Asianmommy Reviews

Discovering Chinese -iPad Edition from Better Chinese is an iPad app designed for middle school and high school students interested in learning basic Mandarin.  Asianmommy received a free app for review.

Volume 1 contains 12 lessons, including topics such as Hello, What is your name?, How old are you?, What is your nationality?, Where do you live?, What day of the week is it today?, What is inside the classroom?, and What do you like to eat?

Each lesson offers an animated story to view, then presents the story in a comic book form, allowing the user to click on the phrases to hear them individually, either with the Chinese characters plus Pinyin, or with the characters alone.  Next, the lesson text shows you the Chinese characters, with the option to show the Pinyin and/or the English translation.  The Vocabulary section shows the definitions of the individual words, plus language and culture tips are given.

Next, you can practice the 4 tones, then listen to a dialogue and answer questions.  You may even record yourself speaking.  Then, you can read a passage and answer questions, as well as practice writing the characters.  The Homework section tests your listening and reading comprehension. writing, and speaking.

What I liked:  This is a very comprehensive program for learning Mandarin.  The topics are useful and relevant.  I like the comic book pages, where you can listen to the phrases selectively--over and over and over, if you need to.  I also love how you can hide the Pinyin or English translation to force yourself to read only the Chinese characters.

What could be improved:  The font size could be a little bigger, especially for the animation and comic book pages--I found it somewhat difficult to read the Pinyin.  To be honest, I also had some trouble answering some of the test questions, particularly in the writing section.  Could be that I'm not well-versed in Chinese, but perhaps there are some bugs to work out in the program, as well. 

Overall, I think this is a great program that can be very helpful for those beginning to learn Mandarin.

Flying the Dragon is a novel written by Natalie Dias Lorenzi for children ages 9-12.  The story involves a Japanese-American 5th-grader named Skye, living in the US, who meets her Japanese cousin Hiroshi for the first time when his family and their mutual grandfather move from Japan to the States.  Asianmommy received a free copy of this book for review.

Skye had never been that interested in learning Japanese until her grandfather came to visit.  Then, she found that she wanted to learn to communicate with him to get to know him better.  Unfortunately, she also found that translating English to Japanese for her cousin at school made her the target of taunting and teasing by her classmates.

Hiroshi had his own struggles having to adapt to a new country with a different language.  Also, dealing with their grandfather's illness was difficult, as Hiroshi wanted nothing more than to make and fly kites with his grandfather in his free time.

Skye and Hiroshi find themselves having to tutor one another in their respective languages and also having to learn to fly a kite together in the upcoming rokkaku kite battle.  In the end, they begin to put away their resentments and form a close bond while working together as a team.

What I liked:  I really enjoyed the multi-cultural aspect of this book.  I like the way the author portrayed Skye's feelings about the pressure to learn Japanese, her embarrassment at having to speak Japanese in front of her classmates, and her jealousy of her cousin's relationship with their grandfather.  Also, Hiroshi's frustration and confusion at the language and customs in the US, his resentment of Skye's intrusion on his time with their grandfather, and his expertise in kite-flying--it all rang true.  I found the book to be quite well-written and entertaining, while dealing with matters of substance.

What could be improved:  It would be nice to see more books like this!

Kids Bowl Free is free program at select bowling centers in the US which offers 2 free games of bowling per kid every day all summer.  Each center lists their dates and times available, as well as the age requirements for the program.  If teens or adults in the family want to participate, you can buy a Family Pass for $24.95 to cover up to 4 teen or adult family members for 2 games per person per day all summer.  Asianmommy received a free Family Pass for review.

Once registerered, you'll begin receiving coupons in your email.  Print out the coupons, and bring them with you when you bowl.  You can rent bowling shoes at the center for a fee or bring your own bowling shoes.

We went to our local bowling center last weekend.  The bumper rails protected the kids from having too many gutter balls, and the kids had a blast.  The adults were happy to be able to join in the fun.  Honestly, I could've used the bumper rails myself!

