Discover the 10 best books on China for kids! Learn about Chinese culture and read children’s books with Chinese characters.
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At my kids’ elementary school, our second grade spends part of the year studying China. These are my favorite ten books to learn about China, both past and present. It’s a mix of nonfiction and fiction, and also different genres covering picture books, early chapter books, and graphic novels.
What books am I missing? Thanks for your suggestions!
18 Great Children’s Books on China
10. Mei-Mei Loves the Morning by Margaret Tsubakiyama
Experience life in modern-day China with Mei-Mei, her grandfather, and her bird as they spend the morning biking through the streets of an urban city in China. The first stop is a chat with a cobbler on the street. Then, it’s off to the park for tai-chi.
The Lao-bing man’s stall for pancakes is their last stop before heading home. Filled with multigenerational warmth, Mei-Mei teaches kids that life in other countries has the same gentle rhythms of eating, exercising, and playing as their own. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
9. The Greatest Power by Demi
In this sequel to The Empty Pot, Ping is now emperor and contemplates what the greatest power is. He calls for a parade so kids can present what they think it is. Could it be money, technology, beauty, or something else? China’s contributions in these areas are brought forth by the children.
This picture book introduces China’s inventions to the world, as well as Chinese philosophy. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
8. Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing by Guo Yue and Clare Farrow, illustrated by Helen Cann
The Cultural Revolution comes to life through the eyes of a young boy in this gentle easy chapter book about a difficult period in Communist China. [chapter book, ages 6 and up]
7. I See The Sun In China by Dedie Smith
Told in English and Mandarin Chinese, this picture book shows the day in the life of a young girl and she travels from a small town in China to Shanghai to spend time with her aunt.
The contrast between life in a small village to that of a large modern city in China is wonderfully juxtaposed to give readers a sense of the different sides of life in China. [picture book, ages 5 and up]
6. Little White Duck: A Childhood in China by Na Liu and Andrés Vera Martínez
This is a great way for kids to learn about everyday life in Wuhan, China in 1976. Set at the end of the Cultural Revolution, Na Liu tells her own story during the years China made great strides to modernize.
This graphic novel is about small moments seen through the eyes of a young girl, rather than the larger political upheaval. Her life was filled with small tender moments despite living on the cusp of great change. [middle grade graphic novel, ages 8 and up]
5. Mystery of the Giant Masks of Sanxingdui by Icy Smith
Discover the lost civilization of Sanxingdui in Sichuan Province, China, over 3,000 years ago. In 1986, the discovery of monumental bronzes in Sanxingdui was hailed as “The ninth wonder of the World”.
This picture book imagines what might have happened to the people who produced these astonishing bronze artifacts. [picture book, ages 6 and up]
4. The Terracotta Girl by Jessica Gunderson
The Terracotta Army was discovered in 1974 by local farmers in Lintong District, Xi’an, Shaanxi province. These amazing lifelike sculptures depict the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China.
In this early chapter book, life is imagined for a young girl who wishes to join the Emperor’s army but ends up depicted as a young female terracotta soldier. [early chapter book, ages 7 and up]
Terracotta soldier with his horse. Image from Wikipedia.
3. You Wouldn’t Want to Work on the Great Wall of China!: Defenses You’d Rather Not Build by Franklin Watts
Qin Shi Huangdi, the Emperor who united China, and built the Terracotta Army and The Great Wall, was known as a strong ruler who was also ruthless and cruel. Life during this time was very difficult for ordinary citizens.
The Great Wall — 1,800 miles on China’s northern border — was built by unlucky hundreds of thousands who toiled and died to build this wonder of the world. This is a fascinating and entertaining picture book that makes the reader grateful not to have built The Great Wall. [nonfiction picture book, ages 8 and up]
2. The Silk Route: 7,000 Miles of History by
The Tang Dynasty, 618-906) was a high point in Chinese civilization, where silk was the most highly prized in the ancient Western world. Silk traveled the 7,000 trade route from China to Byzantium, a perilous journey across mountains, steppes, and deserts of Central Asia.
At each stop, silk is traded for other goods, specific to that area. Ideas too are exchanged, as people from different countries and religions cross paths. The end notes are also fascinating, detailing more of the rich history of the Silk Road.
Pair this book with The Plant Hunters: True Stories of Their Daring Adventures to the Far Corners of the Earth
I also have a post on My Silk Road Heritage using another picture book, A Single Pebble: A Story of the Silk Road.
1. The Magic Horse of Han Gan by Chen Jiang Hong
This picture book reads like a folktale but Han Gan really existed 1,200 years ago in China. He grew up impoverished but became a great painter of horses. Chen Jiang Hong painted the illustrations using the same technique that Han Gan used.
In this story, Han Gan’s talent is rumored to bring real horses to life from the images that he paints. A warrior asked for such a horse to fight the enemy at the gates. Han Gan’s horse was invincible and the warrior, while on his back, could not be hurt.
