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.

Chinese Bridging Book Review: “New Stars Island” Graded Picture Book Series 《新新岛》分级读本系列 (Set of 36)

This post is about a locally written set of thirty six Simplified Chinese picture books called the “New Star Island” collection, written and printed in Singapore, which are broadly designed to match every year of primary school in Singapore. They’re creatively written, prize winning works, and great for encouraging an older child to read broadly,Continue reading “Chinese Bridging Book Review: “New Stars Island” Graded Picture Book Series 《新新岛》分级读本系列 (Set of 36)”

Chinese Bridging Book Review: I Love Reading Collection (Set of 20)

This post is about a set of twenty Simplified Chinese picture books called the “I Love Reading Collection”, written and printed in Singapore, which are appropriate for lower primary school age readers. They’re mainly fun, and great for learning new vocabulary, aligned to the MOE syllabus. The books are written by the Chou Sing ChuContinue reading “Chinese Bridging Book Review: I Love Reading Collection (Set of 20)”

The secret to find great Chinese picture books in the Singapore library with Luka

List of excellent authors of Chinese picture books, which can be found in the Singapore NLB, and which are all Luka compatible.

Little Brother Mouse Series: Chinese Book Review 可爱的鼠小弟

Name: Little Brother Mouse Series Sets 1 and 2 可爱的鼠小弟Author: Yoshio NakaeNumber of books in set: 22~ Number of pages: around 30 (varies between titles, but only half the pages have text)~ Number of lines per page:  0 – 4~ Total length of the book: ~300 characters per story~ Characters required by child to readContinue reading “Little Brother Mouse Series: Chinese Book Review 可爱的鼠小弟”

Chinese bridging books for children: What to read after your child knows 1000 characters

This post summarises Simplified Chinese bridging books, arranged by length and character complexity. These are the ideal early chapter books to move onto AFTER your child has finished up graded reader sets like Sage, Le Le, Odonata or 四五快读. Get reading to read, read read!

Is reaching Chinese fluency a realistic goal for non-native children?

This post compares the different schooling approaches to learning Chinese in Singapore (local school vs bilingual immersion), and how this translates into learning outcomes from a native-speaking perspective. It also lists good bridging books to encourage bilingualism and biliteracy.