Bao & Bun's Bilingual Journey

I’ve observed other parents discussing and recently a teacher mentioned how similar Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese are. While mastering both comfortably may require some practice, especially for those already proficient in one, it’s not necessarily easy, especially for kids who are still learning. This is particularly evident with highly frequently used Traditional Chinese characters like 個 or 隻, where their Simplified versions (个 只) bear little resemblance. While some kids may find it easy to remember both, I worry that my kids aren’t at that level yet.

This concern arises as I’ve become frustrated with the limited selection of leveled readers available from Taiwan. The options for kids to read independently are either picture books with challenging phrases meant for parental reading or bridge books, which is the struggle many encounter. Generally, I find that bridge books, tailored for 2nd grade and above in Taiwan, are too literary and lack colloquial/easy phrases for overseas kids who lack a Chinese-speaking environment, making it difficult for them to enjoy.

Conversely, there are far more leveled readers available in Simplified Chinese. We’ve enjoyed reading Elephant and Piggie, and now I’m eager to find more books like this. Does this mean I should start teaching Little Bun simplified characters?