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

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!

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!

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.

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.

This is my first time writing an Amazon and feels absolutely worth it for this book. I adore this book and it has already been a crowd-pleaser gift for families with babies and young toddlers. I have seen the enchanting quality this book has on my niece and her parents are so blown away that she knows every song by heart and carries the book around, and now she even sings the songs on her own! The imagery in the book is warm, welcoming, and loving and the corresponding nursery rhyme songs are both soothing and beautiful to listen to. I plan to gift this to all of my friends with young children, even got a copy for myself to listen as well. It can be both a lullaby for babies and then a perfect way to infuse learning Mandarin through music and learning - and frankly the book is just lovely for any family - whether you are keen to learn or just want another must-have with beautiful soothing nursery songs to add to your collection. I also see this as a way to help open children's eyes to a bigger world through exposure to language and leanings as they fall in love with Bao Bao! I highly recommend this book and already can’t wait for the next edition - a must-have for families!

I really like the songs inside. However, the button on the side is not as easy or sensitive for a 13 month old. She needs to try so many times before the music starts to play, and of course she gets frustrated by this!

I love this book! The singing is great and the sound quality is excellent. The illustrations are well done and it's a great medium for learning Chinese, even for adults! I bought a book for my baby grandson and one for myself!

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!

This is exactly what I was searching for! As a Chinese Canadian who can’t read Chinese that well, it’s been a struggle finding books that have English, simplified Chinese and most importantly pinyin that’s written and printed well. So many English-Mandarin books on Amazon are just…a little bit off. Weird Chinese, or strange English, or no pinyin, or traditional Chinese instead of simplified, or print quality that’s kind of lacking. This book lets me read and sing to my baby and brings me back to my own childhood with the classic songs. The recordings are also really nicely done. It sounds authentic, soothing, and has great instrumentals as well. The pictures are also interesting and engaging. The book itself is sturdy, and the colours vibrant and true. You can tell a lot of thought, attention to detail and effort went into this book. It is expensive though, especially in CAD, but well worth the price. My 8 month old is obsessed!! My parents also love it because of the familiarity of the songs they used to sing to me. They’ve now ordered the next two volumes for baby!