With so many digital distractions in our lives today, a book club for kids is the perfect thing for them to discover (or re-discover) the joys of reading. Founded in 2007, Reading Star Book Club has been widely recognized for its systematic curriculum based on accurate diagnosis and analysis. They offer more than 57,000 books, which are classified into 27 levels from PreK to Grade 12. Most books in their library are selected from required reading books by the American Library Association or Newberry Medal winners for literature. The book club provides families with an affordable and convenient way to bring the best in children’s literature into their homes.

Reading Star Book Club is based out of Shanghai, but its services can be used anywhere in China, making it a great resource for those who with limited access to English books in their community.

The weekly book club sends out books that are specially chosen based on the student’s reading level. Each time, the student receives 2-3 books based on their need. Like a modern-day library, the books are sent by courier to the student’s home every Thursday and returned the following Thursday with all the courier costs covered by the book club. When the student receives their weekly book package, they’ll also receive a supplement of worksheets that can help with vocabulary, grammar, dictation, etc., and essay prompts to write supported by native English speaking teachers, making this a great resource for kids learning English as a second language as well as beginner readers.

Reading Star Book Club was created for all levels of readers, from beginners to advanced. Beginner readers need parents to assist. Fluent and advanced readers can be independent and gain a lot of advantage from their list of specially curated books to improve their vocabulary and writing skills.

When a student joins the book club, they get a member ID that they can use to access the Reading Star website for quizzes and review tests.

To get the books delivered to your doorstep along with access to the review resources, you’ll need to pay a fully refundable RMB 500 deposit to ensure that the books are handed with care along with an RMB 800 subscription fee for a four-week service.

To get more information on Reading Star Book Club, add them directly on WeChat or call them.
* English Service – “sg2829”
* Chinese Service – “sh-readingtown”

Images: Reading Star Book Club, Pexels

When Tina Hu first learned English at her middle school in the city of Wanyuan reciting vocabulary and grammar rules, she didn’t imagine that she would one day teach the language to other children as a passion.

Tina grew up in Sichuan. During her childhood, English was taught very traditionally, without any focus on reading and writing, rather, the procedures centered around repeating and reciting. It was not until her time at Tsinghua University that she received the unexpected opportunity of studying abroad at the University of Toronto that Tina first started to realize, learning a language did not mean knowing it. In Canada, she found that a good test score was not much more important than a good habit of reading the newspaper.

Tina began exploring English education with her own child. Because of the many years she had spent in an English-speaking environment and having an honest passion for the language, Tina created an efficient yet kid-friendly plan. Soon, this schedule that was tailor designed for her own kid’s learning interested a group of other families in the community, and what resulted was Tina’s first reading club for younger children.

Ever since then, Tina has been constantly refining her understanding of English learning pathways, using her experiences as a manager at an international high-tech company as an inspiration for her passion.

Now, if you ask her about her general thoughts on English learning, she will say, “Learning English is like learning to drive: one way to do it is to practice, again and again, in a driving school; another way—a better way to do it—it to travel the world”. With this perspective, Tina’s reading club has included almost 40 kids in the past 9 years. The club is an environment for the kids to grow a reading habit, and to enjoy the English learning process.

I asked Tina about what advice she had for young children, especially during this summer when the school will not be around to keep the kids’ progress in check.

Q: If you were to simplify your idea of an English learning process, what steps would there be?

A: The first phase, for someone who’s not a native speaker, it’s best to start by knowing the sound of English, and listening to things like TV programs, English songs, podcasts, etc. Phonics, which is the bridge between sound and printed words, is the second step. After that there is leveled reading, such as the system Reading A-To-Z. Only after all of this do we have independent reading.

Q: What do you think is the most important factor for continued improvement in English?

A: We normally break down English learning into reading, listening, writing, and speaking. The first two are inputs, and the last two are outputs, which are what we are looking for in the end. But to be able to output, we first need input. I think reading and listening are vital to improving your English.

Q: What are the benefits of reading and listening?

