Posted by Lilian Li 5783

No matter whether you are an expat who is looking for suitable story books for your children, or you are a beginning language learner trying to figure out how Chinese characters work and how to structure simple sentences, continue to read and you will find the best Chinese story books for teenagers/children!

1. A Magic Paint Brush 神笔马良 (shén bǐ mǎ liánɡ)

We will start with a classic, known by almost all Chinese people. It tells a magical story about a diligent, smart and brave young boy called Ma Liang.

After Ma Liang receives a magical paintbrush, he suddenly finds that everything he paints immediately turns to life. Ma Liang uses his magical paintbrush to help the poor and never does selfish things for himself. However, soon after hearing about this magic paintbrush, the evil emperor wants to capture the boy and use the paintbrush for himself. But don’t worry! You will be surprised how Ma Liang uses his intelligence and imagination to fight against and punish the emperor by creating a masterpiece with his magical paintbrush.

2. The Water Dragon 雨龙 (yǔ lónɡ)

You may already know about Chinese people’s beliefs about the mythical dragon, but this story book about the Water Dragon may surprise you!

Like Ma Liang’s story with his magic paintbrush, this story is also about a kind and generous little boy called A Bao who lives in a remote village. One day as he plays in the forest, he finds something magical: a red stone that makes his money jar and rice crocks overflow. Both A Bao and the poor villagers are so happy that they can finally have enough food to feed the children and animals, but strange things happen. It no longer rains, the rivers dry up and the crops die. After realizing the seriousness of the drought, A Bao is so brave that he becomes a white dragon that can spew water, then he returns his magic stone to the river. By making this sacrifice, A Bao saves the village and many people.

3. The Phoenix and the Hundred Birds 百鸟朝凤 (bǎi niǎo cháo fènɡ)

After the dragon’s story, don’t you want to know something about the phoenix? Here we go!

In China the phoenix is the king of birds, considered the most beautiful and respected among all birds. Each year, all the birds in the world fly to celebrate the phoenix's birthday. But one day, the phoenix loses all her beautiful feathers and pleasant singing voice, and the birds change their attitude towards her. The story relates how the phoenix again became the world's most beautiful. The Phoenix and the Hundred Birds will tell you the unexpected secret! This book has simplified Chinese characters, pinyin and English, which is perfect for reading.

4. The Story of Chopsticks --- Amazing Chinese Inventions 筷子的故事 (kuài zi de ɡù shi)

The author cooks up a tale for children about the birth of chopsticks in this amusing and easy to read book. Since you are in the country of chopsticks, this story about their origin is a fun way to tell your children how to use them properly. The book also includes a new bilingual translation in simplified Chinese, making it easy to read both for you and your children.

5. Stories of Folk Customs by Zhenwan Zhao 中国民俗故事 (zhōnɡ ɡuó mín sú ɡù shi)

This picture book series is suitable for children from ages 6 to 9 who can enjoy exploring ancient poetry, folk songs, proverbs, fables, myths, legends and wisdom stories. These open the door of history and help kids begin to understand Chinese culture, especially these subjects:

- The Story Behind Chinese New Year's Eve 年除夕的故事 (nián chú xī de ɡù shi)

- The Story of Qingming Festival 清明节的故事 (qīnɡ mínɡ jié de ɡù shi)

- The Story Behind the Dragon Boat Festival 端午节的故事 (duān wǔ jié de ɡù shi)

- The Story of the New Year Cake 年糕的故事 (nián ɡāo de ɡù shi)

These books are a nice introduction to Chinese language and reading for youngsters. However, they can make quicker progress with a professional teacher’s guidance. Contact us here and let our teachers help your kids learn Chinese better.