Primary (ages 6-9)

Material appropriate for primary age groups

My First Japanese Kanji Book

Written by the mother-daughter team of Eriko and Anna Sato, this book introduces 109 kanji characters to children with poems and illustrations. It includes all the Japanese Government specified first grade level kanji characters and a sprinkling of simple second to sixth grade characters. The kanji are introduced in the context of 36 colorful paintings and poems by 14-year-old Anna Sato, herself a kanji learner. Each of the poems is presented in both Japanese and English, and all kanji are accompanied by furigana (small hiragana letters), stroke-order diagrams, sample vocabulary and boxes for writing practice.

My Little Book of Chinese Words

Presents an introduction to Chinese writing, with each word accompanied by a pronunciation guide to the Chinese word, and its English translation.

Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury Of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes

Presents background information, related tales, and activities for celebrating five Chinese festivals–Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival, Qing Ming, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Moon Festival.

Yeh-Shen (Paperstar Book)

This version of the Cinderella story, in which a young girl overcomes the wickedness of her stepsister and stepmother to become the bride of a prince, is based on ancient Chinese manuscripts written 1000 years before the earliest European version.

Everyday Life

Everyday Life introduces children to the vibrant world created by Shanghai’s Jinshan artists. From a watermelon harvest to an autumn festival to a child’s winter game, vivid, friendly peasant art brings everyday life in rural China into our lives. Simple, rhythmic poems, presented in English, Simplified Chinese, and Pinyin, beautifully accent each painting. Everyday Life’s colorful, bustling illustrations will capture a child’s imagination, while descriptive bilingual text invites English and Chinese readers to enjoy the sweetness of each page. ThingsAsian Kids presents a series of books introducing children to the beauty and wonder of Asia. Other ThingsAsian Kids books include My Mom is a Dragon and My Dad is a Boar, a whimsical introduction to Chinese paper cut art and the lunar calendar animals; Hiss! Pop! Boom! Celebrating Chinese New Year; and H is for Hong Kong, an international twist on the classic primer, featuring a lovely, hand-tinted cyanotype photograph.

The Seven Chinese Brothers (Blue Ribbon Book)

Seven Chinese brothers elude execution by virtue of their extraordinary individual qualities. With humor and wit, internationally acclaimed author Margaret Mahy captures the courageous adventures of seven brothers who use their supernatural gifts to overpower a cruel emperor.

Lon Po Po (Paperstar)

In this Chinese version of the classic fairy tale, a mother leaves her three children home alone while she goes to visit their grandmother. When the children are visited by a wolf, pretending to be their Po Po, or granny, they let him in the house, but ultimately are not fooled by his deep voice and hairy face. Combining ancient Chinese panel art techniques with a contemporary palette of watercolors and pastels, this story brings lessons about strangers, trust, and courage to a new generation.

Baba Yaga

The witch Baba Yaga uses a trick to capture a young man, but he cleverly avoids being eaten.