A: Can you move without having any muscles? It’s the same here. At the most fundamental level, I think reading—which is the capability of processing text—is the most basic skill that enables students to do anything else—analyze, critically think, etc. I think of language as the “open sesame” moment. Also, we always say that your body or your soul, one of them has to be on the road, and reading books or listening to text are both like traveling. On top of this, having been an employee at a high-tech company for 20 years, I can see that the lack of diversified and deep reading has become a barrier in both the creativity and empathy of young engineers, and I believe that this isn’t a singular phenomenon.

Q: Why is it important for young children to maintain healthy reading/listening habits during the summer?

A: The summer holiday is when kids have a lot of time to focus on reading. If they can immerse themselves in reading regularly during the holiday, at the end of the summer when they return, they’ve made memories, and they’ve also gained familiarity and fluency in English. Also, out of all the time slots present in a year I think this holiday is one of the best times. People say it takes 21 days to build a habit, so I believe that the summer is the most convenient time ever under such a rule!

Q: What are a few tips you can give to families to help their kids with English this summer?

A: Number one, find books that kids like to read. Like, books they actually want to read. The summer is for fun, and building a reading habit should be fun. Number two, practice reading aloud. Reading aloud is pretty much a forgotten art, but doing it habitually over a long time produces amazing fluency in reading. Number three, talk about books that kids are reading with them. Kids like to discuss, and the conversation will make them think deeper, as well as intrigue them. At last, for the parents—I know this is hard but—forget about scores and grades. At least for the summer, reading and listening don’t need to be test-oriented.

To get in contact with Tina, add her on WeChat: tritonbj.

Images: Tina Hu

It’s no secret that when it comes to a universal language, the closest thing we have is English. So it’s also no wonder that millions of people born in non-English speaking countries dedicate thousands of hours to studying it. However, analyzing books and grammar is not the only way to learn a language. In fact, I would argue that it’s one of the worst ways to do so.

Forget this!

Throughout my years of studying languages, I have learned that the absolute best way to master any language is through experience rather than traditional study methods. Forget about textbooks and taking notes. Rather, get outside and talk to someone who speaks English fluently. If that’s still a bit too daunting, try eavesdropping on some conversations (we promise it’s not as sketchy as it sounds) or watch TV shows that aren’t dubbed in your native language. There are plenty more ways that you can be creative in your learning, and here are a few suggestions:

Consuming English media

In a country as large as China, most of the media that teens consume such as music, videogames, and TV shows are readily available in Chinese. However, a dependence on local media can also slow down the process of language acquisition. Coming from a relatively small state in the Balkans, most of my friends and I had no choice but to rely on English media given the dearth of Macedonian music and TV. This, along with courses we were taking at school, helped speed up the process of language learning and made us more fluent English speakers in the process. Who knew watching TV and listening to music could be so beneficial to our future?

Converse in English

With the number of English speakers increasing by the day, there is no excuse for not partaking in, or at least trying to understand, English conversations. While it may seem strange at first to people who did not grow up speaking the language, conversing in English is a surefire way to learn it faster, and integrate it into your native vocabulary. At home, my friends and I spent so much time talking to each other in English that by the time we had finished elementary school we had our own language, a hybrid between our native Macedonian and popular US slang.

Keep trying

Arguably the most important part of the entire process – trying to understand what you encounter – is the entire point of this learning method. Learning any language is going to be tricky at first, however, only by forcing ourselves to keep going can we truly become fluent speakers. The next time you see a sign in English or hear a news broadcast from an English-language media outlet, or even visit an English speaking country, try to comprehend what is going on around you. Even with the lowest level of language comprehension, you might discover something you didn’t know before. Likewise, even if you make mistakes don’t be afraid to go back and examine them. After all, correcting mistakes is the lifeblood of the learning process.

As someone who has spent countless hours studying multiple languages in different ways, I can confidently say that the only way to truly learn any language is by living as though that language was your mother tongue. So the next time you think about studying English, try putting away your notebooks and textbooks and try acting like you live outside of China. I can guarantee that it will not only make you a better learner but also clear your head and give you a fresh view of the language you are learning.