What I liked:  I think it's fantastic that bowling centers are offering this free program for kids.  It offers a fun place for kids to hang out in the summertime just for the cost of a shoe rental.  Our family doesn't usually bowl often, but it's a nice way to spend an afternoon out of the heat in the summer.

What could be improved:  Haha--what most needs improving is our bowling skills, but we had a great time trying!

Korable Block is a system created by New York designer Si-Yeon Min, featuring a set of 4 wooden blocks printed with Korean alphabet letters.  Asianmommy received a free set of blocks for review.

The blocks and tray are made by Uncle Goose with Michigan basswood & non-toxic, lead-free ink, and the booklet is printed in Brooklyn on recycled paper using non-toxic ink.  The blocks can be combined to make over 120 Korean words, including numbers, days of the week, foods, body parts, animals, and more.  Using  Korable Block is a fun way for kids to learn the Korean alphabet and begin to form simple words.

The website shows a video demonstrating how a child can use the blocks to learn.

What I liked:  The blocks are sturdy, well-made, environmentally friendly, and a comfortable size to hold.  The booklet features many commonly used words (eye, nose, mouth, bear, bird, ball, car, door, sun, moon, tea, seaweed) and shows us how to combine the blocks to create them.

What could be improved:  This system would be great for those who already know how to speak Korean, but an accompanying CD, DVD, or website audio component would be very helpful for beginners who unfamiliar with the pronunciation of the sounds.

The Gordon & Li Li board books and iPad app, created by Michele Wong McSween, are useful tools for children learning to speak Mandarin Chinese.  Asianmommy received a free copy of the book series and iPad app for review.

Ms. McSween is a 4th generation Chinese American living in Brooklyn.  She created the Gordon & Li Li series to help her kids learn to speak Chinese.  The series is about two pandas, Gordon and Li Li, who are cousins.  Gordon speaks English and lives in Brooklyn, while Li Li speaks Mandarin and lives in Beijing.  They set out to learn simple, everyday words in each other's languages.

In Gordon & Li Li:  Words for Everyday, Gordon and Li Li learn to say "boy," "girl," "ball," "doll," "car," "train," "book," "bath," "toilet," "toothbrush," "cup," "bowl," "apple," "banana," "shirt," "pants," "shoes," "milk," "water," "juice," and so on in English and Mandarin with Pinyin.  Simplified characters are in the glossary at the back of the book.

In Gordon & Li Li:  Learn Animals in Mandarin, they learn to say "alligator," "lion," "fish," "horse," "duck," "hippo," "cow," "zebra," "panda" (of course!), "dolphin," "giraffe," "monkey," "shark," "killer whale," "polar bear," "penguin," and so on in English and Mandarin with Pinyin, simplified characters, and a pronunciation guide provided on each page.

In Gordon & Li Li:  Count in Mandarin, they learn to count to ten, then to count by tens to 100, again in English and Mandarin with Pinyin, simplified characters, and a pronunciation guide provided on each page.

The iPad app, "Gordon & Li Li:  Learn Animals in Mandarin" has the same 28 animals depicted in the board book with English, Mandarin, and Pinyin, but also with cute animation of the characters and additional features which allow you to hear the pronunciation of the Chinese characters and to trace out the simplified characters.

What I liked:  What I found most enjoyable about this series are the wonderul illustrations done by Kevin Murawski and Nam Doan, especially when brought to life by the iPad app.  I also liked the simple format of the series and the inclusion of Pinyin, as well as English and simplified characters.  The pronunciation guide would be very useful for those unfamiliar with Pinyin.  Also, the ability to hear the pronunciation of the words and to trace out the characters on the iPad app is invaluable.

What could be improved:  It would be nice if the first book, Words for Everyday, could be reprinted with the simplified characters and a pronunciation guide on each page.  Otherwise, this a great series for kids starting to learn Mandarin!

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