Start reading with the following 10 Best Interactive Chinese Ebooks for Preschoolers (Ages 2-5) recommended by JoJo.
In a 2-year-long search for the best books for kids learning Chinese as a second language, JoJo’s team of immersion school educators, linguistic experts, parents and child testers read and reviewed over 4000 popular children’s picture books in print and digital format to find the best Chinese children's books for each age group.
Read our book selection and age-based book leveling criteria here.
Since we know that many families do not have access to print copies of Chinese children's books at home, we decided to prioritize sharing our picks for the 40 best interactive ebooks for kids learning Chinese.
We've divided our picks into four age groups and will present the top 10 books for each age. Below you will find the 10 Best Chinese Interactive ebooks for children ages 2-5.
Some parents may be skeptical about the educational quality of ebooks, but here’s why ebooks and particularly animated ebooks are great—especially for kids who are reading in their community’s minority language.
- It can be difficult and expensive to obtain print copies of Chinese books outside of China.
- Ebooks can vastly increase children’s reading exposure. Ebooks are accessible anywhere.
- Ebooks enable children to "read up" in a foreign language, even if they or their caregiver cannot read.
- Children love interactive ebooks.
Ebook's most attractive feature may be their interactive, animated illustrations. These gently moving animations may resemble the "live photos" on your iPhone or the living photographs in the wizard newspapers of the Harry Potter movies. Animated illustrations can provide educational and developmental advantages over traditional static ebooks by allowing children to independently explore and interact with a book, somewhat similar to a guided reading experience with an adult.
10 Best Interactive Chinese Ebooks for Preschoolers (Ages 2-5).
1. No, David! 大卫，不可以 (dà wèi ， bù kě yǐ )
Author: David Shannon
Country of origin: USA
Description: This book is one of the David series of picture books, created by the bestselling picture-book author David Shannon based on his childhood paintings. When reading the book, children will see the text “NO, DAVID!” and a picture of David doing something he is not supposed to do repeated on every page. They will find his outrageously bad behavior both funny and relatable as they see themselves in David, and they will learn the words and phrases of parents' directions in Chinese.
翻开这本书，你总能被这个天不怕地不怕、张牙舞爪把家里弄得一团糟的小男孩所吸引。他的调皮、叛逆、爱冒险，引起了无数“不听话的小坏蛋们”的共鸣，也让妈妈们心跳加速、又爱又恨。
当闯了祸的他躲在墙角流眼泪时，妈妈给了他一个温暖的怀抱。原本暴跳如雷的妈妈瞬间变得温柔如水，是什么有如此神奇的魔力？当然是每个家里那个“大卫”！
2. Well Done, Little White Fish 太棒了 (tài bàng liǎo)
Author: Guido Van Genechten
Country of origin: Belgium
Description: This is the first of four books from the Little White Fish series of picture books which has made it onto our recommended list. This series, created by Guido Van Genechten, is ideally suited for kids aged 2-5. This particular book focuses on vocabulary about feelings. Children will learn how to say words such as sad, shy, and happy. Since these are some of the first emotions children learn to express in English, they will feel empowered to be able to express these feelings in Chinese as well. Preschool-aged kids will also receive encouragement to practice pro-social behavior in this book when they see the ways that little white fish's friends help the little white fish. Finally, for fun and to practice visual discrimination, children can also play an interactive jigsaw game in this ebook!
故事的一开始，小白鱼很生气，因为章鱼撞倒了它的石头塔。小白鱼好伤心，因为它最喜欢的石头摔碎了。幸运的是，海马和海龟都来鼓励和帮助它，这让小白鱼既害羞又开心。
在故事里，小白鱼还会突然感到害怕，又会兴奋和自豪。当孩子们像小白鱼一样认识、体验并接待所有的情绪时，他们的世界将会被彩虹般的幸福填得满满的！
3. Little White Fish Has a Party 小白鱼过生日 (xiǎo bái yú guò shēng rì)
Author: Guido Van Genechten
Country of origin: Belgium
Description: This is the second of the Little White Fish series picture books on our list. Little White Fish is getting big! Today is his second birthday, and everyone is invited to his party: thick and thin, long and short, straight and bent, happy and sad sea animals. Again, Van Genechten has weaved pro-social messages about inclusion into this educational and language-rich story. Young children will love this playful book and will learn Chinese vocabulary about opposites as they read!
