Fun in Four Seasons Bilingual Chinese English Books for Kids #ReadYourWorld
Disclosure: I received this set of books to review for Multicultural Children’s Book Day. All opinions are my own.
I’m always on the lookout for bilingual Chinese English books for my kids. In our bicultural family, English is the primary language spoken at home. However, it’s important that our children also learn Chinese to know about the other half of their heritage.
Our eldest daughter attends Chinese School once a week on the weekends (the younger one will start soon). During the week, it’s easy to forget using our Chinese since not everyone speaks it. We read to our children every night, so reading them bilingual Chinese English books are a great way to reinforce the language.
I had to opportunity to read Fun in Four Seasons – a set of bilingual Chinese English books for young readers by Ining Tracy Chao. The four paperback books take readers on a fun journey through each season. Using simple phrases, each page features the text in Chinese characters with pinyin as well as their English translation.
Repetitive, simple, everyday phrases help kids to learn the language. For example, in the Spring book, one page reads, “Hurry up, hurry up! Put on a raincoat!” (快点儿，快点儿！穿雨衣！). Parents would say these words to their children in real life. They’re useful phrases, not random words. The text is lyrical, like poetry, yet relatable. A glossary at the end of each book includes words from the story in both Chinese and English.
Large, vivid, colorful photos capture the reader’s attention. The author’s blog, Chinese Children’s Stories, indicates she took the photos herself. Kids will delight in seeing familiar things such as rain boots, seashells, fall leaves, and snowballs.
Spring – Let’s Jump in Puddles: 春天 : 跳水坑
(Fun in Four Seasons 四季好好玩 Book 1)
The first book in the set features the first season of the year. We see the rain come, but don’t feel down because so much good comes from it. Children have fun splashing in the puddles and beautiful flowers grow.
Summer – Let’s Go to the Beach: 夏天- 去海边
(Fun in Four Seasons 四季好好玩 Book 2)
The second book in the set tells a story of children’s love of nature. What do you do in the summer? Go to the beach! Through a child’s perspective, the reader sees the fun in playing with sand, collecting seashells, and playing in water.
Fall – Let’s Put on Makeup: 秋天 – 来化妆
(Fun in Four Seasons 四季好好玩 Book 3)
This third book in the set features fall and the changes that take place. Though the title mentions makeup, this is not referring to cosmetics that you wear on your face. It’s symbolic of how nature uses “makeup” to change colors, like changing green leaves to a colorful yellow. Leaves, pumpkins, and Halloween figure prominently in this book.
Winter – Let’s Make a Snowman: 冬天- 做雪人
(Fun in Four Seasons 四季好好玩 Book 4)
The fourth book in the set revolves around winter fun. We see lots of snow, ice, snowballs, and of course, a snowman. Photos show children having a blast playing outside. Readers will long to join them in the fun!
Find These Books
These books seem geared toward younger children. However, I believe they’d be useful as well for older ones who are starting to learn the Chinese language. Find these books by Ining Tracy Chao on Amazon.
About Multicultural Children’s Book Day
Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2019 (1/25/19) is in its 6th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents, and educators.
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