My First Mandarin Words with Gordon & Li Li

by Michele Wong McSween, Nam Doan (Illustrator)

Overview

Learn English and Mandarin words with panda cousins Gordon and Li Li in this charming and colorful bilingual first words book!

Gordon and Li Li are cousins. Li Li is from Beijing, China, and speaks Mandarin. Gordon lives in Brooklyn, New York, and speaks English. When Li Li visits Gordon for the first time, the cousins must learn to communicate using simple, everyday words.Children and caregivers can read along with Gordon and Li Li as they learn basic English and Mandarin words and their correct pronunciation. Each spread of this sturdy book spotlights a different theme, including greetings, everyday words, numbers, and animals! And every word features the English and Pinyin spelling along with the Chinese character and the phonetic Mandarin pronunciation to help readers practice.This is an adorable and informative must-have first words book for any family who wants to get little ones excited to open the door to learning a second language — and future language success!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338253726
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	10/30/2018
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Michele Wong McSween is a mom, fashion designer, author, and a fourth-generation Chinese American. McSween holds degrees from University of California at Berkeley and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Growing up, she never learned Chinese and wanted to be sure her own boys were confident with Chinese language and culture. She created Gordon & Li Li to help engage kids and parents alike with Mandarin. She resides in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, three sons, and French bulldog.
Nam Doan is a designer, illustrator, and filmmaker. He lives in New York, New York.

Editorial Reviews

2018-12-05

Pandas Gordon and Li Li learn common terms in English and Chinese.

In this apparent compilation of earlier bilingual books by McSween (Gordon & Li Li: Words for Everyday, 2009; Gordon & Li Li Learn Animals in Mandarin, 2010; and Gordon & Li Li Count in Mandarin, 2010), the two pandas introduce vocabulary in three separate chapters: Everyday Words, Animals, and Counting. Each page covers four different concepts with, for each, the word in English, the translation in simplified Chinese characters, an illustration of one or both of the pandas, the corresponding pinyin, and a phonetic pronunciation of the Mandarin. The crowded layout, with eight concepts on a two-page spread, discourages focus and learning. The ad hoc phonetic guidance offers little help to readers unfamiliar with the language—printed accents give no functional clue as to tonal differences—and those familiar with pinyin will not need it. With the pandas prominently featured in each image, sometimes obscuring the vocabulary item, the boldly colored digital illustrations do not convey concepts particularly effectively. The text overall reads as a mashup of three books, with no overarching trajectory and the phrase "Bye-bye!" occurring one-third of the way into the book.

A dearth of bilingual Chinese-English books for children means those looking to introduce young readers to Mandarin will be glad that this book, though quite flawed, exists—but they may prefer the stand-alone offerings. (Board book. 6 mos.-8)

Kirkus Reviews