Do you have any tips or tricks for learning a language? Share them with us in the comments!

KEEP READING: Mind Your (Text) Language: Texting and Teen Literacy

Images: Unsplash

As online learning becomes our new normal, teachers have been thinking outside the box to create dynamic lessons for their students that give them a bit of their usual sense of community while adapting to a 100% e-classroom.

Recently, the beijingkids editorial team took part in an online class under the guidance of Beijing City International School (BCIS) teacher, Adam Hassan. What was originally planned as a school visit with the kids turned into video sessions due to COVID-19.

Hassan, originally from London, England has been living in China for 14 years and teaching English Language Acquisition and Language and Literature to Grades 8, 9,10, and 12 at BCIS for the past four years.

Instead of visiting the kids at school, Hassan’s students sent us lists of questions and we sent back videos answering each as honestly as we could. For myself, an introvert who loves being behind the camera, overcoming that anxiety took several takes before I was happy with a version I could send to the kids.

Why are your students interested in journalism?

Journalism relates to my unit for four reasons:

Firstly, I wanted my students to think about people using the skills we learn in English class to make a living. This shows the practical application of the skills taught in my class.

Secondly, as readers of English, we have to investigate a book in the same way a journalist investigates a news story – gathering facts, considering perspectives (the key concept for this unit), weighing bias, and finally presenting this understanding in a comprehensible and coherent manner. I wanted the children to learn from the professionals, so to speak, by studying the methods and skills a journalist uses.

I also sought to tie this unit to a project which could connect to the real world. This came out of work my school has done with Kyle Wagner and project-based learning, and with Inspire Citizens and their Empathy to Action model.

I imagined my students taking the topics studied in this story – the persecution of minority groups –and creating a newspaper article to “spread knowledge” on this topic. Thus, the last two reasons were to use their knowledge of English as a practical tool of their English skills to affect change in the real world. Journalism seemed the natural choice to do this.

And here we are.

Interviewing journalists was one of the learning experiences on this journey.

How have you been conducting your class during the COVID-19 outbreak?

Technology has been an important tool in my practice for a long time. The stuff that goes on during a regular lesson is just one part of the learning process. The other stuff – the research, feedback, self-assessment, individual work and contemplation – all goes on roughly as before.

Like other teachers at BCIS, I have received training in the SAMR framework for integrating technology into the classroom, and taken the Common Sense Media certification course on using technology in my instruction. So, much as before, students are using technology to do the following:

• Students upload work to OneNote which I highlight with feedback to be corrected.
• Record video and audio presentations of learning. Some teachers have used Zoom, Seesaw, Flipgrid, Padlet and other platforms for this, but I have been fine using Microsoft Teams to do the same.
• Students have been collaborating well on group tasks such as annotating a text, poem or image using a shared Word Document, or the collaboration space on OneNote.
• They have given peer assessments on each other’s work and reached a compromise on interpretations of texts

Teachers such as myself have shown amazing creativity in supplementing the lack of physical closeness through the use of technology. I have personally found this challenge exhilarating, and have come up with many ideas which have been extremely successful in achieving my educational goals.

But it is obviously not just about the teacher. The experience has been successful because of the amazing buy-in we have had by both parents and students, who have worked so hard to persevere when obstacles get in the way. Technology is fickle, and random things get in the way of a task going smoothly, such as a student needing to update their software, forgetting to sync their changes to a shared document, or misunderstanding the instructions. However, students have worked so hard to figure things out, help each other and find creative solutions to persisting problems. Parents have impressed me in the way they support their children at home, and both parents and the leadership at BCIS have supported us financially to purchase the apps and technology needed to facilitate online education. I am confident that they have played as much a role as the teachers.

What’s your feedback on e-learning? Do you think it can replace face-to-face interactions?

