Dime Dos

Book Review

Title:	Dime Dos
Author:	Fabian A. Samaniego  et al
Publisher:	D.C. Heath and Company,  Lexington, MA
ISBN:	0-669-23996-8
Reviewed By:	Frank Fogg
Review Date:	May, 2001
Rating:

The DIME series of Spanish language  textbooks are a radical departure from traditional course materials. Dime Dos continues where Dime Uno ended with intermediate level instruction in Spanish  for native English speakers. The textbookis a hard cover text of about 550 pages.

The first thing one notices upon opening this series of books is the use of brilliant colors and abundance of pictures and drawings. The most unique feature of this book is that a comic book style  format is used to introduce new material. Multi-page cartoons and picture strips present new grammar and concepts using an interesting story, and it is easy  to guess what is being said when unfamiliar words are encountered.

Many of the characters in the storylines appear high school aged. They are shown  in familiar settings such as the classroom, at home, or involved in leisure  time activities, making it easy for young students to identify with the characters. This book differs from Dime Uno in that an increased emphasis is placed on learning about the cultures in Spanish speaking countries, their history, and their legends.

There are a variety of activities in every chapter to further the student's understanding of the material. Each chapter  has different activities, with typical activities including role playing, sketching,  group activities and map reading. Another 122 pages of problems included near  the end of the book are organized in chapter order.

Most of the vocabulary in the book is listed at the end of the book along with the English translations. Additional information is included from time to time in the page margins that explains  the new concepts and grammar rules for that chapter. The design of the content  and order of presentation make it simple to follow along as more complex situations are introduced. Dime Dos includes coverage of irregular verbs, the uses of ser  and estar, and less commonly used verb tenses.

This is a wonderful book for an intermediate student of Spanish to increase their understanding of the Spanish language as  used in everyday situations. The extensive coverage given to cultural information will also give the reader a better understanding of civilizations in the Spanish  speaking world. It is a refreshing alternative to traditional language instruction  methods, and the comic book style format is truly unique, colorful and interesting.

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