Leon und die wilden Ritter
When you get to the last page of a book and your listeners regret that there’s not another chapter to come, the author has achieved success! In fact, at the request of my 6-year-old, I’ve started rereading from the beginning, and he’s just as attentive this second time around.
We used the chapters as bedtime reading. My boys (ages 6 and 10) were drawn in from the very first pages. Poachers, knights, swords, mistaken identity, a great escape… these are the ingredients of adventure! And, my 10-year-old smiled broadly at learning that main character Leon was just about his own age.
Sounds like the perfect book for boys, right? Well, if you’re considering this book for a girl, you’re in luck! I won’t give away who she is, but a certain 9-year-old Heldin saves the day more than once.
Once of the first things I noticed when I picked up this book was the line Unterrichtsmaterial zum kostenlosen Download, discretely printed on the back cover along with a URL for Lehrer. We homeschool bilingually in German and English, and I’m always on the lookout for German-language support materials. I downloaded the study guide right away for use with my older son, who is in his fourth grade year. His spoken German is very good, but his German-language reading and writing skills lag a year or two behind. The written study guide exercises were at a perfect level for him – they posed a healthy challenge, and led us to some nice discussion about elements found in the story.
Though I read the entire book to both children, I also asked my fourth-grader to read some segments on his own. There were a few unfamiliar words for him, but in general, he had no problem working through his chapters. I welcome those unfamiliar words, as they are an opportunity for him to learn new vocabulary!
In short, Leon und die wilden Ritter gets two thumbs up from us!
Age recommendation: Ages 6 to 10
Fluency recommendation: Intermediate/Advanced. Aimed at native speakers in the 2nd/3rd grade, but the story is enjoyable for upper-elementary students as well. Large print and and many colorful illustrations ease reading.
Submitted by: Truffula
I love the idea of downloadable study guides…it would be great to indicate on the AG website which books have this option, or make a seperate list. The guides would also be useful in our book club.
Hi Katie,
I’ll pull together some ideas and get back to you.
Hello there!
We are thinking of homeschooling our kids in German, as well. Any tips?
Thanks!
Katie
Don’t have that book but I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for the recommendation.
Klaus Peter Wolf is wonderful, isn’t he?! Do you have Ulf und die starken Wikinger
Love this book and so do my kids. Anyone have recs for similar ones?