Despite the popularity of Mandarin classes in schools around the country these days, finding engaging materials for kids who are learning Chinese can be a challenge anywhere, even here in the Bay Area. But recently a number of new, local resources have cropped up offering a much broader selection of Chinese books for my little ones. In particular, I was interested to see, on the Mandarin Immersion Parents Council website, that a Chinese bookstore (and a local one, no less) is going to offer a Chinese reading club similar to the Scholastic program that has been omnipresent in American schools since I was a kid. Learn more from this PDF.

For those in the East Bay, there will be another opportunity to browse and buy a wide variety of Chinese books, DVDs, games, and other educational materials at the Shu Ren International School Fall Festival and Book Fair on October 30. This is a great chance to stock up on materials for your little ones – and also have some fun while you are at it. There will be a magic show, classical Chinese dance performance, games, a bounce house, and food. The book fair will be co-sponsored with Asianparent.com, another local company that offers a selection of Chinese books and other materials.

And on a recent visit to the bookstore in the Ranch 99 mall in Richmond, I noticed that they have increased their range and selection of children’s books, which is now a great resource as well.

Happy reading!

Read more from Hao Mama about the Monkey King.

To find it, search the iTunes store for “Sun Jingxiu.” Currently they only have Volumes 1 & 3, but the whole set can also be purchased on Amazon. Segments of the story can also be heard for free via Chinese video-sharing site Tudou. The first section is here.

What young child doesn’t love playing with magnets on the fridge? Why not have them learn some Chinese while they are at it?

Kingka, a matching game that teaches young learners to recognize Chinese characters and learn the meaning. There are various ways to play it depending on the age and fluency of your children, and the sturdy character cards themselves are a great resource.

A beautiful book that creatively introduces a few characters through a fun story.

A gentle CD of songs and counting rhymes designed to teach the basic sounds of Chinese to very young children. One of my kids’ favorite CDs.

A beautiful soothing collection of lullabies that puts both my kids to sleep every night. My little one now sings “You You Zha” (the name of the first song) to signal she is ready for bed.

There is something about the drawings of Elmer that babies just love.

Another new blog by a mom also covers topics related to raising bilingual Chinese-English kids in the U.S., apparently also here in the SF Bay Area. I look forward to reading more from her. And I’ll try to do a better job keeping up with all the great new resources out there.

Speaking of products, these Chinese Character Blocks look like a great way to encourage reading (Thanks to Asian Mommy for the link!).