I am confident that every one of the students at BCIS has not suffered any set back, despite these unprecedented times. That is a sign that e-learning can substitute face-to-face learning. But is the physical classroom dead? Not by a long shot.

I have spoken about how important technology is in the classroom, but the classroom is equally important. Getting a bunch of kids together in a single room is still an integral part of education for a number of obvious and hidden reasons. In fact, much of my work these last few weeks has been taken up recreating or mimicking the experience of working together in the same physical space. Certain activities, such as brainstorming ideas on a passage, can be done so much more efficiently with five people standing around a piece of paper, each holding a pen. Then there are the social and behavioral issues associated with a lack of physical presence. No matter how much you try to substitute face-to-face communication, this digital “barrier” is always there.

But saying that, there are obvious advantages to e-learning. In the example I gave of brainstorming, some students may be hesitant to take part in such an activity. They may need time and space to think about the problem which the immediacy of face-to-face collaboration doesn’t allow. It may be difficult to physically see the paper on a table if you are standing in the wrong place. It is really a case of “swings and roundabouts” when substituting a physical, for a digital learning experience.

That is the beauty of teaching, and the silver lining on the cloud of this experience. All these challenges require us to think of ways to adapt our instructional methods to suit the needs of our learners. Closing off one method leads us to think of others which often help our students in ways we hadn’t considered before.

There are also many positive effects of e-learning, too. The most obvious is the amount of student-teacher time a kid is receiving. As group interaction is reduced by technology, one-to-one interaction has increased, and the individualized care a student has been getting is much more.

Can you give us another example of creative and out of the box teaching material (like the video interview with the beijingkids team)?

I have had fun trying to use what students have around them to facilitate learning, such as live blogging their daily routine as part of my Advisory duties and getting kids to spend time watching their parents cook, noting down the recipe, under the pretense I needed new ideas. I did these things to try and lessen the strain students feel being cramped at home.

Some fun things I have done were having my Grade 12 students get their parents to teach them how to drive as part of a unit on transportation. I had them create a promotional video for their “dream car” using the AR function of Need for Speed Heat Studio in the same unit, too.

I had my Grade 10 students showcase what they have learned about poetry by explaining a poem to their parents and giving their parents a professional summary and having them evaluate their children’s responses in a recording. Having students stuck at home with their parents has made these activities easier to facilitate.

Are these particularly “out of the box”? No, I don’t think so. And I also don’t think that they are things I couldn’t have done as part of my regular classes. But the context forced me to consider them.

The whole experience gave us a brief insight into the new daily realities of teachers. Perhaps the idea that teachers can work remotely, from home or on an island destination somewhere, might sound laid back and relaxed. However online teaching takes extra time and effort that many of us haven’t given a second thought.

Photos: unsplash

We love kids’ books and literature here at beijingkids, but sourcing quality English books in Beijing is hard. Of course several bookstores have a section with English children’s books, but they are usually very expensive. We have looked and asked around to source decent priced books that will boggle your kids mind.

Teachers House

Teachers House aims to support teachers and parents. I have ordered books from here and they always deliver. If you have a specific need, or book you are looking for, they are happy to help and see what they have in stock. I needed a book for my daughter about hitting, and Teacher’s House found me a suitable book in a few minutes explaining my toddler not to hit her friends. Contact on WeChat: teachershousehelper

Diana

Diana stocks many kids’ books, and she has good deals on sets and sticker books. She shares what she has in stock on her WeChat Moments. I have ordered from her many times and have always been happy with the service and delivery speed. Usborne sticker books were my daughter’s favorites. WeChat: dianayi2009

Metro Store

In a quite unexpected corner of this mall is a little toy store with a array of English books up for grabs. I have found super-cute Osborne books, and other book sets which will entertain your kid and your own inner child. Stop by the Metro to stock up on groceries, and then head for this cute little corner of childhood favorites. Find out more here.

