Shanghai Messenger - Andrea Cheng

Illustrator: Ed Young
For: Elementary kids
2005
Rating: 3.5
Endpapers: Turquoise

Xiao Mei, a half-Chinese American girl, is encouraged by her grandmother Nai Nai to visit family in Shanghai, China. With trepidation, the eleven year old travels by herself to spend some time with family she's never met. She gets to meet great-grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins who take her in immediately and form loving bonds quickly. She is introduced to the culture of China, makes many observations, gets to know her family, and even learns to write some Chinese. Simply illustrated this is a gentle, informative book.

The orange medly of lines and cross border every page on left and right. It's very eye-catching.

The Pet Dragon - Christoph Niemann

A Story about Adventure, Friendship, and Chinese Characters
2008
Rating: 4
For: Kids and anyone wanting to learn Chinese characters
$16.99
Endpapers: pale teal with white Chinese characters and illustrations from the book

Simple folk-type story that introduces 33 Chinese characters, which are superimposed into the illustrations as well as shown at the bottom of the page. Lots of reds and teals, simple, cute illustrations that perfectly match the tale.

Lin receives a baby dragon as a pet, and they spend their days playing with each other. While playing soccer in the house the abreak a vase, and Lin's father decides the dragon must stay in a cage. The next day, the dragon is gone. Lin goes travels the countryside trying to find him, and is aided by a witch until pet and girl are reunited once again.

This is a clever way to share another culture with children, writing some of the characters afterwards would be a great project.