As promised, here are some more Chinese picture books we’re loving in year 3. I am realizing there are things I posted about on Instagram that I never shared on here, but also that there are probably even more things on our bookshelves we loved in the early part of age 3 that we’ve since forgotten about, so there may be a part three. I’m still focusing on Chinese books written by Chinese authors rather than translated into Chinese, since I find the language much closer to how we talk to our kids on a daily basis. Translated books tend to skew more formal.
We actually bought 妮妮的蒜苗 [Nini’s Garlic Sprouts] when Ro was 2. I love this depiction of a multi-generational family where every family member validates the child’s emotions. Nini’s big feelings about her garlic sprouts being eaten but garlic sprout and egg stir fry being so delicious feels realistic and relatable, and very reminiscent of how my own youngest sister, who happens to have been nicknamed 妮妮, would have reacted in a similar situation. And again, I am a sucker for stories about food!
早起的一天 [A Day I Got Up Early] where a little pig gets up early to help her grandmother and meets other people who are up early, working, shopping, and exercising. After helping cook and clean all day, we discover all of the hubbub is prep for her grandfather’s 60th birthday party.
I love this book for its beautiful colored pencil-style illustrations but even more for its portrayal the Chinese respect for older generations. I have never seen a western children’s book portray a birthday party that is not for the child, and I that we can celebrate other people and don’t always need to be the center of attention.
动物的家 [Animal Homes] is a beautiful lift-the-flap/pop-up book that got us talking about animal habitats in Chinese and taught me a fair bit of vocabulary. The language is also more flowery and descriptive, and it was a good way to expose Ro to that style of writing.
Along with this one, I also picked up 四季 [Four Seasons], a book that describes both how nature changes and what activities people might do throughout the year. Chinese books can be a bit agrarian, so many of the events that mark the seasons (watermelon ripening, ice in the brook melting) aren’t relatable for my kids, but others definitely are (going down a water slide, celebrating Christmas).
Even though these aren’t stories, books like this are great for introducing Chinese vocabulary for things they might be learning in school that we otherwise might never talk about at home.
狐狸家的中国味道：腌咸菜 [The Fox Family’s Chinese Flavors: Making Pickles] is again a story that combines a wholesome family dynamic and delicious-looking food. We follow the family as they forage for vegetables, wash, chop, dry, brine, and finally eat the pickles they made. Along the way the four kids tease each other, play, explore, and help out. We see some great parenting in Chinese modeled by the parents and grandparents, learn about the food and what’s going on during the season, and come away hungry.
Etymology Adventures 