Live to Read

I found this market stall at Farms to Neighbors and was surprised with the quantity and quality of these books: small books, big books, old classics and new favorites. Check with the market to see if she will be there, or find her on WeChat. The books are priced very reasonably and we found our new favorite Christmas book from her. Add on WeChat: dumulan001

Photos: Vendors and Pixabay

Didi has slowly rolled out its English interface — and hurray, we at beijingkids got a chance to try it.

Some notes:

Street names and the whole map now are now in English.

The top tab only shows car options (express, taxi, or premier) no bike/Ofo, or bus.

Searching for an English-name address? When you fast-type it, chances are that the search bar will not show any results. Try to use keywords first if you see no options. (If you have a Chinese address or name, then it still works, and will pull up a pinyin or English translation.)

For pick-ups, there are no changes in the interface; it still shows the name of the driver, the car’s number and color, and options like cancel request.

In the Customer Service menu, you’ll see a list of your recent trips and FAQs. When tapping the options (like payment options, “Why was my ride paid twice”), you’ll see an explanation without any prompt to contact a customer service representative (just only thumbs up/down button).

Payment options and details are also in English, like for an international credit card, but second party payments, like WeChat, will link to the app already installed on your own phone.

So there you go. The English interface looks friendlier and a lot easier to use.

Photos: Andy Penafuerte, Vanessa Jencks

“I don’t remember how to speak Chinese,” my 4-year-old daughter whispered to me while video chatting with her Nainai before we boarded the plane. I heard myself translating. I encouraged my daughter to try, but she stumbled and got frustrated. My mother-in-law laughed awkwardly but shrugged it off. “You’ll remember as soon as you come back,” she told my daughter, who understood with a nod.
I always spend summers back in Canada, but when I finally landed in Toronto, returning to a mainly English-speaking environment feels strange at first. Speaking to the taxi driver in English even though he’s clearly not a first-language English speaker, I feel complicit in English’s status as the “bully language.” English has coerced so many language groups into submission. That is, except Mandarin.
I admire this about Chinese. A language made strong by sheer numbers thus retains power over the bully. English is studied in China, of course, but still only a small percentage can speak it well enough past simple pleasantries like “hello” and “thank you.” If you visit China, you’ll need some Chinese.
In the first three weeks of our vacation this summer, I happily noted that the kids spoke to each other exclusively in Mandarin. And while Mandarin was their play language, they spoke to the Canadian family members exclusively in English without a second thought.
But, I was alarmed when in less than a month, they were using English to communicate. Then two months later, my daughter claimed to have forgotten her Chinese. Is that all it takes? Just two months away where the second language is not supported within my side of the family (except through me), and English gained dominance. Even Mandarin — the resilient linguistic opponent that may become the world’s ascendant language in the future — was no match for an English-speaking external environment.
When we officially move back to Canada, will my kids lose their Chinese? Will I be forced to put them into Chinese schools, compelled to engage weekly in Chinese community events or actively have to reach out and make Chinese friends with kids who also speak Mandarin who, for now, may be easily convinced to use Chinese as a play language… perhaps, at least, for a reward?
This strikes me as grasping at straws rather than winning a battle. And, I don’t know the answer. Keeping them in China maintains their both languages because I am always with them and introducing them to other English speakers. Moving them back to Canada may prove a linguistic mistake. Yet, in light of free schooling, free health care, and a perfect air environment, is there really any other option?
I can only hope that my kids will come to value their bilingualism if for nothing else than the ability it offers them to speak with all members of their extended family, whether in person or by video chat across the world.

About the Writer
Ember Swift is a Canadian musician and writer who has been living in Beijing since late 2008. She and her husband Guo Jian (国囝), who is also a musician, have a daughter called Echo (国如一) and a son called
Topaz or “Paz” (国世龙).

This article originally appeared on page 41 of the October 2016 Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.

When China adopted the Open Door Policy in 1979, it not only opened its gates to the world but slowly also welcomed former outsiders to step into theirs. Bit by bit the Middle Kingdom expanded in terms of knowledge, but then a new challenge came—the inability to completely comprehend and communicate with this new world.

