Living up to its title, this book is seven stories in one cover. The stories all have clear plots with plenty of wording, so they are great for beginning readers. The pictures are detailed and fully colored, while Dora and her friends are bright and nearly popping off the pages. Dora speaks directly to readers, engaging them with questions, giving advice for good manners, and encouraging them to sing, dance, and even make animal sounds. Readers are also challenged to try repeating Spanish words, read maps, solve the troll's riddles, sing the alphabet, count forward and backward, and account for the contents in the backpack. There is certainly no room for boredom in this big book of adventures!
The stories range from adventures your child may be familiar with, like visiting the dentist or playing outside on a chilly day, to fun fantasy stories that will stimulate imagination like when Dora and her friends hitch a ride on the condor to get to school, when Dora becomes a true princess, or visiting a chocolate tree. There are endless opportunities for your child to pose questions, so be ready! This book also encourages independence, as your child can pick out which stories they want to read in each sitting, answer Dora's questions or ask their own, and learn to follow along and start to read on their own.
My niece Emily, likes the princess story the most. She will get all dolled up in one of her many dress-up dresses, wears her crown and princess shoes, and asks me to read Dora's princess story to her. I've seen her playing with her dolls and going on adventures like Dora to become a real princess.
--Audra