Rating: - Empieza aquí!
If you are a complete beginner, as I was when I bought this book, be prepared to find yourself speaking and understanding before you are halfway through.

I think the reason this book is so effective is the amount of practice, exercises and examples, that it holds. Filling in the spaces is somehow very satisfying, because the lessons leave little doubt that you're doing it right.

I've seen the criticism concerning the book's lack of answers (teacher guide), but I didn't even notice, much less find it a problem. I suppose if I were homeschooling, and had no knowledge of Spanish myself, I might want an easy way to check the work, but honestly, a person who is working through the book is going to get it right.

I can prove it: email me in Spanish, and I'll not only understand what you say, I'll answer you in pretty passable espanol.

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Rating: - Spanish primer that needs some updates
This was the text selected for an extention class in conversational Spanish. Unfortunately, some of the words were either out-dated or only applicable to European Spanish rather than Mexican and Central American Spanish. It would be helpful if those distinctions were spelled out. The text does provide very useful, yet simple, explanations for grammar rules.

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Rating: - Excelent beginner's book.
I just started a beginning conversational Spanish class. This is the recommended textbook. It is very easy to follow. Not intimidating at all for a beginner.

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Rating: - Great for Spanish 1 - 1 1/2
I have used this text for ages 12 through college aged students to fulfill State Requirements for Spanish One through Spanish "one and a half" - it really goes beyond just Spanish One.

The best thing is that each lesson is begun with a story and picture. Many of them are short skits or plays, and so engage the student in a way that other Spanish textbooks do not. The grammar lessons and exercises are well put-together, though may require a teacher to help truly explain the more detailed points. If you're worried about pronunciation, there is a CD or tape set, I believe, but I have never used it.

There are vocabulary exercises in the back as well as Culture Units. A VERY thorough book, WELL worth the money in a textbook and workbook combination. I love books that are designed to be written in!

For the younger child, this is too advanced and moves too quickly - there are about 30-50 words per lesson to memorize.

Sra. Gose
Author of Flip Flop Spanish: Ages 3-5: Level 1 & Flip Flop Spanish: Ages 3-5: Level 2

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Rating: - Easy because it's natural.
This is the easiest language instruction book I've seen. It's easy because it doesn't try to make you memorize long unique-use phrases like, "Are there any seats available in first class?" that you'll use once in your life ... maybe. Instead it teaches everyday words and sentences in a natural and intuitive way, the way a child learns to speak, by first learning to identify simple objects with pictures, then learning things about the objects like where, how many, etc. You understand the parts of the sentences and begin to learn how to form your own sentences, which is much better than memorizing phrases with little understanding of how and why the sentence was constructed the way it was.