A review of Odonata Graded readers, which area well written series for learning 1200 Chinese characters. The books have a clear layout, large font, and no HYPY, and importantly, will not break the bank (unlike some other famous levelled readers, which are quite an investment). Click above to read more.
Author Archives: lahlahbanana
Parent Review: Alpha Egg Dictionary Pen Q3
A review of iFlyTek Alpha Egg Reading Pen – a handheld dictionary pen, which can read any printed Chinese or English text. It’s specifically designed to be kid friendly, accurate, and allows the user to effectively read and/or translate between the two languages, whether printed text or spoken. It’s like the Youdao pen but better!
Where to buy excellent Chinese books for children in Singapore?
Singapore is 100% blessed with a plethora of lovely Chinese bookstores, and many of our favourite ones have passionate owners who will be able to curate the perfect books for your family too. As a mother who doesn’t read or speak Chinese, I’m really thankful for the amazing options out there, mainly run by passionate mumsContinue reading “Where to buy excellent Chinese books for children in Singapore?”
Chinese Book Review: Butt Detective Series 屁屁侦探
Butt Detective is a series of kid-friendly mystery detective books, with bright colours, fun plot, and not too much text. The 屁屁侦探 series originates from Japan, and is excellent for a preschool / early primary Chinese reader.
Review: ExploArt Chinese classes at home in Singapore
Learn. Play. Grow. Exploart is a small Singapore-based business, which provides amazing Chinese-speaking teachers and babysitters for families in Singapore. We’ve loved and used them since early 2018.
Youdao Dictionary Pen: Comparison of 2.0 vs 3.0 vs Pro Version for Chinese-English
Comparing the differences between the four key models of the portable 有道 Youdao Dictionary pen (Version 2.0, Version 3.0, Pro version, and International Version) , which can all translate from simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, and English, from individual words to entire sentences.
App comparison: iHuman Hongen Chinese (洪恩识字) versus Wukong Literacy (悟空识字) for learning Chinese characters
Our favourite Chinese literacy apps are iHuman Chinese Hong En Literacy (洪恩识字) and Wukong Literacy (悟空数学). Both of iHuman app and Wukong Literacy app are designed for children who have a sound spoken understanding of Mandarin, and are starting to learn characters/words in Simplified Chinese form. These are great apps for learning Chinese characters. This reviewContinue reading “App comparison: iHuman Hongen Chinese (洪恩识字) versus Wukong Literacy (悟空识字) for learning Chinese characters”
Parent review: LingoAce online Chinese class
This is a detailed and genuine review of LingoAce, an online Chinese learning service. In this post, I’ve tried to compare the differences between the various LingoAce offerings, and also make comparison to other online learning platforms that we have tried, to allow you to make an informed decision of the best fit for yourContinue reading “Parent review: LingoAce online Chinese class”
Great Chinese Cartoons for Children to enjoy
This posts summarises our favourite animated series from YouTube in Mandarin, for children. These are series which are all originally written in Chinese (i.e not translated from US), and have an subtle educational focus, relevant for aged 4 to 10.
Chinese kids shows: best non-animated
This posts summarises our favourite non-animated Youtube series for children in Mandarin Chinese, suitable for aged 3 to 10 year olds, including drama, current affairs, game shows and lifestyle shows. All links provided within the post.