Children’s Books for Ages 7-12

Want to inspire your young children to learn about Spain and also learn Spanish? We have many books designed to do just that and here is our short list of Children’s Books which are based in Spain and suitable for 7-12 year olds:

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Pick Your Brains About Spain

At last enquiring young minds can discover Europe in an engaging and inventive new series, fully illustrated with b&w illustrations, cartoon strips, and puzzles to solve. Combining Cadogan’s renowned travel expertise with a totally fresh approach enlivening travel for children, “Pick Your Brains “present the most popular European countries in a way they’ve never been seen before.

Spanish Olympics Topic Pack
Games, Activities and Resources to Teach Spanish

£13.95

The enthusiasm and excitement surrounding the Olympics makes it an ideal topic for teaching Spanish. Not only will pupils learn the Spanish words for sports, we also give teachers ideas to reinforce vocabulary and sentence structures for a range of topics, from colours and weather to numbers and travel. In addition, using the information on Spain at the Olympics included in the resource will help to cover the Intercultural Strand of the Framework for Modern Languages. The Spanish Olympics Topic Pack contains photocopiable activities and games which include: flashcards; picture flashcards; word searches, crossword puzzles and other word games; listening activities; bingo and other games; sentence building activities; and background information on Spain at the Olympics.

£4.49

Christopher Columbus – The Voyage That Changed the World

Christopher Columbus made the voyage that, for better and worse, changed history. Born in the bustling port city of Genoa, Italy, Christopher Columbus fell in love with the sea and spent his youth learning all he could about steering and navigating a ship. Dreaming of wealth and fame, Columbus believed he could find a new route to the Indies by sailing westward. Expert biographer Emma Bernay paints this compelling portrait of his life and times in a language that will help children follow his journeys to the ‘New World.’ With careful attention to context, she explains how Columbus won support for his expedition, what happened when he finally reached land, what effect his arrival had on the native people and how he ultimately clashed with the Spanish crown.

Toro! Toro! by Michael Morpurgo

£4.99

Toro! Toro! is a passionate story of love and loss from the best selling author of Warhorse. It starts in a simple way, with a typical family living on a farm in Spain. The grandfather is comforting his grandson, who has just smashed a window with a football. Then his grandfather decides to tell him the family history. His grandfather grew up during the Spanish Civil War and he tells him how he became very close to a young bull called Paco. We are taken on a journey seen through the eyes of a young boy as he experiences the excitement and terror of bullfighting. He mothers a young bull that he grows to love dearly and then cannot bear the idea of him being killed in a bullfight, so he devises a plan to free the bull. As he goes with the bull, he unknowingly escapes the massacre of his village and becomes a refugee. This is an epic story of how the Spanish Civil War affected so many towns. It shows how they had to live on very little and how scared they were. The only thing that kept the refugees going, were the stories of their culture. The illustrations are excellent and show the innocence of the characters. Emily Claire Cannings (16)

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Soccer World – Spain

Review for Books4Spain by Zacarias Flores Watson, aged 6.

“I really liked this book because I learned lots about Spain, where I live, and about football, and about Spanish too. The bit about how you say what your name is in all the different languages of Spain was great. I also liked the maps. I want to go to Doñana park to see a lynx and I want to make the volcano.”

Some observations by his mum:

He’s a bit young to read it all on his own (it’s for ages 7-10), so we dipped in and out. It’s about a professional footballer who goes to Barcelona to visit his friend Javier, a mad-keen FC Barcelona fan. They visit famous sites in the city, and learn about food, culture, fiestas, history, nature; they also go to Madrid, Palos de la Frontera, Doñana Park, Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, and to the mountains. It’s a great introduction to Spain for children. It’s written for a North American audience, so there are some different words and specific USA-based references.

In visual terms (important for the parent, if not the child!) the design is great – very colourful (liked the page numbers in Spain’s national colours), bold patterns behind the text, easy-to-spot boxed-out information, lists and vocabulary. Really liked the illustration style too. The craft projects are fun, though the volcano sounds rather messy, so not sure if we’ll be doing that!

Spanish for Beginners (9+)

Spanish for Beginners By Angela Wilkes, John Shackell

£5.39

This title deals with everyday situations in which children may find themselves while abroad. Spanish grammar is clearly explained, and puzzles provide plenty of practice. This title is part of a series providing a thorough grounding in useful, basic language skills.

£6.99 with FREE UK shipping

Draw with Pablo Picasso (6-12)

Pablo Picasso once famously said: “When I was young I could draw like Raphael, but it has taken me my whole life to learn to draw like a child.” Now you can learn from the master himself. Step by step, line by line we show you how to recreate some of Picasso’s most famous motifs. Through copying and then improvising for yourself, this book will help you to see and appreciate Picasso’s drawings and inspire you to try out many more of your own.