Fast forward to modern China, where learning this foreign language is not just an option anymore, but a must, especially if one wants to pass the dreaded Gaokao examinations. Language training options start from babyhood and its reach inescapable even in adulthood. More than just a means to understand and communicate with the outside world, English has become the new language of prestige and potential.

But believe it or not, Chinese parents also hate the stress this additional pressure brings, and embrace ways that make at least this one subject fun for their kids. While other subjects such as Math or Literature may need intense reading and almost a despairing mastery of the topics, foreign language learning can actually be quite fun, as proven by the many ingenious companies that have popped up catering to this market of parents bent on making language learning more enjoyable for their kids.

Other than sending one’s child to a bilingual or an international school, here are several ways Chinese kids are having fun learning a foreign language:

1. By Watching English Shows

Shoes kicked off right before flying onto the couch while Mom gets the remote to put on your favorite show—plus snacks. What could be more relaxing than that? Albeit in a foreign language, as long as its their favorite cartoon on, young kids welcome embrace the screen zombification. My daughter, for example, has been watching Chinese kiddie music videos via our Xiaomi Black Box, and not only does she love her shows, it’s actually really helped with her Mandarin vocabulary.

2. Have Fun with Songs.
There’s a reason classes for young children usually begin with songs. Here’s an excerpt from Community Play Things that explains it:

“When young children sing “Eensy Weensy Spider” or “Clean Up, Clean Up,” the underlying steady pulse of the song combined with the active singing pushes the brain to remember the next part of the song, and the next, until we reach the end. This begins as “rote memory” (short term) but does evolve to conscious thought and long-term memory as children mature and songs that have meaning are sung repeatedly by individuals.”

But another reason is that simple, happy songs like these allows a child to attach a positive feeling to the memory of when it was sung. My older daughter, for example, loves singing the Chinese song about two strange tigers, one without the tail and one without the ear, because it’s one of the first Chinese songs she mastered with me and the fact that these tigers are so strange! We’ve been singing other Chinese songs as well since then, but she still asks for the Tiger song the most.

3. Sing Your Heart Out.

One advice I gave my friend before when she asked me how to encourage her child to like English was to expose her to English at least thirty minutes a day. Like my previous example, I suggested singing her favorite song with her child. She followed my advice and burned a CD full of her favorite songs. A month after, I happened to be riding the car with her and her daughter when suddenly the start of a Lady Gaga song came on. Minutes later we were all singing, “A po-po-po-po-po-po-po-po-po-poker face.” They sang the rest of the song while I was grinning nervously on the sidelines, a bit worried at the effect of my advice. My friend’s then-toddler-now-primary-schooler likes the song but fortunately has moved on to new music preferences more befitting her age.

4. Lip Sync Movies/Tv Shows
Aiming for Hollywood? This could be your kid’s stepping stone. Children can become their favorite characters by joining classes that allow kids to speak their lines. It allows them to practice the target language and brag that they have their own movie teasers. Here’s one done by my friend’s daughter about a cat finally achieving its dream.

6. Join a Choir

Photo: Top English World

Parents who want to take their children’s singing career beyond the four walls of their bathrooms can consider enrolling them in an English choir. This school for example has choir classes especially targeting children who want to develop their passion for singing—except it’s done through English songs.

7. Join Language Camps
“Language Camps” usually happen during the summer or winter holidays, and for older kids there are one day field trips or even overnight excursions with native English teachers leading the group as a selling point. For those not coerced into joining by their very over-proactive parents, trips like these are great opportunities to practice the target language without constant parental guidance.

8. Travel
I studied in a Chinese school when I was much younger, and to motivate me to study Mandarin more diligently (I was a lazy kid) my mother would tell me of the opportunities I would have to use that language during our travels. I regret not being a more obedient child, but it worked in favor of my more diligent friends back then.
But my mother, determined on making a Chinese out of me, decided to send me to China (alone) to study Mandarin for a year. Did it work? Of course it did. And— honestly speaking— it was one of the best years of my life.

