Easy Steps to Chinese for Kids is a series of Chinese textbooks specifically designed for kids from non-Chinese backgrounds. It covers four levels, each of which is made up of two volumes: a and b (each with a CD). This series has four characters in it, namely Ding Yi, Tian Li, Jingjing and Lele, who are primary school students from China and abroad. Beautifully designed illustrations, simple sentences and dialogues and lovely songs among other means are adopted to develop the kids’ interest in learning Chinese and help them lay a solid Chinese foundation by mastering such fundamental Chinese knowledge as numbers, basic strokes, families and daily expressions. Chinese culture is introduced on the last two pages of each volume together with some color stickers for practice. Each volume comes with a CD with all the lessons and songs on it.

Having finished the 8 volumes in four levels, students can:

⊙ master Chinese pinyin and lay a solid phonetic foundation

⊙ grasp about 600 words

⊙ get exposed to about 500 Chinese characters

⊙ learn about 60 Chinese songs relevant to the texts

⊙ communicate in simple Chinese

⊙learn profoundly about 8 cultural points (including festivals, Beijing opera, kites, paper-cuts and calligraphy, etc.)