Lesemaus paperback books are one of our favorite series of books!

There are so many reasons to recommend them:

• Engaging stories and characters
• Detailed and inviting illustrations bring the story to life
• Lightweight, and fit perfectly in the seat pocket in your car or in a large purse so you always have a book with you when the kids need something to do

The Lesemaus series is great for established readers, or to read to younger children.  The stories and illustrations are interesting and engaging even for non-readers. The recommended age group is 3 to 5 years old, but they appeal to all ages.

Lesemaus books come in a variety of themes, including history, science, occupations, other cultures and everyday life. With so many themes, there’s something for everyone from the budding scientist to the aspiring storyteller.

We carry a selection of titles from each theme, but there are many more available and new books and themes are added regularly. Please feel free to contact us, and we’ll see if we can help find the perfect book for your growing readers.

Here’s a quick overview of some of the themes:

• Alle Kinder dieser Welt – introduces families from different cultures living in Germany, including Lili from China and Yuki from Japan. (Read more about these books in the blog post here.)
• Ein Tag… – spend a day on a pirate ship, with knights as they prepare for a tournament at the Ritterburg, with Vikings or even the aristocracy in a beautiful Schloss as they celebrate the summer festival
• Ich hab einen Freund/in… – Learn about different occupations as children introduce a neighbor who is a pilot, soccer player, tug boat captain, garbage man, dentist or ballerina
• Science – stories explain the seasons, the weather or the lifecycle of a caterpillar to a butterfly, how airplanes work, and different musical instruments.
• Everyday life – the Max series and the Conni series showcase every day situations. Max, a little boy, wants a pet rabbit, learns to ride a bike, and has his first sleepover at his friend Pauline’s house. Kids have been growing up with Conni for years, and the journey begins with Lesemaus as she starts in preschool, has many adventures, becomes a big sister when her baby brother is born, celebrates the holidays (birthday, Christmas and Easter), and eventually starts elementary school and gets a Schultüte.

We’ve all heard the saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” This is especially true for us, trying to promote the minority language (German) in an overwhelmingly English environment. We rely on other families for recommendations and resources, ideas on how to increase the amount of German in our family, how to grow the language as our children grow, and other tips and tricks. We trade links to great websites (such as Alphabet Garten!) as well as recommendations for books, music and DVDs. We may meet face to face, via Skype, or rely on emails or blog posts.

Our Customer Spotlights will give you some insight into the lives of other parents like you, and some of the ways they incorporate German in their families.

Customer Background: Birgitta B. from the metro Detroit area, Michigan. Birgitta was born and raised in Germany, but came to the U.S. about 10 years ago. She and her American husband have a son (5) and daughter (2). They spend about 4 weeks per year in Germany.

How do you speak German with your family?
Birgitta speaks German with her kids, and her husband speaks English as his German knowledge is limited. They also have German speaking grandparents and other family and friends.

How do your children respond?
The children respond in German and/or English, depending on the situation. My 5 year old can instantly switch between German and English, depending on whom he is talking to. My 2 year old tends to respond more in English at this point even though she is capable of saying what she wants to say in German as well.

Do you have a German community in your area, and if so do you participate?
The Metro Detroit area has a very large and active German community. There are two German language schools (one afternoon/week) and a full-time international school with a German immersion program that I am aware of: the Deutsche Sprachschule Bloomfield, Deutsche Schule Metro Detroit, and The International School in Farmington Hills. My children are not attending any school yet but we plan on enrolling my son in one of the language schools in the near future. I love having so many German-speaking families (and other bilingual children) around so that it is very easy for us to engage in German conversation all the time. My kids (still) have more German- than English-speaking friends and so it is something totally natural to them.

Do you actively “teach” German?
No, we practice immersion, the child will learn by using German.
Honestly, I stumbled over the “No” here. I would say, YES, we practice immersion! I consider speaking German to my kids a very natural way of teaching them. A German language school will obviously help teach my son to read and write in German, and how to use the grammar properly but I believe the foundation for all this starts at home. I read a lot of German books to my kids, and they listen to lots of CDs (mainly audiobooks and stories on CDs), and watch German DVDs or online TV programs for kids. We have also started using some workbooks and games that teach letters and numbers, or focus on early reading skills, for instance.

What is your biggest challenge in teaching your children German?
Other than constantly reminding myself not to slip into speaking English, I really haven’t run into any challenges so far – I really feel my children are growing up with two native languages. I am prepared that they might prefer English at some point in the future if we continue to live in an English-speaking country. In the meantime, I try to be as consistent as I can with speaking German to them, and I try to expose them to as many situations as possible in which they need to use their German.

Why do you want your children to speak German?
I consider the German language a huge part of my – and thus, their – culture and background. I want my children to be able to easily and comfortably communicate with their German grandparents, other family members, and friends. I would like them to grow up regarding Germany as their “second home” and not a country they just travel to, and so fitting in through speaking German fluently is part of that.

What are your goals for your children in speaking German?
I would ultimately love for them to be able to speak, read, and write German fluently in order to communicate with ease in any situation.

