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12 Lucky Animals: A Bilingual Baby Book
From the creative team of Ruby's Chinese New Year , Chinese medicine practitioner Vickie Lee and illustrator Joey Chou--the visual development artist of Into the Spider-Verse --present this bilingual baby picture book introducing Chinese characters through the animals of the Chinese zodiac.
The adventure loving Dragon, the carefree Horse, and the artistic Goat are just three of the 12 Lucky Animals to be found in the Chinese zodiac, rendered here in bright illustrations. Use the wheel on the back cover to help little readers discover who their lucky animal is and how to pronounce its name in Chinese and English.
The adventure loving Dragon, the carefree Horse, and the artistic Goat are just three of the 12 Lucky Animals to be found in the Chinese zodiac, rendered here in bright illustrations. Use the wheel on the back cover to help little readers discover who their lucky animal is and how to pronounce its name in Chinese and English.
24 pages, Board Book
Published December 31, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
November 6, 2019
This is a board book featuring cute paintings of the 12 creatures that make up the Chinese zodiac.
The back cover has a wheel where those born after 1989 can figure out their animal.
That's really all there is to the book, though I did have a laugh remembering when my husband-to-be and I were first dating. We ate at Chinese restaurant that had those ubiquitous menus featuring the zodiac.
I'm an Ox, and the last two sentences of that animal's description claimed Marry a Snake or a Cock. The Sheep will bring trouble. My husband, a Sheep, had the following lines: You are most compatible with Boars and Rabbits. But never the Ox.
Over 28 years later . . . the Troublesome Sheep, and Never the Ox are still together. Maybe it's because we're not Chinese . . .?
The back cover has a wheel where those born after 1989 can figure out their animal.
That's really all there is to the book, though I did have a laugh remembering when my husband-to-be and I were first dating. We ate at Chinese restaurant that had those ubiquitous menus featuring the zodiac.
I'm an Ox, and the last two sentences of that animal's description claimed Marry a Snake or a Cock. The Sheep will bring trouble. My husband, a Sheep, had the following lines: You are most compatible with Boars and Rabbits. But never the Ox.
Over 28 years later . . . the Troublesome Sheep, and Never the Ox are still together. Maybe it's because we're not Chinese . . .?
September 24, 2019
I'm underwhelmed.
There seem to be a couple of problems with this book. First, it doesn't state anywhere that this is a Chinese/English picture book. Unless you recognize that you're dealing with the characters of the Chinese zodiac, you could be forgiven for not knowing what language was being presented. Second, is this Mandarin or Cantonese? Or are the words for animals the same in both dialects? Third, I thought the Chinese language was a tonal one. I've heard that you need to be careful not to call your mother a horse (because while the basic sound of both words is the same, the tone is not). Tone is not addressed at all here.
The illustrations are colourful and might appeal to kids, but I don't like the style. The book's layout is nice and clear, but without addressing those issues I mentioned, I'm not sure how useful this book is going to be. (Because it's a board book, there's no room for a parents' note. That's a shame, because this book really could've used one!)
There seem to be a couple of problems with this book. First, it doesn't state anywhere that this is a Chinese/English picture book. Unless you recognize that you're dealing with the characters of the Chinese zodiac, you could be forgiven for not knowing what language was being presented. Second, is this Mandarin or Cantonese? Or are the words for animals the same in both dialects? Third, I thought the Chinese language was a tonal one. I've heard that you need to be careful not to call your mother a horse (because while the basic sound of both words is the same, the tone is not). Tone is not addressed at all here.
The illustrations are colourful and might appeal to kids, but I don't like the style. The book's layout is nice and clear, but without addressing those issues I mentioned, I'm not sure how useful this book is going to be. (Because it's a board book, there's no room for a parents' note. That's a shame, because this book really could've used one!)
November 5, 2019
12 Lucky Animals: A Bilingual baby book by Vickie Lee. BOARD BOOK. Henry Holt (Macmillan), 2018. $8. 9781250184245
BUYING ADVISORY: PRE-K – ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
This book goes through the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Each two page spread is a illustration of the animal with the name in English and the Chinese character, and the attributes associated with that animal. The back of the book tells which birth year goes with which animal.
This is a fun multicultural book which lends itself perfectly to a lesson on the Chinese New Year. Pre-K students and even K students would love to know which animal is there birth year and could color a picture and learn to say the word in Chinese. The illustrations are adorable and the pages are sturdy.
Reviewer: Stephanie MLS & Author.
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
BUYING ADVISORY: PRE-K – ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
This book goes through the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Each two page spread is a illustration of the animal with the name in English and the Chinese character, and the attributes associated with that animal. The back of the book tells which birth year goes with which animal.
This is a fun multicultural book which lends itself perfectly to a lesson on the Chinese New Year. Pre-K students and even K students would love to know which animal is there birth year and could color a picture and learn to say the word in Chinese. The illustrations are adorable and the pages are sturdy.
Reviewer: Stephanie MLS & Author.
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
April 6, 2019
The animals in the Chinese zodiac are featured here alongside characters, Chinese terms, a pronunciation guide, and a brief list of characteristics of that animal. On the back side of this board book, youngsters and their caregivers can find the years in which they were born, going all the way back to 1989 and forward to 2024. The images are cheerful and filled with color. This might be a useful book in introducing the Chinese zodiac or celebrating a particular year. When I searched online since my year was missing, I am apparently a sheep or a goat, according to my year of birth.