9. Playing Games in English

One way some Chinese encourage children to learn English is by letting them play English games on their phones. Interestingly the website my friend usually visits with her children is Starfall, a resource I also used to use during my ESL-teaching days. It turns out that our little ESL secrets back then aren’t so secret after all.

What I love about these methods is that they’re universal and doesn’t have to be limited to learning just English (except maybe for the Lady Gaga part). For those looking to expose their children to a foreign language, why not try out the Chinese way?

Be it children’s books in either English or Chinese, Peekabook has a little page-turner for you.

As an English-speaking mom to two little toddlers, one of my top parenting goals when our family touched down in Beijing was to continue sharing with them as many stories as I could in my preferred tongue.

Investing in kids’ books, however, can be costly and space-consuming. And then there’s dealing with the heartbreak of one day parting with our previously-really-really-loved-books (I still don’t have the heart to part with my favorite childhood books!).

So naturally, a library with English books was a perfect solution!

I was already quite impressed the first time I entered Peekabook. They didn’t have any fancy equipment nor any balloons to bribe my daughter’s heart, but they did have the usual children’s books that you’d find on the shelf of an English-speaking home. “It’s Olivia!” My daughter once squealed, pointing at her favorite character on a cover of a book on the shelf as I was hoarding Eric Carle books a few steps away.

During a conversation with one of the staff, I discovered why. The library group was founded by a group of Chinese-American ladies who wanted to expose Chinese children to more Western books. These ladies are currently based in the U.S. and bring over English books from time to time for the library. They wanted to give the local children more opportunities to embrace the English that English-speaking families actually read without the burden of needing to spend a fortune on purchasing them.

Suffice to say, I was thrilled.

There was thus not much hesitation in signing up (but just to be sure I decided to pay for the half-year membership first). As I was paying my fee they also casually mentioned that included in the membership fee are Chinese and English reading sessions twice a day, and a crafts class supplementing the afternoons sessions.

Hearing that got me even more excited!

The reason was simple: my older daughter, a 2-year-old who spoke no Chinese, was getting stressed and refused to even mouth the words nǐ hǎo. She had no motivation to care. No motivation to embrace the local culture. Heck, she even really disliked our Chinese-speaking ayi!

But she was willing to listen. She loved hearing me read her Chinese stories, and even knew some of the words already. So as soon as we could, we started attending classes.

My daughters were nervous during our first few visits, literally hanging on every step I took.

Today they’re more comfortable when entering the premises, no longer hiding under their mommy’s skirt. Though we haven’t been attending the crafts classes recently due to a conflict in schedule, my older daughter still fondly remembers some of the projects she made there. Her Chinese still isn’t perfect and she still feels shy, but at the very least she’s learned to see this library as her safe place which also helped her not cower when she hears someone greet her nǐ hǎo.

In addition to all that, there’s a reason she’s so motivated to borrow books. Inside little glass shelves are gifts for children who have earned enough “Peekabook Money.” They get RMB 1 every time they return a book. Here, the reward for reading is more understandable than your usual “you’ll learn a lot of stuff!”

So for parents looking for a little book nook for the kids to kick off their shoes and relax, here’s one option I’m recommending. Currently we’re reading Katy Duck (my kids love her), some books about Clifford and Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar (in Chinese!).

So, what will you be reading your kids?

Peekabook
Full year membership is for RMB 800, and half year is for RMB 500. Tuesdays through Sundays, 9.30am-8.30pm. Visit their official website here.
203 Bldg 1 BiShuiYunTian, Wan Liu Zhong Lu, Haidian (82567276, 82568528).
1/F, Bldg 1, LanQiYing, Haidian (82567276, 82566324)
1/F, Clubhouse, Wanke XishanTingyuan, Haidian ( 62827572).
3/F Bldg 10, Phoneix Street, Sanyuanqiao Area (58668064, 58668074).
3 JuZhang Hutong, Tiyuguan Road, (right by Temple of Heaven’s east entrance).