When Little Bun finished Sagebook 500, I thought she’d be ready to dive right into reading Chinese on her own. But it turns out reading is its own skill—just recognizing characters wasn’t enough. So after Sagebook, I started her off with books at different levels: picture books with big fonts, then simple bridge books and early chapter books, and finally onto books and comics without zhuyin. Over the past year, her reading ability has really grown, and now she’s almost an independent reader.
Along the way, I realized two things: (1) a lot of kids have trouble actually reading books even if they know characters, and (2) it’s hard to find books that match their level. Since resources with in-depth reviews for early Chinese books are limited, I figured I’d try to put together a guide based on what’s been working (and not working) for us. Hope it can be helpful for your family’s journey too!
Bao & Bun's Bilingual Journey 