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Luka Compatible Books

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[Note – Aug 2021: I have made a new post updating this, containing a list of 1000+ Luka compatible books in Chinese….. please see here for updated post with many more new books]

This post lists out all the Luka compatible books which we have enjoyed reading through our wonderful Luka Reading robots. Whether you have Original Luka, Hero, or a Mini, they will all read the same book collection (although Luka Hero offers a few more different narrations to choose from for particular books).

This post covers:

  1. Checking if a book is compatible with Luka
  2. Luka compatible books for 2 – 3 Year olds
  3. Luka compatible books for 4 – 6 Year olds
  4. Luka compatible books for 7 – 10 Year olds

(If reading this, and you’re not aware what Luka Reading Companion or Luka Hero is, you can see my previous review outlining this little reading robot which narrates physical picture books page-by-page, and Luka Hero model can even read individual characters by pointing to them).

How to check whether a book is compatible with Luka or Luka Hero

With the Luka app, it’s easy peasy to check whether a book is compatible,  because you can just scan the barcode/ISBN code on your phone, and it will tell you if Luka has a narration of the book.  I used to always do this when browsing book at the library.   Admittedly, with the COVID situation and lack of physical book browsing, it’s harder:  online shopping would be a lot easier (more dangerous!…) with a Luka shopping list.

Use the scanner in top right of the Luka app to scan a book’s barcode and see if Luka recognises it

We read every evening with Luka and have reasd thousands of books, so I’ll limit this to the main ones which we’ve enjoyed, and only the Chinese titles (because Luka also reads in other languages too).  I’ll slowly link this up with reviews I write in future for some of these sets. 

I’ve also written a separate post for those in Singapore looking to borrow Luka compatible books from the National Library Board libraries, with some extra tips and tricks, including our favourite authors.

Our Favourite Luka Compatible Books for Toddlers (2 – 3 year olds)

Pappa Pig
Little Bear & The Best Daddy
Todd’s World

Apolline’s Little World 14-Book Set 阿波林的小世界 – by Didier Dufresne

Dear Zoo 亲爱的动物园 – by Rod Campbell

Dots 点点点 – by Herve Tullet (also 变变变 Change Change and 小黄点 Little Yellow Dot).

Good night, Gorilla 晚安，大猩猩 – Peggy Rathmann

Llama Llama 8-Book Set – by Anna Dewdney

The Little Bear & The Best Daddy: 小熊和最好的爸爸 (set of 7 books)

My First Nature Encyclopedia 我的第一套自然认知书

Mr Panda’s Good Manners 熊猫先生 series – by Steve Antony

Peppa Pig: 1st Bilingual Board Book Series 小猪佩奇 series (see blog entry here)

Peppa Pig: 2nd Bilingual Board Book Series 小猪佩奇 series

Rosie’s Walk 母鸡萝丝去散步 – Patricia Hutchins

10 Fingers and 10 Toes 袋貂魔法  – by Mem Fox

The Taste of Home (Set of 7) 家的味道 – by Todd Parr (short review here)

Todd’s World series 淘弟有个大世界 – by Todd Parr. See blog entry here.

The Hungry Caterpillar 好饿的毛毛虫  – by Eric Carle

You’re All My Favourite 你们都是我的最爱 – by Sam McBratney

Our Favourite Luka Books for Little Children (4 – 6 year olds)

Note – these books may also be a good level for an older child to independently read, and then use Luka to “check back” on their understanding.

Elephant & Piggy
Paw Patrol
The Angry Prince
Tyrannosaurs series
My Feelings series

The Angry Prince 生气王子 – by Lai Ma

Brave Little Train 勇敢小火车 – by Lai Ma

Disney: I Will Read Level 1-Level 4 (Set of 24) 迪士尼我会自己读第1级-第4级（套装共24册）. See my detailed review for more information.

