My First Mandarin Chinese Phrases

Gr 1–5—Organized into themes such as months and seasons, feelings, school, and meals, these spreads feature large, colorful digital illustrations, a handful of phrases, and some supplemental vocabulary words. Each phrase is presented in English, simplified Chinese characters, and pinyin transliteration. Lists of numbers and colors are appended and supplemental websites are included at the end. This simple layout is easy to read and understand, but glosses over some peculiarities of the language. While the book offers multiple words for grandfather, it does not tell readers that these words are not interchangeable, as one refers to a paternal grandfather, the other to a maternal grandfather. Frequent typos in the pinyin transliterations hinder the usability of the text, and some phrases skip important articles. Readers are better off with Catherine Bruzzone's Hide and Speak Chinese (Barron's 2010) or Judy Mahoney's Teach Me Everyday Chinese (Teach Me Tapes, 2008).—Jennifer Rothschild, Arlington County Public Libraries, VA