Our Books

Great Chinese Reads research team conducted the first survey of more than 260 parents and teachers in 2015 to understand more in-depth about the challenges they were experienceing in finding good Chinese books for the children in the United States. The team has evaluated more than 2,000 titles and hand-selected the best suitable picture books for the children based on criteria established by our research advisors.

In the most research project in 2016, we established leveling guidance for the picture books and released the first batch reading list of 50 picture books for kindergarten to sixth grade students.

We developed an approach that considered the content knowledge, social emotional development phase, subject area, and language capability. We worked with Mandarin immersion teachers across the country and gathered their inputs in both qualitative and quantitative format.The leveling content knowledge, social emotional development phase, subject area, and language capability.

Each book on the list is associated with a recommended grade level, based on typical reading abilities for a Mandarin immersion student, and aligned with the standards set by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

Finally, we tagged the books by keyword, so it would be easy for parents and teachers to find books about certain subjects – such as Chinese New Year.

The Great Chinese Reads recommended book list offers reading materials complementing the the textbooks and language-learning curriculum for the children learning Chinese in various settings in the U.S.

With the on-going research, we will expand and add titles to the recommended book list and share with the community.