Easy Steps to Chinese for Kids is a series of Chinese textbooks specifically designed for kids from non-Chinese backgrounds. It covers four levels, each of which is made up of two volumes: a and b (each with a CD). This series has four characters in it, namely Ding Yi, Tian Li, Jingjing and Lele, who are primary school students from China and abroad. Beautifully designed illustrations, simple sentences and dialogues and lovely songs among other means are adopted to develop the kids’ interest in learning Chinese and help them lay a solid Chinese foundation by mastering such fundamental Chinese knowledge as numbers, basic strokes, self-introduction and daily expressions. Chinese culture is introduced on the last two pages of each volume together with some colour stickers for practice. Each volume comes with a CD with all the lessons and songs on it.

This is Volume 1a in the series, with altogether 7 lessons encompassing such topics as numbers, greetings, names, ages and classes, etc. It can be used in the first semester of Year 1 at primary school.

About the Author

Ms. Yamin Ma, with a bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature and a master’s degree in Education, is now teaching Chinese in an international school in Hong Kong. Ms. Ma has many years’ experience in teaching Chinese as a foreign language and knows well about the AP Chinese Program in the US and the IB Chinese Test in Europe.