Farmer Duck– by Martin Waddell [we have the English version, but Luka will read in Chinese]

Giraffes Can’t Dance 长颈鹿不会跳舞 by Giles Andreae

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs – by Mo Willems

Guess How Much I Love You 猜猜我有多爱你 – by Sam McBratney

Harry the Dirty Dog  好脏的哈利 – by Gene Zion

I am a fire breathing dragon 我变成一只喷火龙了 – by Lai Ma

Meg & Mog series – by Helen Nicoll [we have the English version, but Luka will read in Chinese]

My Feelings – 我的感觉 Bilingual (Set of 8) – by Cornelia Maude Spelman,  [Luka reads both Chinese and English] See blog entry here with review.

My Magic Toilet 我的神奇马桶 – Noritake Suzuki

My Amazing Bath 我的百变浴缸 – Noritake Suzuki

Odonata Chinese Levelled Reading Series: see detailed review here

Paw Patrol 汪汪队 Series 1 (see blog entry here)

Paw Patrol 汪汪队 Series 2 (see blog entry here)

Rosie’s Walk 母鸡萝丝去散步 – By Pat Hutchins

Stone Soup 石头汤 – by Jon J Muth

Tyrannosaurus series – by Tatsuya Miyanishi, translated from Japanese) (see blog entry here)

Berenstain Bears 贝贝熊 series by Jan & Mike Berenstain [these are good, but not great, as the Chinese text is tiny, and whilst the English rhymes, the Chinese translation doesn’t]

Elephant and Piggie 开心小猪和大象哥哥 Set – by Mo Willems (see review here)

Curious George Curious Series 好奇的乔治系列  – by Margret Rey & H.A. Rey (various books including ones listed below)

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus set by Mo Willems  [Note – Luka will read the Chinese books in English only; but it’s a nice way for a child to check on their understanding of the written Chinese]

Elmer the Elephant (various books from the library in Chinese) – by David McKee

Guess How Much I Love You 猜猜我有多爱你 – by Sam McBratney

Grumpy Day for Badger 小獾今早心情不好  by Mortiz Petz and Amelia Jackowski [published in English under the title – The Bad Mood Book]

Good Night, Moon 晚安，月亮 – by Margaret Wise Brown

Grace Says 说心 set  by Emma Henderson

The Giving Tree 爱心树 by Shel Silverstein (very short review in this post)

How full is your bucket? 你的水桶有多满 – by Tom Rath

Have you filled a bucket today 你把水桶加满了吗？– by Carol McCloud 

Madeline 马德琳 series by Ludwig Bemelmans

Magic school bus bridge books 魔法校車第二輯  (桥梁版) (set of 22)

My Favourite Grandma 最喜爱的奶奶 (aka Grandma Dearest) – by Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara (review here)

Officer Buckle and Gloria 警官巴克尔和警犬葛芮雅

Odonata Chinese Levelled Reading Series: see detailed review here

Taro Gomi Collection – by Taro Gomi

You’re All My Favourite 你们都是我的最爱 – by Sam McBratney

Our Favourite Luka Compatible Books for Primary age children (7 – 10 year olds)

Butt Detective 屁屁偵探 (translated from Japanese) (see detailed review here)

Camphor Tree Apartments 樟树公寓 series by Etsuko Bushika and Shigeki Suezaki (translated from Japanese)

Crow Bakery (Set of 5) 乌鸦面包店 – by 加古里子 Satoshi Kako (see my book review here)

Disney: I will read Level 5-Level 8 by myself (Set of 24) 迪士尼我会自己读第5级-第8级（24册套装）

Insects’s Diary Series ( Set of 4 ) 蚯蚓的日记系列（全4册）- by Doreen Cronin

Frog and Toad 4-Book Set 青蛙和蟾蜍 – by Arnold Lobel (See detailed review here)

How full is your bucket? 你的水桶有多满 – by Tom Rath

Have you filled a bucket today 你把水桶加满了吗？– by Carol McCloud 

House of 100 Stories 100层的房子 3 book set – by Toshio Iwai (see my book review here)

