Here is an extensive list of suggested books, as put together by Cara Bleiman from Harris Federation.
Do you have any others to recommend? Let us know and we’ll add it below!
Books written in English
- The willow pattern story #picurebook #traditional tales
- Landed #immigration #chinese-american history #picturebook
- Earthquake #picturebook #science #geography
- Marco Polo’s silk purse #geography #history #picturebook
- The greatest explorer in the world #geography #history
- Uncle peter’s amazing chinese wedding #traditions and beliefs #SMSC #picturebook
- Lon Po Po #traditional tales #talewithatwist #red-riding hood #picturebook #award-winning
- Zen shorts #traditional tales #zen #panda #picturebook #award-winning
- Dim sum for everyone #picturebook #KS1 #Chinesefood
- Dragon dance #picturebook #KS1 #Lift-the flap #Chinese New Year
- Ruby’s wish #picturebook #history #equality #PSHE
- The runaway wok #traditional tales #Chinese New Year #picturebook
- The emperor and the kite #traditional tales #papercuts #picturebook
- Stone Soup #traditional tales #picturebook
- The Brush of the Gods #picturebook #art #history #Tang Dynasty
- The magic paintbrush #picturebook #julia donaldson #traditional tales
- D is for Dragon Dance #picturebook #chinese new year
- The Great Race #picturebook #chinese new year #chinese zodiac
- Lin Yi’s lantern #picturebook #mid-autumn festival
- Pandas #non-fiction #pandas
- Giant Pandas first facts #non-fiction #pandas
- Lonely Planet Kids – China #non-fiction #China #geography
- DK Eyewitness – China #non-fiction #China #geography #history #culture
- Unfolding journeys – following the Great Wall #non-fiction #China #geography #history
- You wouldn’t want to work on the Great Wall of china (Scholastic) #non-fiction #China #geography #history
- Avoid working in the Forbidden City #non-fiction #China #geography #history
Bilingual Books
- Alakazam #EYFS #Pinyin #Picturebook
- The peanut fart #Picturebook #Pinyin #food
- Borrowing a tail #Picturebook #animals #pinyin
- Little rabbit’s questions #picturebook #questions #pinyin
- The gigantic turnip #traditional tales #picturebook #pinyin
- Buddy is so annoying #picturebook #pinyin
- Who ate my chestnuts? #pinyin #animals #weather
- There is a dark, dark hole #colours #pinyin
- Zheng He #pinyin #history #geography #explorers
- The Little Monkey King’s Journey #myths and legends #pinyin #picturebook #journey to the west
Chinese books in Translation
- Diary of Ma Yan #UKS2 #diary #real-life #history #PSHE #SMSC
- Shanghai messenger #Chinese-American identity #Shanghai #picturebook
- Jackal and Wolf #wildlife #fiction #chapter-book #UKS2
- Mo’s mischief #China’s J.K Rowling #best-selling #chapter-book #KS2
- Bronze and Sunflower #chapter-book #cultural-revolution #history #best-seller #KS2
- Red Land, Yellow River: A story from the cultural revolution #chapter-book #cultural-revolution #UKS2 #history
- Little white duck- graphic novel memoir #KS2 #history #mao
In Chinese
- The Football spy #hobbies #pinyin #picturebook
English books translated into Chinese
- The Tiger who came to tea
- The very hungry caterpillar
- This is not my hat
- I want my hat back
- Dr Zeuss: One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish
Educational Chinese Picture books
Primary Mandarin Toolkit 