今天是小白鱼两岁的生日，海洋里各种各样的朋友们都来为它庆祝生日。它们有的胖，有的瘦；有的长，有的短；有的开心，有的伤心……真实千姿百态，有趣极了！通过阅读本书，孩子们会在为小白鱼庆祝的同时学会各种反义词。
4. Little White Fish Is So Happy 放学啦 (fàng xué la)
Author: Guido Van Genechten
Country of origin: Belgium
Description: This is the third recommended book from the Little White Fish series. Little White Fish is so happy because mom is coming to pick him up! He says good-bye to his friends one by one. Bye-bye, snail in the shell! Bye-bye, frog on the rock! Bye-bye, seahorse under the leaf! Bye-bye, crab behind the stone! Bye-bye, goldfish between the reeds! This great book introduces Chinese position words, animal names, and helps kids practice saying goodbye!
小白鱼很开心，因为妈妈来接它放学啦！它一个接一个地向朋友们告别。再见，住在壳里的海蜗牛。再见，坐在岩石上面的青蛙。再见，藏在海草下面的海马。这本书不仅可以激发幼儿的视觉，也能在孩子们学习说再见的同时学会各种海洋动物词汇。
5. Little White Fish Counts to 11 第11个在哪里 (dì 11 gè zài nǎ lǐ)
Author: Guido Van Genechten
Country of origin: Belgium
Description: The fourth and final book on our list from the Little White Fish series, Little White Fish Counts to 11 is an adorable book to help kids practice counting. Little White Fish and his friends are playing hide and seek. First, Little White Fish finds one friend, then two, then three, and then four. Now everyone has been found! But how many are there in the end? Children will enjoy counting and playing hide and seek with Little White Fish in Chinese!
小白鱼在和它的小伙伴们一起玩捉迷藏的游戏，它找到了1只海蜗牛、2只海胆、3只水跳蚤和4只小蝌蚪。想知道小白鱼一共找到了几个小伙伴吗？书里的第11个小伙伴是谁呢？小朋友们会很喜欢一起来找小伙伴！
6. Chameleon Sees Colors 我喜欢你的颜色 (wǒ xǐ huān nǐ de yán sè)
Author: Anita Bijisterbosch
Country of origin: Netherlands
Description: Filled with bright hues that preschoolers love, this story, created by award-winnning Dutch author Anita Bijsterbosch, serves as a great introduction to color words. In the beginning, the chameleon thinks the world is black and white. When he looks carefully, however, he notices there are animals who are red, orange, yellow, green and purple. The world is full of colors! This sweet story will reinforce animal names while encouraging recognition of common Chinese characters for colors as well as the common word "喜欢", meaning "like".
世界是黑白色的吗？变色龙一开始是这么想的，可是当它走出自己的小天地，用心观察外面的世界时，它发现世界是色彩斑斓的。本书通过变色龙的故事，引导孩子们以积极、健康、开放的心态去接纳生活，发现生活中的美好，让孩子们在认知颜色的过程中感受到世界的美与无限可能。
7. Ya! 呀！ (ya)
Author: Sifan Yang
Country of origin: China
Description: This is one of the most interactive and fun ebooks on our list! Children love helping each animal find its favorite food. On each page, the child can feed the animal by dragging and dropping the food with a finger. Limited text and repetitive sentence structures make this a book to help build the confidence of a budding reader. As kids practice new Chinese vocubulary about food, hopefully, they will be inspired to expand their own culinary horizons!
