Customer Reviews

Marco Flamingo / Marco Flamenco

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Marco Flamingo is that rare bird who wants to migrate North in winter to discover what snow is after hearing about it from his friends the Snowbirds who have just migrated South. The story, presented in English and Spanish, is simple and I believe would be interesting to a young child, and the illustrations are very colorful. It would be a useful vehicle for parents to discuss differences with children- the colorful bird who lives in a warm place wanting to experience what his Snowbird friends try to escape from a cold place. It could also be used to talk about "the grass is always greener on the other side" concept if that need should arise. I would have given it 4 stars but the binding (perhaps because it was from Amazon Vine?) was unacceptable in a book at this price.

This book seems to have a split personality - I first thought it would be great to have the translations on the same page - makes it easier to translate. However, it seems to be back and forth between ages and abilities. One page is simple, easy to figure translation. Then the next page they hit you with two paragraphs that are
WAY beyond the age level of the book.

the story itself is okay - not enchanting or particularly interesting. I sure would NOT recommend this.

This book was a pleasant enough little read, but they could have expanded and/or made better selections for their vocabulary list in the back. The is only 10 words, and includes such uncommon words as "flamingo", "palm tree" and "goose."

IMO it is a cute seasonal book to read to young students of Spanish, but not particularly useful for practical learning.

Obviously I don't speak Spanish, but if you have a child age 9 or less who you're starting on becoming bilingual, this is a terrific book for them. Illustrated in wild colors, it's the story of a flamingo who gets curious about why geese migrate south in the winter, and he flies north to find that the grass may be greener in the south but snow is cool.

My daughter just turned 11 and said the book was "kind of boring" for her, and I checked and found that it's recommended for reading level 2.4. She's an exceptional reader, currently at 9.3., so take that into consideration. Younger kids will love it, especially if they love birds; there are many in this book.

I have to say I loved the story and so did the children reading it,( the english sections), the illustrations are very vivid and wonderfully done. However this book is NOT for a child just wanting to learn to read in Spanish which is what I was hoping for. The words are simple but with no pronunciation guide for the Spanish words if left the children a bit discouraged trying to work them out. Otherwise I found it an excellent book just slightly lacking in that one area there by earning only 4 stars.

I have to agree with some of the other reviewers that while this is certainly a visually interesting book, the actual story is choppy and oddly forced. I will say that we do not live in a bilingual household, so it may be that the story flows better in Spanish, or that the text is tailored to productive language learning. However, when viewed strictly as an English story, it has failed to really capture my kids attention (which is ultimately the the best way, in my mind, to evaluate the quality of a children's book).

I loved this light way of presentng literature to children in two languages. The story is cute and the fact that it is bilingual is wonderful. Children are required to be exposed to World Languages in school. My school district exposes children to Spanish so this was a good match for me. I teach in an elementary school where the children are exposed to some very basic Spanish. I read this to my students in Spanish first and then English. they were really able to pick up on some phrasing. This is so much better than exposing them to individual words out of context. My student want me to read the story again and they also want to be the first one to get to this book during independent reading time. I am pleased with the many ways in which this book is useful--exposure to the English language and literature, as well as exposure to Spanish and the comparison between the two languages!

my kindergarten daughter loves this book. it is very colorful, the character is very cute and likable. the only thing that was not totaly satisfactory was the story, i thought it would have been more detailed with how the flamingo got from one instance to the next. for a child though, it is just fine and also educational. it has the story in english and spanish.

It was a real delight reading this with my 3 year old. He thoroughly enjoyed the story and the pictures since they were both bold and interesting. I loved that it was written in both english and spanish. I'm not bilingual but I'm sure it would be great for those who are. I definitely recommend this for all ages.

Marco Flamingo / Marco FlamencoBeautifully illustrated childrens book. This book is easy to read for a 2nd grader. The Flamingo is energetic, free spirited, and fun to read with the family. This book is a great christmas present for your children.