September 11, 2019
I really enjoyed this board book. The artwork is bright and fun. The pronunciation guide made practicing the words easier for me. I also liked the short list of traits for each animal. I would've liked to see more Chinese characters in the book though! Each page only has one Chinese character, for naming the animal shown, so this reads more like an into to the Chinese zodiac and language rather than a "bilingual" book. Even for the young target audience, this book could've included more Chinese, such as when listing the animal's traits. I would still include the book in my classroom.
January 14, 2019
We are getting ready to celebrate Year of the Pig; this came in just in time! The illustrations are beautiful, and the information about the different animals makes for entertaining reading. The staff here have been talking about the different characteristics and saying that they could be used to describe pretty much anyone depending on how you look at them. We will certainly enjoy using this book for our upcoming program!
February 21, 2024
I used this book to teach kids at the library about the animals of the Chinese Zodiac around Lunar New Year, and they really enjoyed learning the Chinese pronunciation of each animal. The illustrations are pretty cute as well.
Lucky for me, during a couple of my storytimes I had native Chinese speakers to help guide my pronunciation, because it's not 100% accurate in the book.
Lucky for me, during a couple of my storytimes I had native Chinese speakers to help guide my pronunciation, because it's not 100% accurate in the book.
July 14, 2019
I was very happy and grateful to have stumbled upon this book. It made me feel so happy to have the ability to be exposed to the Chinese zodiacs and learn the characteristics of the signs.
Definitely a book to expose a child to and for the child to have in their library.
Definitely a book to expose a child to and for the child to have in their library.
April 1, 2020
Rowan really likes the pictures. Trying to pronounce the Chinese word for each animal is more my challenge than his, since he just makes the sound he thinks the animal makes. But it’s fun for us both to sit and try making sounds. Lots of cute fun to be had together.
January 31, 2022
cute board book, younger kid geared companion to ruby's chinese new year. Has english and mandarin words for each zodiac animal, cute pictures, and traits associated with each Chinese zodiac animals. Stella's favorite is matching the animal on the page to the wheel of animals on the back cover.
May 7, 2024
I appreciate these Bilingual books as they go simply and it's great for true beginners. They give the English, the Chinese Character, the pin yin and even how to say it in English. The pin yin has the accent to help with saying it. It's very nice.
The rest of the page has a quick summary of what the zodiac animal person is like.
Cute and very simple.
The rest of the page has a quick summary of what the zodiac animal person is like.
Cute and very simple.
July 18, 2022
Bright and colorful, features English, Chinese, Pinyin, and phonetic pronunciations. I wish it included a note in the back of the book regarding how to read/interpret the accent marks in Pinyin in order to get the correct tones.
July 21, 2024
Simple intro to the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Text was not massively engaging for my two year old. Each page lists the name and pronunciation of the animal in English and Chinese, with some description of the personality of the animal.
January 30, 2025
3.5 stars--This is a sweet and cute book that introduces the animals of the Chinese zodiac. The illustrations are eye-catching and adorable, and each animal's positive traits are discussed. This is always nice to see, especially with animal species who may be unfamiliar or misunderstood.
February 1, 2019
Written simply, it outlines the various animals representing the Chinese New Year.
February 7, 2019
Very cute little CNY book for babies/toddlers.
May 1, 2019
Super cute art
December 30, 2019
Any book that introduces little ones to another language is a welcome additional to the library. The illustrations are sweet.
April 14, 2020
A toddler and up book where each of the Chinese zodiac animals are presented in English and Chinese with some of their characteristics
July 30, 2020
Not a story at all, just lists the animals characteristics and the only Chinese is the name of the animal. Was expecting a story with English and pinyin lines but this is not the case at all.
March 14, 2021
The drawings are pretty and it is a fun way for Bats (and me!) to learn some Chinese words.
February 1, 2022
Rating: 5 leaves out of 5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Children/Board Book
Type: Book
Worth?: Yes!
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Children/Board Book
Type: Book
Worth?: Yes!
February 10, 2022
Super cute book that our whole family enjoyed this Lunar New Year. It goes through each sign giving a few character traits as well as Chinese pronunciation. Awesome book.
July 12, 2025
Board Book
Lee offers readers a look at the twelve animals from the Chinese Zodiac. Each is described on a page spread so we learn about the animal from our birth years.
Lee offers readers a look at the twelve animals from the Chinese Zodiac. Each is described on a page spread so we learn about the animal from our birth years.
January 3, 2022
This board book introduces young readers to the animals of the Chinese zodiac.
There is a two page spread for each animal. The names are given in English, Chinese characters, and transliterated Chinese with the phonetic pronunciation. The traits for each zodiac sign are included below the illustrations of the animals. The years for each sign from 1989 through 2024 are listed on the back cover.
There is a two page spread for each animal. The names are given in English, Chinese characters, and transliterated Chinese with the phonetic pronunciation. The traits for each zodiac sign are included below the illustrations of the animals. The years for each sign from 1989 through 2024 are listed on the back cover.
August 9, 2023
Twelve zodiac animals and some of the characteristics associated with them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews