Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Product Review: Zeezok Publishing

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Zeezok Publishing sent me such a nice package of goodies to review.

I received the Chopin set which includes two soft-cover books (one on Chopin's early years and one on his later years), an enhanced CD, and a study guide.


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The books chronicle Chopin's life from birth to death and tell the stories behind his compositions. Sheet music is included within the body of the story, allowing readers to see his work immediately after reading about it. There are a number of illustrations, all simplistic sketches that give the books a nice, old-fashioned tone.

The study guide includes comprehension questions and extra tidbits of information on the composer. It is neatly arranged, making it easy to line up the questions and extras with the reading.

The enhanced CD provides mp3 sound recordings of all the compositions mentioned in the books. It also contains printable sheet music of Chopin's works and coloring pages for each chapter.

What We Thought
This is one of the best products I have received as a member of the Crew. Zeezok will most likely make my top ten list at the end of the year.

We have enjoyed reading both books. The boys snuggled next to me and listened intently. We like the writing style and the illustrations. I think starting with Chopin's childhood helped to capture my boys' interest. In fact, Orville, who is learning to play piano, was most interested in the chapters that detailed Chopin's course of study and dedication to music as a child. He was inspired by these books.

I liked having the music right at my fingertips, too. After we read a chapter, I simply popped the enhanced CD into my computer and played the recording while I printed the coloring sheet. The boys colored while listening to the music of Chopin. These sheets are also perfect for coloring while the teacher reads aloud, if you like to keep little hands busy while listening.

I give Zeezok Publishing two big thumbs up and encourage you to visit their site. The set I received retails for $30.90. The individual pieces are sold separately as well.

I received the products mentioned in this review for free. I have received no other compensation and have offered my honest opinion.

To read more reviews on this and other books from Zeezok Publishing, please visit the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

1 comment:

argsmommy said...

We love the Opal Wheeler books, but have not seen the Chopin set yet. But now you have me curious -- I wonder if the CDs we already own have coloring sheets on them too. Off to check...