Picture Books to Help Children Study Chinese
Art and Calligraphy Help Supplement Chinese Language Lessons
Sep 14, 2009
As China becomes a greater economic and political power, taking a Chinese language lesson and even entering Chinese language school is becoming more important. For parents interested in helping kids develop an early interest in the Chinese language and stories, the following books provide some entertaining looks into Chinese culture.
My Little Book of Chinese Words
Those who think the Chinese language is impossible to understand should check out My Little Book of Chinese Words which reveals how Chinese characters greatly resemble the forms of the objects or actions they represent.
Each double page spread offers a painting of an object or action, its modern and ancient Chinese character, an English translation, and a phonetic translation of the Chinese word. By observing the paintings by artist Catherine Louis and calligraphy by Shi Bo, readers see by how well Chinese characters (particularly their ancient forms) resemble their words – from the character for eye (mu) which resembles an open eye, to follow (cong) which looks like two people following each other. An additional section provides examples of Chinese characters that represent colors and numbers.
The book does fall short in one area, however -- although it provides phonetic translations of Chinese words, it does not show the word's accent, making pronouncing the word properly difficult. An accompanying CD would have been helpful and should be considered in Chinese language lessons.
More than a Chinese character dictionary, My Little Book of Chinese Words is a unique picture book that helps take the anxiety out of a Chinese language lesson by showing how characters can be grasped through their visual aspects. A great book to share with children learning to read, this book also makes a nice supplement for those interested in a Chinese class.
The Horse Race
Originally a story from the Shi Ji or Records of the Historian by Si Ma Qian, a Chinese historian who lived in 100 BC, The Horse Race relates the tale of a contest between the King of Qi (one of the ancient Chinese kingdoms) and his general Tian Ji.
When the King gets Tian Ji to match his fastest, second fastest, and slowest horse against three comparable horses from the King’s stables for three days of races, Tian Ji finds he can’t win a single race the first day against the king’s superior horses. Then military strategist Sun Bin gives Tian Ji a special bipartite strategy that causes the general to switch the order of his horses during the next two days and become the champion – showing how an effective strategy can take down a greater force.
Developed by first year Chinese language students from Sichuan University in Chengdu, China who turned a homework assignment into a book project, The Horse Race is a great example of excellent picture book design. In addition to Zhang Quiu’s mixed media illustrations, the picture book offers traditional Chinese calligraphy provided by Wang Lifu that relates the story as it was first recorded in the Shi Ji. Readers can also read the story in both English and simplified Chinese (along with phonetic translations) thanks to translators Chen Xio Bo and Mu Dan.
A popular story among mathematicians and economists for its demonstration of bipartite matching, The Horse Race can now interest Chinese language programs, Chinese history students, and young readers thanks to its beautiful design.
Find more stories from other cultures at Picture Books of Japanese and African Stories.
Louis, Catherine, Shi Bo, and Mary Chris Bradley. My Little Book of Chinese Words. London: NorthSouth Books. 2004. ISBN: 978-0-7358-2174-3
Maskey, Ranjula, Shristi Shakya, and James Entrikin. The Horse Race. Chicago: J.M. Entrikin Publishing. 2009. ISBN: 978-9-7405138-4-1
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