这本书是最有意思的动画书之一。 画风可爱，创意十足，还是中国原创！每个小动物都有各自喜爱的食物。动物和没事的搭配能够充分激发孩子的想象力，让孩子主动参与到有趣的游戏中来。孩子们不仅能感受到食物的魅力，没准儿还会爱上吃饭呢！打开着本动画书，让孩子跟着动物朋友们来一次有趣的创意美食之旅。
8. Wrong? 错了 (cuò le)
Author: Sifan Yang
Country of origin: China
Description: Made a mistake? Let’s fix it! This imaginative book allows children to use their fingers to solve problems. For example, they will find eight-lens glasses to match a spider with eight eyes. They will help a seahorse put on pants. Play to solve every task while learning the useful Chinese phrases "错了" and "不错". Additionally, children will learn Chinese words for different animals and will be inspired to think creatively.
这是一本充满童趣的动画书，编排形式新颖，情节风趣幽默。书中出现了八个镜片的眼镜盒多个库管的裤子等物品，与日常生活中的同类物品大相径庭，可是它们却刚好适合八只眼睛的蜘蛛和多条腿的章鱼等动物。读完故事后，孩子们既能认识各种动物，又能培养创造力和想象力。
9 . Little Pig Joins The Band 乐队不能没有小猪 (lè duì bù néng méi yǒu xiǎo zhū)
Author: David Hyde Costello
Country of original: USA
小猪和哥哥姐姐们去爷爷家串门，他们要利用爷爷的乐器组建乐队。可是小猪太小了，找不到适合自己的乐器，哥哥姐姐们也只顾自己弹奏，没空搭理小猪。但是当这支无组织的乐队出现小意外时，小猪有了一个主意：乐队需要一个指挥！读完这个故事，孩子们会发现：每个人都有自己的长处，都会找到适合自己的位置，就像小猪一样！
10 . See You Tomorrow! 明天见 (míng tiān jiàn)
Author: Yong-Hui Kim
Country of origin: Korea
Description: What does preschool or kindergarten look like? What do children do there? How does one make friends there? This book answers questions your little one didn't even know he or she had about going to school. A great book to help quell some of the fears of a 2 to 5-year-old preparing to go to school while simultaneous teaching key Chinese vocabulary and phrases to use at school.
孩子要上幼儿园了，他们会问：“幼儿园是什么？幼儿园里有什么？小朋友在幼儿园里干什么呢？”这本有趣的童书统统可以回答孩子们。
通过阅读这本书，孩子们可以了解在幼儿园一天的生活。这个故事会让小朋友们思考应该怎样和朋友们相处，也告诉小朋友一些和朋友相处时需要遵守的规则。
How Can I Access These Interactive Ebooks?
All 10 books can be accessed through the Ellabook App which contains an ever-growing library of Chinese picture books from around the world. After reviewing several Chinese picture book Apps, JoJo chose to work with the Ellabook App because its quality and selection of books impressed us the most. Read a detailed review of the Ellabook App by JoJo Co-founder, Christine.
Afterword
In my years teaching preschoolers, I found that there was so much going on in the minds of my 2- to 5-year-old students. Kids at that age are complete sponges--learning everything from how to use the toilet to how to write a sentence.
Most striking to me, however, is the growth in their social and communication skills! Kids acquire language more quickly between the ages of 3 and 7 than during any other period in their life. And they acquire this language by receiving input from the environment around them--anyone who has ever mistakenly let a bad word slip in the presence of a young child has probably learned this lesson the hard way!
Preschool aged children are hungry for language. Just watch the eagerness with which a class of 3- or 4-year-olds files into a classroom and sits down for story time. They love to listen to stories which not only introduce new concepts and vocabulary but reinforce familiar language patterns which they are working hard to master.
Even as a teacher pre-COVID when in-person story time was a daily activity, my students still wanted more story time than our schedule could accommodate. Today, however, with so many kids at home learning virtually, I am confident that there are many many more 2- to 5-year-old children out there are starving for more high quality stories to fuel their little language-loving brains.
Since not all kids have access to high quality books at home and since not all families raising Chinese-speaking kids have fluent family members at home to read to them, we selected a list of the best 10 Chinese ebooks for 2- to 5-year-olds. All of these books are available on the animated ebook App Ellabook.
If you have a 2- to 5-year-old, I highly recommend that you check them out. I bet your child will love them!
