Tour the World With Bella & Harry!

ABCD Diaries was given samples for review purposes only. We were in no other way compensated. The opinions expressed in this post are ours and ours alone.

"Lisa Manzione’s new book series The Adventures of Bella and Harry could fit in well as a back-to-school product.

Giving kids an introduction to international cities, these books are an excellent way to rev up for the upcoming school year without them even realizing that they’re learning! In each book, two Chihuahua siblings named Bella and Harry lead children through cities like Rome, Istanbul, Edinburgh, and Jerusalem (to name a few). With these expert dogs as their guides, children learn all about foreign cities without ever having to step out of the United States.

Major topics covered include:

• Culture – Each book includes interesting things like typical food, dress, architecture, and religion.
• City Landmarks – Landmarks are covered along with landscape and cultural climate types
• Language – at the end of each book, Manzione includes basic vocabulary from the country explored, such as how to say “hello” and “goodbye”, and “yes” and “no.”
• History—General background information that has affected the city and/or country as a whole
• Location—A map of where the city is located, as well as a map of the country itself" 

What we thought:  This series of books is FANTASTIC!  We have been studying Europe this month and these books have been a great addition to my lesson plan.  The cute characters of Bella and Harry make learning about other countries so much fun:)  The colorful illustrations are beautiful and really catch the kiddos' attention.
  

These books really have enriched our studies and taught A and D geographical and cultural lessons that will stick with them better than a standard textbook could.  My little learners always respond better to "living" books better than textbooks and these books really fit the bill! 

I also love that these books include maps of the country and even a few words in each contry's predominant language.  This makes the series an all-around must have for teaching geography in my opinion.  Each book is a wealth of information and would be the perfect complement to unit studies on individual countries.  What a great addition to any classroom library!

ABCD Diaries gives the Bella & Harry series an A+!