Review: Little Jay Writes an Adventure
Singaporean parents are struggling to teach Mandarin to their children. Getting kids to read Mandarin books is trickier than getting them to try new foods. It has to have characters they can relate to, an exciting storyline and colourful visuals that appeal to their senses.
And THAT is the mission of The Chronicles of Meng Meng and An An, a picture book series that narrates the adventures and missions of brother and sister, Meng Meng and An An. Following the success of their first book, Grandma’s Eightieth Birthday, publisher MandarinaKids launched the second book in this popular bilingual series, Little Jay Writes an Adventure in June.
In this second book, the affable siblings Meng Meng and An An resolve to find ways to help their cousin Little Jay overcome his challenges to read Mandarin. We like the flip ups that explain the vocabulary words in English. We also like that it has 汉语拼音 (han yu pin yin) to help parents who don’t read Mandarin well to read the words. And if you are a non-Mandarin speaker, the book comes with an audio CD to engage the children and make the learning process fun for them.
We also like the subtle infusion of Confucian virtues like filial piety, respect to elders, love and care for others in the series.
What was your inspiration for this story?
Following our first book, many parents came to us sharing their challenges in getting their children to read Mandarin books. We decided we should address this issue in our second book and offer parents some support in teaching their children a second language.
How can parents help their children like Mandarin?
Read more Mandarin books. Read for fun. Don’t quiz the children or force the children to read like yesterday I read to you, today you read to me. Keep reading to them. For older children, motivate and encourage them to read with appropriate rewards.
SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR READERS
Quote this discount code to enjoy you special price: MKML513
The book will be delivered to you in July.
- Peekaboo cards
- other books
- DVDs for toddlers – 3 volumes – everyday words/ colors/ parts of body
- DVD4/5 – preschoolers – DVD 4 is on transportation, DVD5 nature
