1, 2, 3, GO!

Lee (In the Park, 1998, etc.) continues her successful series on beginning Chinese characters with a fourth volume, this time a counting book with children’s movements (of hands or feet) providing the action. The format is simple and elegant: each double-page spread has a number word and a verb paired in a short two-word sentence. (“One catches.”) The Chinese characters and English translations are at the side of the right-hand page, separated from the illustration with a pinked-edge, colored border. Lee’s striking paper-cut illustrations show Asian children in action: hitting drums, carrying a lion kite, kicking their legs in kung fu class. An author’s note explains how Chinese characters are formed, and lists of the action words and counting words are also included along with basic pronunciations in Mandarin Chinese. This is a book with many uses: a simple counting book for preschool children (with an added multicultural facet); an introduction to a few basic Chinese characters; an easy reader with a simple, patterned text and exact picture-to-text match; or an ESL book for Chinese-speaking children. It’s never too early for children to learn that we are all part of the global village, where all children love to play in similar ways, but not all children speak (or read) in the same way. Hand this beautifully designed book to a child (or teacher) in time for the Chinese New Year. (Picture book. 3-8)