What is your favorite German language book, CD and/or DVD?
Oh, there are so many!! I really feel like there is an abundance of high quality German children’s media that even adults will enjoy. Here are a few of our favorites. I listed first the options for younger children.

Books:
• Sweet stories for the very young with simple sentence structure and beautiful illustrations:
- Der Mondbär by Rolf Fänger and Ulrike Möltgen (also on CD and DVD)
- Der Hase mit der roten Nase by Helme Heine

• Books with flaps and pull-out parts so fun for younger children. They are written in rhyme, which might help kids learn and memorize words.
- Abends, wenn der Mond aufgeht by Andreas Nemet and Hans-Christian Schmidt (out of print)
- Wenn Kuscheltiere schlafen gehn by Andreas Nemet and Hans-Christian Schmidt

•Das grosse Buch der Kindergarten-Geschichten by Lesemaus – A fun mix of stories for preschool aged children, especially useful in preparing the kids for entering preschool; includes a Conni story.

• Freunde by Helme Heine

• Hänschen im Blaubeerenwald by Elsa Beskow – This is a classic for our family and a book that I grew up with! A quite fantastical and fairytale-like story.

• So lieb hab ich nur dich by Jutta Langreuter

• Die Seefahrt nach Rio by James Kreuss – A great picture book classic by one of the most acclaimed German authors, written inrhyme, ages 4 and up.

• Herr Lavendel by Michael Roher – A very simple yet clever book with questions for the child (about 5 and up), might work well as a great conversation starter!

• Ach, so schön ist Panama: Alle Tiger und Bär-Geschichten in einem Band by Janosch – The most well-known Janosch stories, written in his typical style, in one book. Entertaining and engaging for kids and adults alike.

• Easy reader books with small pictures replacing some of the nouns in the text so a child who is not yet reading him/herself can “read” along. There are many other books of this type. (Check out the German Readers Level 1 Set A collection and Erste Geschichten zum Lesenlernen for similar books.)
- Das rabestarke Geschichtenbuch zum Lesenlernen
- Leselöwen Bildermaus series

• Was is Was? Junior series – a number of topics such as everyday life, nature, animals, science, medicine, etc. (At Alphabet Garten, we currently stock Der Flughafen, Am Meer, and Wer lebt im Garten?, but others are available by special order. Contact us for more information about this wonderful series.)

• We love the Tiptoi products by Ravensburger! An interactive pen adds audio elements to books and games, which makes them such a fun alternative to “just” reading books for the kids. An easy tool for listening to more German as well.
- Tiptoi Bilderlexikon Tiere
- Tiptoi Wieso? Weshalb? Warum? Series 

CDs (most are series):
• Two wonderful series for the youngest learners of German as they follow a very simple sentence structure and basic vocabulary:
- Bobo Siebenschläfer by Markus Osterwalder
- Leo Lausemaus

• Conni – A great series of everyday life stories for a child between about 3 and 5. While Conni is a girl, most stories will also relate to boys’ lives. My son loved them.

• Yakari – Beautifully told stories and adventures of a Native American boy. For nature and animal lovers and those in the making!

• Two awesome series of informational audio CDs that effortlessly teach knowledge through a storyline. Not just fun for kids, but these are entertaining for adults as well!
- Pixi Hören – a series with many different themes (including Dinosaurier)
- Was hör ich da? – series themes includes Bauernhof, Wald, Flughafen, Baustelle, Feuerwehr and more

• Two examples of classic books turned into great audiobooks:
- Die kleine Hexe by Otfried Preussler
- Das kleine Gespenst by Otfried Preussler

DVDs:
• Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt und vier weitere lustige Abenteuer – A great first DVD for young children. The illustrations are beautiful and move very slowly on the screen so there is no risk for sensory overload.
• Geschichten mit der Maus – a classic, of course! (The Maus series consists of themed sets of “Sendung mit der Maus” clips. Alphabet Garten stocks Alles Gute zum Geburtstag and Gute Nacht mit der Maus, but others are also available.)
• Yakari
• Der kleine Ritter Trenk
• Pippi Lanstrumpf

Do you have any helpful hints for other parents raising bilingual kids?
I think the “one parent – one language” approach is a really great way of teaching two languages from the start but obviously there are many different models that work for different families. Using the language consistently and as often as possible is crucial. Immersing in the language and culture has a tremendously positive effect on language acquisition. Whenever we went to Germany for an extended stay of about 4 weeks, I noticed a huge difference in both my kids’ German — and I feel they benefit from the exposure for months. They just literally soak up the vocabulary and grammar (and culture as well!).
On a practical note, I would say that of all the many helpful tools there are for teaching a language, I am really a fan of audio CDs. My kids listen to them in the car or while playing, and I believe this more or less “passive” listening is so extremely effective. (I think that some language programs for adults work that way as well.)

Do you have any other comments?
I love teaching my kids German and raising them bilingually, and it was never a question for me. I feel that it is such an awesome opportunity for them now and in the future. We have not yet experienced any type of disadvantage by doing so! I can only encourage any parent who is considering this – it is so worth it.

