un placer a leer
I am so pleased to have found this book again, I used to own it once before and enjoyed its easy style but I gave it away to a South American friend who was learning English (she loves it!).

This book is so expertly executed that even if you have only a modest level of Spanish, it will strengthen what you've already got, provide you with new words and encourage you onto more.

It's set around 18 stories or myths or folklores from Spain's past, starting with the oldest first and working towards the newest last, with the Spanish and English presented on facing pages.

But each story is introduced by a one paragraph abstract which helps sets the scene for the story that follows. And each of the stories in turn are interesting and engaging in their own right.

Such is my confidence in this book, as well as reordering it, I'm also ordering the Latin American and Mexican versions from the same series at the same time.

If only all parallel books were made like this.

Painless way to improve your vocabulary
The stories in this book are Spanish folk/traditional tales which in themselves are a lesson in Spanish culture. They are simply told but remain interesting enough for 10 year olds to adults who are trying to make that leap from beginner to intermediate level. It is easy when "stuck" to look to the other page and find the translation because the layout on the English and Spanish pages is designed to keep them running line for line(ie if you are in the middle of the page the relevent translation will be on the same place on the opposite page). This allows the reader to keep the flow of the story absorbing vocabulary painlessly and naturally. The only downside arises because they are traditional stories: some of the vocabulary is not the most useful - swords, chieftans, lords, arrows...but, yeh, does it reallly matter?