华文故事书 Chinese Storybook

How the storybook works

Each story is a few short pages with a picture that changes as the story goes on. Tap any word and your child hears it read aloud in Mandarin, sees its pinyin, and gets a short meaning in English that fits that sentence. Words with a dotted underline are also in the picture: tap the word and the kite, the cat or the lantern moves; tap the thing in the picture and its word lights up. That two-way link between a word and the thing it names is how young children learn new vocabulary fastest.

Press 读这一页 Read page to hear the whole page, with each word highlighted as it is spoken, or 读整个故事 Read whole story to let the book read itself from beginning to end. The 拼音 button shows or hides pinyin above the characters, and English shows a translation of each sentence. Both start in the setting that suits the level, and your child can change them at any time.

Three levels, 24, 24 and 24 stories

A practice worksheet for every story

At the end of each story, the 完 page lists the story's key words and offers a practice worksheet built from that story. Do it online and it is marked instantly: pick the word that matches a picture, fill in a blank in a sentence from the story, answer three questions about what happened, and listen to a word and choose it. Every question has a 🔊 button, and every answer choice is read aloud when it is tapped, so children who cannot read every character yet can still take part.

Prefer paper? Print worksheet gives an A4 sheet with the same questions plus a 田字格 grid to trace and write each key word, and an answer key on its own page. The words also go straight into tingxie practice with one tap, so a story can become this week's spelling list.

Tips for parents

• Read the story together first, then let your child tap through it alone. Hearing a word several times in one story does more than one long word list.
• For younger children, leave pinyin on and point at the picture as each word is read. For older children, switch pinyin off and turn it back on only for words they get stuck on.
• Keep English off on the first read so your child guesses from the picture, then switch it on to check.
• Do the online practice straight after reading, while the story is fresh, and keep the printed sheet for the next day.

Questions parents ask

Is it free? Yes. There is no sign-up, and every story and worksheet is free to use at home or in class.

Is it simplified or traditional Chinese? Simplified characters with Hanyu Pinyin, as taught in Singapore and Malaysia and in mainland China.

Who are the stories for? Children learning Chinese, whether they hear it at home or are starting from scratch. Many stories are set in Singapore and Malaysia, with the markets, festivals, buses and food children there know, and words such as 巴刹 and 巴士 are explained alongside the mainland word.

Does it remember which stories my child has read? Yes, on this device. A story your child opens is marked 📖 Started on this page, a story read to the last page is marked ✓ Read, and the best practice score is shown beside it, with a count for each level. The record stays in this browser only and is never sent to us; it is not shared between devices, and clearing the browser's data or using a private window starts it afresh. Clear reading record at the top of the list resets it, for example when a younger sibling starts.

Why is there no sound? Read-aloud uses the Chinese voice built into your phone, tablet or computer. If you hear nothing, check that the phone is not on silent; on iPhone and iPad a Chinese voice can be added under Settings › Accessibility › Spoken Content › Voices.

Who wrote the stories? All 72 stories, pictures and questions are original to this site. The Chinese, pinyin and translations are being checked by a native speaker; if you spot a mistake, please tell us through the contact page.