Here’s a look at a new bilingual book for your family to enjoy in the Mina Learns Chinese series from Katrina Liu:

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*Mina’s Ups and Downs

Released: July 17, 2020
Publisher: Bowker
Page Count: 35
Book Style: Picture Book

How I wish these books were around when I was young! My parents and grandparents spoke Chinese (Cantonese and our village dialect) to us but we never learned to read Chinese characters. There didn’t seem to be many bilingual books with both English and Chinese. For kids, there were lots of vocabulary books with a visual and the Chinese characters or books with just the Chinese in it. The English-Chinese dictionary was useful but not much fun to read unless you wanted to recite a list of words. I love Mina’s stories. This will pique children’s interest to see that they can relate to the character and what’s happening in the book. I hope there will be more stories added to the series and more characters introduced.

This book in the series is a great way to discuss emotions with children. We all go through our days with various feelings and it’s all right to let others know when we’re not okay. Conversations with our children at a young age can help them process and show their emotions in different situations. I’m certain we’ve all felt the same way that Mina did as she visited the carnival for the first time. Sometimes we have to wait in a long line or it’s too hot and other times we’re enjoying the entertainment and the yummy food.

Get your own copy *HERE. And buy the rest of the books in the series HERE!

About the Author

Katrina Liu is an American-born Chinese mom living in San Francisco, California. When her daughter, Mina, was born, Liu searched for well-illustrated, dual-language children’s books with Pinyin and English, but was surprised at how little she could find. Committed to giving Mina the opportunity to become bilingual, Liu created a series of children’s books in Chinese and English. The stories focus on simple everyday dialog with beautiful and engaging illustrations to introduce the Chinese language to young learners in a fun and easy way. Her goal is to continue to provide learning resources for non-native Chinese speakers who wish to foster dual-language skills with their children. Her books are available in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese and include an audio reading in Mandarin.

OTHER REVIEWS

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*Note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we’ll receive a tiny percentage if you make a purchase through our link at no extra cost to you. We received one or more items for review. Read our disclosure policy here.