Idioms Smart Flashcards 哆学成语智慧卡 (see blog post here with review)

Laura’s Star Series 劳拉的星星 (12 books, translated from German)

L’Ptites Poules 不一样的卡梅拉  set by Christian Jolibois (translated from French)

Magic Schoolbus 神奇校车 series by Joanna Cole (see blog post here)

Martine Story Books ( Set of 60 ) 玛蒂娜故事书（全新版 套装全60册）- by Gilbert Delahaye

Mi Xiao Quan School Diaries 米小圈上学记 (see blog post here)

Octonauts series (see blog post here)

Super Wings

Titchy Witch 小女巫格格 (12-Book Set) – by Rose Impey

Wilma the Elephant 大象小不点 (4 book set) – by Erwin Moser (a few photos here)

101个蝌蚪宝宝  101 Tadpoles – by Satoshi Kako 

Where to buy Luka compatible books

Our preferred option in peacetimes is to borrow from the library.  We always check the Singapore NLB catalogue online for availability, and it’s even possible to request a book prior to going to the library.  I’ve written a detailed post about the secret to finding great Luka books in the NLB library collection, as I appreciate it’s not always easy,

However for Luka compatible book buying options:

In Singapore: Most of the titles listed in this post are available from My Story Treasury (online) if you’re looking for a one-stop solution. My Story Treasury is a lovingly curated collection of Chinese picture story books for kids, and as we know from experience that anything in their collection will be excellent!.  My blog readers have a 10% discount if you use “LahLahBanana10” at checkout from their store. There are several other fantastic children’s bookstores in Singapore too who stock some of these books.  Buying local is totally the best. 

In Australia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia & New Zealand:  Most of the titles are available through Luka Reads (online).  Luka Reads is the official retailer of Luka the Reading Robot in Australia, and they also stock great books which are Luka compatible.  If you use “LahLah20Off”, you’ll receive a $20 discount. Thank you Luka Reads for the kindness of blessing my readers!

In United Kingdom / Europe:  De Ziremi is a new online bookstore for Chinese literature for children.  Their collection is growing daily, and they’re hoping to stock some of the titles in this post.  If you quote “LAHLAHSPECIAL” on checkout, my blog reader will receive 10% off. This is a really kind gesture from the four sister team behind De Ziremi.

On Taobao – if you really must do this option, look at the end of my Taobao post for recommended bookstores through Taobao’s TMall.  For specific titles, I also occasionally bundle them up together and order from Taobao / EZ Buy, although have been sometimes disappointed by the quality or by the books having different covers from what Luka can recognise.  On the contrary, we’ve never been disappointed by My Story Treasury. They have an amazing selection of books, with great reviews about each one in their curation.

In United States – Jojo Learning stocks many titles, as does JD.

Where to buy Luka Reading Companion

In Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Australia & New Zealand:  Luka Reads is official distributor through this website: www.lukareads.com. They provide local shipping, local warranty and local support. There are varied retailers around the world, although Luka Reads does ship globally to other countries too, if international shipping fee is paid. Luka Reads have kindly provided a $20 off discount code to readers of my blog, using promo code “Lahlah20off”.

In America / Other countries: I’ve heard from readers that the best price option is likely through the online Chinese store JD.com. The official retailer in US is Jojo Learning. Note: not all of the official authorised global retailers sellers sell the same models, and some of the Lukas don’t have Chinese as an audio option (e.g. the European Luka speaks Germans and English).

Which great Luka Compatible books are we missing?

We’ve come across these books by trial and error, and reading the reviews of others. There are also some good Instagram handles with reviews of Luka compatible books, such as @littlekidreads, or the lists on Luka Reads and Jojo Learning websites.

Which books have your family enjoyed reading through Luka? Feel free to leave any comments or questions.  I’d love to learn more about your experiences with Luka, and your favourite books to read with it. 

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