We’ve all heard the saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” This is especially true for us, trying to promote the minority language (German) in an overwhelmingly English environment. We rely on other families for recommendations and resources, ideas on how to increase the amount of German in our family, how to grow the language as our children grow, and other tips and tricks. We trade links to great websites (such as Alphabet Garten!) as well as recommendations for books, music and DVDs. We may meet face to face, via Skype, or rely on emails or blog posts.

Our Customer Spotlights will give you a little insight into the lives of other parents like you, and some of the ways they incorporate German in their families.

Customer Background: Susannah M. of Fair Oaks, California, a suburb east of Sacramento. Mom to two daughters, ages 5 and 3. The family is involved in Boxer rescue and currently have two. Susannah says “Even the dogs are German!” Susannah holds a BA, MA and PhD in German Literature and currently teaches German at a local private high school (Sacramento Waldorf School) and at a local community college (American River College).

How do you speak German with your family?
Mostly it is just I that speaks German, but my husband lived for a year with me in Berlin so he speaks it well enough to get by and thus also speaks with the girls now and then. We have a large group of German-speaking friends as well.

How do your children respond?
Our older daughter would use German first until she learned the English words and then wouldn’t use German again. Both girls understand almost everything but respond primarily in English. We bribe them with ice cream now and then to get them to speak German, and I have to say their accents aren’t very good, but at least I know it is in there.

Do you have a German community in your area, and if so do you participate?
There is a solid Turn Verein in Sacramento (Sacramento Turn Verein) that has Saturday classes for children and we participate when we have time. They also put on events like a lovely Maifest and such and we go to those as well. I am very involved with the Verein, but many of the meetings and such are too late and not much fun for children. Starting in first grade, our daughters will have German class at school three days a week.

Do you actively “teach” German?
No, our girls are too young so we just use immersion and songs, games, books, and cds. Every time I go back to Germany I also stock up on ‘stuff’, i.e. little kid-sized shopping bags that have German sayings on them, wooden German toys, cloth dolls, Frühstücksbrette, Besteck, magnets, housewares, anything I can buy that we can have in the house as ‘every day’ things. If we can’t be in Germany, I want to bring Germany to us!

What is your biggest challenge in teaching your children German?
It is too easy for me to slip into English and also it can be hard to find the time to read as many books in German as I’d like.

What are your goals for your children in speaking German?
I want both of them to understand everything and soon reach the point that they are confident to speak back in German. I want them to enjoy knowing two languages and be excited about going to Germany to see our friends there. I would also be delighted if someday they choose to go to university there.

What is your favorite German language book, CD and/or DVD?
My girls love the Conni books and die Olchis. “Discobär & Hexentanz” is the current favorite CD, although our older daughter loves Hans Albers and Heinz Ruehmann (!!) as well as Marlene Dietrich. Both girls can sit and listen to stories on CD for hours. We have no TV in our house and do not allow them to see any kind of screens (i.e. computer), so DVDs, etc. aren’t an option.

Do you have any helpful hits for other parents raising bilingual kids?
Don’t give up!!!!!!  And make sure you have a plethora of books.

We’ve all heard the saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” This is especially true for us, trying to promote the minority language (German) in an overwhelmingly English environment. We rely on other families for recommendations and resources, ideas on how to increase the amount of German in our family, how to grow the language as our children grow, and other tips and tricks. We trade links to great websites (such as Alphabet Garten!) as well as recommendations for books, music and DVDs. We may meet face to face, via Skype, or rely on emails or blog posts.

Our Customer Spotlights provide a small insight into the lives of other parents like you, and some of the ways they incorporate German in their families.

Customer Background: Valerie A of Tampa, Florida, mom to two children ages 25 months and 5 months. They are an active duty military family that hopes to move to Germany one day with their children.

How do you speak German with your family?
I have a native, fluent German babysitter 10 hours per week. I speak some German to my children, but I am not fluent. My husband speaks no German. My oldest daughter has had a German babysitter since she was 8 months old, and my second since birth.

How do your children respond?
My 2 year old understands but responds mostly in English, although certain things she only says in German.

Do you have a German community in your area, and if so do you participate?
Not to my knowledge, and my kids have been too young so far. We would love to in the future though.

Why do you want your child to speak German?
Primarily we do so as I believe research has shown learning a second language early is great for brain development as well as achieving fluency. We hope to live in Europe at some point and want our children to live the culture while there. I also studied German for 6 years in school and can understand the language.

Do you actively “teach” German?
No, they are too young for formal teaching

What is your biggest challenge in teaching your child German?
Lack of parent fluency, therefore limited exposure.

What are your goals for your child in speaking German?
I hope for them to achieve fluency at some point in German. I also hope it allows them to acquire a second or multiple languages more easily as they grow.

What are your favorite German language books, CDs and/or DVDs?

• Mickey Mouse Wunderhaus DVD – great for young toddlers
• Manuel und Didi books by Erwin Moser
• Xenegugeli Tier-ABC CD by Roland Zoss – very clear language

Do you have any helpful hits for other parents raising bilingual kids?
It’s a marathon not a sprint to learn language in life.
We all do the best we can to teach our children, so just keep at it.