Review of Φύγαμε για ελληνικά! Off We Go to Learn Greek!
I adopted this 95-page textbook for my intermediate Greek class and found it to be excellent. The students like its variety, its cheerful tone, its puzzles, and other fun exercises. The book comes in a handy format and consists of 25 units that become progressively more difficult, leaving the second half of the book perhaps better suited for a more advanced intermediate language class. The book is further accompanied by a CD-rom to help facilitate listening practice; the text of the listening exercises has been provided in the back of the book, allowing for self-practice by the students as well. The book’s layout is logical, current, and attractive, and it encourages the students to look up some of the songs and to pursue certain types of exercises such as fill-out recipes, email messages, etc. Overall a good fit.
Gonda Van Steen
Review of Λυδία. ‘Ενα καλοκαίρι στην Ελλάδα!
Lydia is an attractive short story in Modern Greek for A1-A2 language learners. The authors present a young Greek-American woman visiting Greece and making new friends and connections. On her path of discovery, Lydia covers several useful scenarios that offer the student an instant, practical vocabulary for every-day encounters with Greek food, accommodation, transportation, island culture as well as city life, etc. But this is also a story with an unexpected twist, and the hints woven into the text keep the reader on the alert.
The Greek is crisp and effective. Cues at the bottom of nearly every page provide synonyms or short paraphrases. Vocabulary lists appear in the back of the booklet. Audio and music files enrich the reading, as do the beautiful illustrations added by David Hitch.
Gonda Van Steen