Helene Minto
Helene Minto
Teacher and Author
Helene wrote a series of stories called Hans und Heidi, stories that she read to her classes using simple pictures to help the children understand. The reason they are so easy is that each story is packed with words that are phonetically similar to English. This gives the students confidence and increases their self-esteem.
The Hans und Heidi stories have been tried and tested by hundreds of children over many years. They gradually increase in difficulty with each reader.
The author believes that children are smart enough to figure out the meanings of the stories without giving them a bilingual book where all the work has been done for them. Bilingual books have their place for independent learners but this set of readers is designed to be read in the classroom with the help of a qualified teacher. There is a vocabulary section in the back of each book to help children whenever they get stuck on a particular word.
To help young children with grief, Helene Minto has also written the book "The Dogs Who Came Back From Heaven". It explores the concept of reincarnation in animals to help with the pain that comes with pets passing away.