Chinese, English and French Books for Young Readers: How to Use Trilingual Books at Home

If your child hears Mandarin at home and English or French at school, a trilingual book lets every adult in the house read the same story in the language they're most comfortable in. Grandma reads the Chinese, one parent reads the English, and your French immersion kindergartner gets to show off the French. The DC Canada Super Hammy Learns Chinese, English and French set is ten short early readers built for exactly this, published in Ottawa.

Who trilingual early readers suit

• Mandarin-speaking families. The Chinese text is in simplified characters with pinyin above, so it reads as Mandarin. Pinyin also helps parents who speak Mandarin well but read characters less confidently.
• Kids in, or heading into, French immersion. Seeing a story they already know in English or Chinese can make the French much less intimidating.
• Children aged about 5 to 7. These are early readers with short sentences, aimed at Pre-K to Grade 1. Younger children can enjoy them as read-alouds, but they're not board books.

They're a less natural fit if your family speaks Cantonese and teaches traditional characters. You can still tell the story aloud in Cantonese, but the printed Chinese and pinyin follow Mandarin and simplified characters.

How to read them at home

Canadian paediatricians encourage families to keep telling stories, talking and singing in their home language. Children learning two or more languages often know fewer words in each one at first, but their total vocabulary across languages is usually as large as a child who speaks one language. A few habits make trilingual books work:

1. Each adult reads their own language. Don't translate line by line. One whole read in Mandarin, another time in English, works better than switching every sentence.
2. Let your child pick the language. Some nights they'll want the language they're strongest in. That still counts.
3. Re-read the same book. Early readers are meant to be read many times. Once the story is familiar, your child can focus on the words.
4. Point as you read. Run a finger under the words in the language you're reading so your child connects the sounds to that script.
5. Let them teach you. If you don't speak French, ask your child to read you the French line. Kids in immersion love being the expert.

What's in the Super Hammy set

Price is in CAD and was current when we wrote this. The set is printed books only. A reading pen isn't included.

The stories follow Super Hammy, a mighty little hero, and his friend Little Mouse through everyday adventures, from his car to his love of cheese to Halloween. Short sentences and a controlled vocabulary are the point: they give a beginning reader a real chance of reading a page on their own.

See the Super Hammy Learns Chinese, English and French set

Pair it with letter sounds

If your child is still learning English letter sounds, Super Hammy ABC ($16.95) uses the same character to teach letter names and sounds, with tracing pages at the back. It's in English only and suits ages 4 to 6.

For hands-on learning away from books, our guide to LOGICO PRIMO and PICCOLO covers DC Canada's self-checking learning boards.

Want to flip through the set first? Call our Richmond, Burnaby or Ottawa store ahead of your visit and we'll let you know what we have on hand.