Lightning Fast German for Kids and Families -book review

I received a copy of Lightning Fast German for Kids and Families by Carolyn Woods to review.

"Why not learn German while doing things you would be doing anyway?  This method doesn't require you to set aside time or study in advance.  Instead, pull out the guide and begin teaching and learning while you spend time with your family"

"This book is designed to work even if you don't speak German.  Phonetic pronunciation is included, no current German knowledge necessary."

I went through this book first, and found myself lost!  While there is a pronunciation guide, it's difficult, because you have to be able to understand the 'guide' itself.  With all the little lines and curves above the words, if you don't know (or remember from middle school!) that the straight line is a long e (or is it a short e?) then this book is going to confuse you the same as it did for me.

The saving grace, was that my husband, who lived in Germany for several years as a child, and (then) could speak it fluently could recognize if a word was said correctly.  While he never learned to read or write it, we managed to understand and teach our son some easy words.

The book is meant to teach you converstational German, as opposed to informational.  You don't learn to count, or say your letters.  You learn how to 'get dressed' (chapter 1) or talk about your toys (chapter 6).  You do learn about breakfast, lunch and dinner, which are very important.

For a family who has a need or want to learn German, this is a great starting point. I do wish that it had more instructional text, so it would be easier to know if you're pronuncing something correctly.

The author has provided a 'games' section, with body parts (fun for kids!) and an additional information section, so you can continue your learning.

In all, the book is extremly useful, and especially if you already have a base to begin.  After having my husband helping out, we learned quite a few 'day to day' German sayings, and found the process very easy.  My son learned them the easiest, and astounded us with his memory!

Interested in trying it for your family?

You can find Lightning Fast German for Kids and Families on Amazon.
You can read about all the books Carolyn Woods has written on her website.

You can find a complete list of Carolyn's books here.

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Look for my review of:
Super Moms Inc.: Work From Home, Build A Profitable Home Business, And Find Time For Your Family When You Have Kids To Take Care Of! 
Also by Carolyn Woods, coming soon!


I received a copy of Lightning Fast for German for Kids and Families in order to faciliate this review.  No other compensation was provided.