In conjunction with our China History Co-op we read many wonderful living books. Here are our favorites listed in order of Ancient Chinese dynasty.
The Story About Ping is a classic children's book about a duck who lives
on the Yantze River. One night, for fear of getting in trouble, he
doesn't go home and spends the night alone. After an adventurous night
including a close call the story has a happy ending. This engaging story
is recommended by many homeschooling curriculums such as Five in a Row
and definitely a favorite in my family.
The Five Chinese Brothers is an Ancient Chinese legend about five brothers who looked exactly alike.
The Legend of the Kite: A Story of China by Chen Jiang Hong - The
illustrations in this book provide glimpses into Chinese life in the
past. The story is set in Bejiang at the Forbidden City. The story
explains how kite flying got its start through a tale appropriate for
young children. My 5, 8 and 10 year olds all enjoyed this story.
Tikki Tikki Tembo is personally one of my favorites on the list because my mother read it to me as a child. It tells the story of why the Chinese have short names.
Ten Suns is an Ancient Chinese legend which explains why we have one sun in the sky.
Confucius: The Golden Rule - This is a biography of Confucius. My 5th grader read it on her own, and it was quite a challenge for my 3rd grader. We didn't quite make it through the entire book.
The Great Wall of China - This book tells the story of how the Great Wall was built in a story format. It's easy to read in a single sitting and excellent.
Cat and Rat is a legend of how the first Zodiac was introduced into China by the first emperor Huang Di.
The Silk Route: 7000 Miles of History - (Yuang Dynasty) This book was somewhere in between a living book and a fact book. It was
fairly easy to read and we learned about the different cities along the
silk route. It is recommended by the Story of the World series of books.
The Emperor and the Kite is a story about how the youngest daughter of the emperor, seen as insignificant, ends up saving his life.
Empress of China: Wu Ze Tian is the story of China's only female emperor.
The Lost Horse is a legend about how a twist of fate can save a life. It is set during the Mongol invasion of China.
Liang and the Magic Paintbrush is an ancient Chinese legend about how strange things happen when a poor wandering boy gets a magic paintbrush.
Genghis Khan and the Mongol Horde
- (Yuang Dynasty) This story was a great transition from the Sythians into Ancient
China. Since Genghis was a Mongol the story begins there. The Mongols
lived in Yurts and were great horsemen, very similar to the Scythians.
This adventurous story was fun and entertaining for both my eight and
ten year olds and is on the reading list for the Sonlight curriculum.
Beautiful Warrior is a legend which explains how Kung Fu is much more than just a fighting activity.
Ms. Frizzle's Adventures in Imperial China is a Magic School Bus story about time traveling to ancient China. The book is filled with many tidbits regarding Chinese inventions and ways of life in different parts of the empire.
The Chinese Violin is a story about immigration to America.
To read more about our homeschool history co-op activities click on Homeschool History under Homeschooling Topics on the right-hand side of the blog, or one of the cultures below.