Reviews

Once again Lingo Mastery has come to the rescue, allowing us to make Chinese more accessible to a wider population. In the Introductory Note the goal is stated well: 'Haven't we all been frustrated by our inability to remember new vocabulary? We learn a word and quickly forget it. Next time we come across it, we have to look it up in a dictionary. Only then do we realize that we used to know it at some point and start to blame ourselves, asking "Why am I so forgetful?", when in fact, it's not our shaky memory to blame, but the fact that unless we review constantly, what we've learned quickly becomes dormant. Lingo Mastery's Chinese Short Stories For Beginners book is specially designed to handle this issue: it's here to help you retain what you've learned...The book not only incorporates all the vocabulary and grammar specific to the grade, but also many interesting and absorbing stories.'

After their success teaching Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Russian, now they further enhance their teaching of Chinese! And it works. To make the Chinese characters accessible, transcriptions are provided in the form of transliteration and conventional signs used for transcription. In addition to the English translation below each paragraph, the Pinyin romanization of the Chinese language are provided, and the summaries follow a synopsis in Chinese and in English, along with questions (and answers) about the text, ably assisting knowledge of what was just read. Taking it slowly, step by step with practice, Chinese words and the accompanying excellent short stories become accessible! And one of the very successful features of this book is the depth of discussion about the symbols, grammar, and the importance of the intonation of words - a feature that makes this a quality textbook!

The technique is solid and the lessons well taught. This is a very fine introduction to Chinese vocabulary and culture that may arise when you visit China or simply conversing and understanding the Chinese population here at home. This book is appropriate for all age levels, and a book much needed at this time in our national status! Grady Harp, January 20