Bao Bao Learns Chinese Vol. 1, Bilingual Chinese Sound Book for Toddlers

My first reaction to this book was, “OMG, how awesome! I wish this book was around when my son was a baby/toddler!” Let me tell you why this book is so amazing – it’s not just a book, it’s a: (1) board book; (2) song book with music and singing; (3) book with some of the most popular Chinese nursery rhymes and translated American nursey rhymes that you all know; (4) interactive toy; and (5) a bilingual book in English, Chinese and Pinyin pronunciation – all rolled into one awesome book! What a wonderful concept! The author/singer is a mommy who created this book for her baby – she has a beautiful soothing voice and the songs brought me back to my childhood as well as when my son was a baby/toddler. Music is so important for babies and children. It has been shown that listening to music helps children develop the ability to decode auditory data and sharpen their auditory memory - abilities which are fundamental to language comprehension. This book will help your kids learn Chinese without it feeling like a lesson. The songs in this book are written in English with the Chinese and Pinyin pronunciation next to each phrase. Even if you can’t read Chinese, you can still sing along with the author by reading the Pinyin pronunciation. You will understand what you are singing/reading because the English is right there for you. This is also a fun and easier way to learn how to read the Chinese characters, too. As an added bonus, because this book is so sturdy and the song buttons are easy to push, your little ones can read/play with this book by themselves! Need a break for a few minutes? Give them this book! I really can’t say enough good things about this book!

I don't usually write reviews, but I had to for this one! I bought Bao Bao Learns Chinese: Volume 1 for my 16-month-old, and we both love it. The book is really well made, and the illustrations are bright, colorful, and great quality. The audio pronunciation is very clear, so it's easy for me to follow along and sing the songs, even though I'm learning too. I also really appreciate that the lyrics are included in English, pinyin, and Chinese characters. It makes it so much easier to follow along and learn together. If you're looking for a fun and engaging way to introduce your little one to Mandarin, I definitely recommend this book. We're looking forward to getting the next volume!

These books are pricey, however we really like them. We got them for a baby, and started playing them when she was just a few months old. She loved the music, which is fun, but not annoying or loud. Many of the songs are more calming as well, which we like. The multiple volume options is a great feature. The pages are durable, as she has drooled and chewed on them without any visible damage, which we can’t say the same for other board books that we own. Now, baby recognizes many of the songs when sung by people in real life, and she loves them! The one caveat is that my Chinese parents feel that the accent is not authentic… Lol. For ABCs like me, it’s good enough!

Such a good book for a bilingual baby. Trying to teach baby multiple languages and this book is great to sing and dance with baby. Can adjust two volumes and has a long lasting battery. Also very good quality and durability.

Bao Bao Learns Chinese is an excellent and fun way to introduce Mandarin to your child. It’s a sturdy board book with colorful, bright illustrations that are sure to capture little eyes. Each page features a picture along with both the English and Mandarin versions of the song lyrics. On the right side of the book are six buttons that correspond to the pages, making it interactive and engaging. The book includes the songs Itsy Bitsy Spider, Two Tigers, Find a Friend, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Mama Is the Best in the World, and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. The only downside is that it doesn’t sing in English as well. I would have loved to hear some traditional Chinese songs translated into English. Overall, it’s a great book and a wonderful introduction to Mandarin for young children.

We received this book when our baby was 6.5 months old. She enjoyed listening to it and looking at the images right away. She is now nearly 13 months old and engages with the book multiple times a day. She loves pressing the buttons and flipping the pages, and is even now starting to associate the pages with their corresponding song button. She loved the book so much that we ended up putting it in her change area, and she listens to it while we're changing her diaper and dressing her - it helps calm her down but also keeps her actively engaged. One of her first words was even "Bao Bao"! We don't speak Mandarin, but we had a native Mandarin speaker come to play with her in Mandarin a few times a week when she was 7-9 months old (would have continued, but the Coronavirus lockdown started), and she would sing these songs along with our baby, and found them to be accurately translated - as well as songs she remembered from her own childhood. We really enjoy the songs in this book, too, and have started being able to sing some of them - our tongues get tied on some songs and words, still, but it's fun to try to sing along! We also have the French Nursery Rhymes book from Cali's Books (which our baby also loves), but the Bao Bao book is much, much, much better quality in both construction and battery / button life, as well as in the length of the songs (Bao Bao songs are repeated twice, allowing you to actually get the hang of them, while Cali's Books songs are cut short). We've had to change the batteries of the Cali's Books one twice in the same time frame, while the original batteries in the Bao Bao book are still working perfectly.

I’ve bought this book multiple times as gifts. Wonderful book for babies with some catchy tunes. Only issue is the buttons start to malfunction and music starts for half a second and but the sound dies off despite changing the batteries.

I love these books and so does my toddler! I ordered the 3 books for Chinese, and it has been very helpful in learning Mandarin. My partner is the one who speaks multiple languages, so it’s very important for us that our little one learns more than 3 languages. I personally don’t speak Mandarin, but it’s one of the languages my partner knows. This book is a great opportunity for him and I to learn Mandarin together! I sign along with the book, and mainly use it for bed time. Its great! I love that the book comes in 2 different volume options, and it actually has an off switch! The buttons work flawlessly, easy for our toddler to press. The book size is also perfect for him to hold when he wants to review it on his own time. He likes to take it with him when we go in the car so I carry one with me almost at all times. I love these so much I am going to buy the Spanish books next! Thats a language I am fluent in, and I would love for my baby to expand his learning. For the price they bring a lot of value to our everyday life. Strongly recommend for anyone thinking about buying the books! 100% worth it!

I got this book as gift for my friend's baby, and they both loved it! The voice singing the songs is so soothing and the rhymes are all the nostalgic ones from our childhood. The baby is 7 months old and kept "asking" to play again, trying to touch the buttons, not to mention the beautiful illustrations in bright colours that she couldn't take her eyes off. It was very cute. There are 2 volumes if you want the songs to be more quiet or louder. The product has great quality and delivery was fast. It comes wrapped in a plastic, making it easy to sanitize before giving the gift. I also loved that there comes a note from the author (who is also a mum herself), it was a nice touch. If you are a mum who wants a fun way for your baby to learn Chinese, or if you want a cute and educational gift to give, this is your book.

My little girl absolutely loves this book. She takes it around and plays the music like it's her portable speaker. The songs introduce her to become familiar with Mandarin Chinese and are very soothing. I let her play the songs and flip through the book while I feed her breakfast. Much better alternative than an iPad. Only matter of improvement is perhaps a sturdier adhesive for the music bar. As kids fumble and drop things a lot, the music bar came off twice. I tried to glue it back but as soon as she drops it, it comes off again. I gave up and just let her play with the two separately for now until I can find a better adhesive for it. Otherwise love this book. I still give it 5 stars and will buy the second volume.

Great book and songs aren’t to ear wormy.

I have been trying to find educational books for my son to learn Mandarin Chinese for quite some time now. I absolutely love it. The book is simply adorable. The illustrations are gorgeous, the songs are elegant to hear and having the translation written in English & Pinyin makes this a five star book. I’m so happy right now I feel like I’m winning at life… haha you’d think there would be more books like this considering Chinese is the second most spoken language in the world. I hope Bao Bao make more and more if these books!

My child loves this and it’s a great way for non Chinese speaking members of the family to engage with her in Chinese