Come in 1/2
Authors: Birgit Fretzdorff, Anna Fröhlich, Svea Große-Brauckmann, Nina Heidelberg, Anne Marxen und Viktoria Vutz
Ernst Klett Verlag 2016
ISBN 978-3-12-588451-9

Taking a holistic approach, Come in offers an introduction to the English language for children starting school: it includes suggestions for drawing and painting, songs to sing along to, impulses for mimic and gesture, and games to reinforce vocabulary. Its loving design uses pictograms and drawings to describe the various tasks, supporting a monolingual approach to teaching English. To encourage all children to speak, the textbook provides exercises on three different levels. The Smartbox is a wonderful addition to the book, containing nuanced material for individual work and fun games to help improve vocabulary retention.

Kunst mit uns 1/2
Textbook for teaching art in primary school
Edited by Claudia Lutz and Verena Willmann
C.C. Buchner/Mildenberger 2015
ISBN 978-3-619-16210-9 

Kunst mit uns is structured like a museum with many different sections, through which pupils are led by two amusing cats. The book draws an ark between everyday themes and famous works of art. It superbly combines perception and design. Pupils are encouraged to approach works of art with curiosity and candour rather than reverence. The interesting practical exercises make art especially appealing.

Das Zahlenbuch 1
By Melanie Bischoff, Daniela Götze and Birgit Heß, Gerhard N. Müller, Marcus Nührenbörger, Ralph Schwarzkopf and Erich Ch. Wittmann
Ernst Klett Verlag 2017
ISBN 978-3-12-201740-8 

The Zahlenbuch provides children starting school with an outstandingly well-structured introduction to mathematics. It attaches great importance to the formation of a sound understanding of numbers through clever exercises to deconstruct them. Explorer pages provide tasks for solving problems on a number of levels and throughout the book there are stimuli for communication and debate. Supplementary digital material such as the quick maths trainer app and explanatory films are compelling additions to the concept.

Komm zu Wort 1 und 2
Hör-Bilder-Buch (audio and picture book)
Deutsch für Seiteneinsteiger (German for newcomers)
By Doris Fischer and Christina Kellner
Finken 2015/2016 

Komm zu Wort predominantly revolves around school-related topics, reflecting the first point of contact with the German language for most children who have immigrated to Germany. This demonstrates the sensitivity expressed in this work to the situation of these children, who are addressed directly as ‘newcomers’. The book provides an exemplary didactic framework for the implementation of the basic skills required for language development. The chief attraction is the ‘Ting-pen’ with which pupils can hear words and sentences spoken aloud or can travel on a journey of discovery around detailed scenes.