I will freely admit that I am concerned with – borderline TOTALLY PSYCHOTIC – about my kids’ grasp of the Mandarin language.

As an Asian person that grew up in a English-only speaking family, and having grown up in Australia, I came back to Singapore with total respect for those that can speak English and Mandarin fluently and beautifully. And as someone that has worked across the Asia-Pacific region, I can see how speaking Mandarin is an incredible PLUS in the business world. China is the future.

When I was pregnant, I became determined that our kids would be completely bilingual. We’re in the new century, you know, where it’s seriously duhhhh if you only speak one language.

And so, I’m always super eager to check out anything Mandarin-related!
 

 

MandarinaKids have released a book titled “Ariel and Her Honesty Pig“. It is a bilingual English/Mandarin book, perfect for infants to 6 years old.

 

This is THE FIRST TIME EVER I have ever heard of a book (or company) that hits all these key points:

1. Bilingual book in English/Mandarin, with han yu pin yin – a big win for those of us that have very poor Mandarin character reading skills.
2. Flaps to flip-up – the Mandarin word is on top (so kids have to read that one first, heh heh heh), and the English translation below.
3. Audio CD – to learn how it’s all pronounced properly, for those of us with whacky accents.
4. Large characters alongside the story – every double spread has a catchphrase with large Chinese characters. It’s eye-catching and easy for young kids to read, and even trace with their finger.

 
Let’s jump straight to the GOOD STUFF!

MandarinaKids is giving away one “Ariel and her Honesty Pig” book! To enter, just do the super-quick steps below: Click to Like the MandarinaKids page Click to Like the Beverly’s Net page Click Share on the Facebook widget below and tag @MandarinaKids in it! Fill in the Rafflecopter giveaway to log your entry. a Rafflecopter giveaway Giveaway will run from 7-15 May 2015 inclusive. Entrants must perform all listed steps, which will be verified prior to contacting the winner. The winner will be announced on Beverly’s Net Facebook page. Winner will be contacted by the representing agency within 4 weeks at the end of this giveaway.

 

And that’s not all….

Use code MK505SHI and get 25% off STOREWIDE at MandarinaKids from today until 30 June 2015!

 

The storyline illustrates the value of honesty and friendship through the characters Meng Meng and An An’s friendship with a Ariel, a new girl in the neighbourhood that has a weak leg. I don’t want to give the whole story away but it’s seriously heart-warming, surrounding simple concepts like acceptance of others and friendship – things very young kids can grasp.

Something that we’re fortunate to enjoy in Singapore is multiculturalism, which in turn speaks to having respect for each other. I really liked the theme of Being Different – explaining to my kids that ­every child is unique and we should respect them for them.

 

My kids (Carter is 2.5yrs, Hunter is 4 yrs) are at a very appropriate age for learning about this. Here’s a real scenario of what happened recently:

One day, Hunter mused to me, “Mummy, Ms [teacher at school] has really dark skin. WHY?”

I was caught a bit unawares, and somehow found myself going on about how skin colour differs among various races – some are way darker than his, some are way lighter. I think I even threw in the word melanin! LOL!

Hunter looked at me and said, simply, “Oh. Well I just think her skin looks like chocolate. She makes me want to lick her.”

Kids!

 

So I can tell that, at his age, he is very aware of people that appear different to him. I appreciated “Ariel and her Honesty Pig” because I felt the story really focused on how Ariel was different, and how the other kids accepted her. It’s a bit of a tear jerker!

 

Curious to learn what other themes this book can teach your child? Read on for the next post by Sanses.com on this blog train.
 
And remember:

Use code MK505SHI and get 25% off STOREWIDE at MandarinaKids from today until 30 June 2015!

 

Disclaimer: This post is brought to you by MandarinaKids with purpose to share resources for the learning of Mandarin and use of their products to better engage children.