Stories from Spain: Historias De Espaana (Side by Side Bilingual Books)

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.

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.