The warrior’s thirst for conquest saddened the horse and he threw the warrior off his back and ran off. The warrior searched for the horse, returning to Han Gan. Mysteriously, one of his paintings had a new addition … the warrior’s horse. [picture book, ages 5 and up]
More Great Children’s
Books About China
Baba’s Peach Tree by Marie Tang, illustrated by Seo Kim
A girl and her father live in the Chinese countryside where life is hard. When her father discovers a peach tree growing on their land, it brings them delicious peaches and a valuable crop to sell. He always saves the best peach for her. When the tree finally gives out, life is hard, but eventually, her father gets a job in the city where she has the opportunity to attend excellent schools. Despite the adjustment, she flourishes. When she is all grown up, she takes her father back to their old home and finds that the peach pits she planted have yielded a field of peach trees. This story also reflects China’s modernization and the shift in population from rural to urban. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Growing Up Under a Red Flag: A Memoir of Surviving the Chinese Cultural Revolution by Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by Xinmei Liu
Review from A Kid’s Book A Day:
“Ying grew up during China’s Cultural Revolution, with parents, both doctors, who were targeted for being part of the educated class. Her father taught her English and told her stories of his days studying in San Francisco, and the Golden Gate Bridge became a symbol of that life. Ying recalls the day her dad was forced to burn all his English books and papers, hiding his ties to the West from the government. Shortly after that, he was arrested, and life grew increasingly difficult for Ying and her mother, with food shortages and worries about the future. After Mao’s death in 1976, the family was reunited. Ying eventually moved to the U.S. to study, and the final picture shows the family eating with her father’s teacher, Dr. Smith, with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.” [picture book, ages 6 and up]
Born Naughty: My Childhood in China by Jin Wang with Tony Johnston, illustrated by Anisi Baigude
Review from A Kid’s Book A Day:
“Living in a one-room mud hut with her parents and two younger brothers, Jin embraces all of life experiences, whether it’s traveling with her father to fetch the family’s precious water supply, beating the boys at tree-climbing, harvesting mushrooms and potatoes, or learning calligraphy. Real dangers are never far away, and her story of being attacked by a potentially rabid dog is harrowing. The last chapter shows the family taking a break from their demanding lives to celebrate the new year together.” [chapter book, ages 7 and up]
I Escaped a Chinese Internment Camp by Fahmida Azim, Anthony Del Col, and Josh Adams
[Beginning in 2014], The Chinese government has imprisoned more than one million [Turkic Muslims] people since 2017 and subjected those not detained to intense surveillance, religious restrictions, forced labor, and forced sterilizations. from Council on Foreign Relations
In 1955, Xinjiang was administratively changed from a province into an autonomous region. In recent decades, abundant oil and mineral reserves have been found in Xinjiang and it is currently China’s largest natural-gas-producing region. from Wikipedia
Zumrat Dawut is one of the more than one million Turkic Muslims who were rounded up by the Chinese government and sent to a concentration camp where she was tortured, forced to renounce her religion, and sterilized. A mother of three, Zumrat managed to escape with her family to America. This is her story told powerfully as a graphic novel with an interview at the end. [young adult graphic novel, ages 12 and up]
China’s Child by Evi Triantafyllides, illustrated by Nefeli Malekou
Mei Ling longs for a baby brother but her parents tell her that they are not allowed to have more children. She has to make do with her stuffed animal friends to cook up a scheme to get a sibling. The story is also a backdrop of China’s culture including the one-child policy created in 1979. By the end of the book, Mei Ling gets a happy surprise as this picture book is set in 2015 when China’s one-child policy was overturned. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
Morning Sun in Wuhan by Ying Compestine
Review by Ms. Yingling Reads:
“In January 2020, Mei Wong is trying to navigate her life in Wuhan, China, after the recent death of her mother in a traffic accident. Both of her parents were busy doctors, so she also relies on her Aunt, who is the director of Yangtze Middle School, which Mei attends. …The neighbors in the building have a WeChat group that Mrs. Fong has put together and are all taking care of each other. Food is a problem, especially after authorities put everyone in lockdown, and only those with volunteer passes can do shopping. Food is sent up in baskets, and the elderly and the very young who have ill adults are struggling with getting meals. … When Mei’s father collapses at work, there is a fear that he is ill with COVID-19. How will this change Mei’s life? [middle grade, ages 8 and up]
Flying Paintings: The Zhou Brothers: A Story of Revolution and Art by Amy Alznauer, illustrated by ShanZuo Zhou and DaHuang Zhou
The brother’s true-life story reminds me of the Chinese movie, To Live, and also the short story in Zen Shorts. Both illuminate that bad luck and good luck are difficult to interpret. Their story is one of art triumphing over the most difficult of times, the Chinese Cultural Revolution. They now live in Bridgeport, Chicago where they continue to make art and support a new generation of artists. [picture book biography, ages 5 and up]
Angel in Beijing by Belle Yang
Join a little girl on a charming romp through modern-day China, visiting Chinese monuments and historical sites as well as touching on Chinese holidays including Lunar New Year and Dragon Boat Festival.
The story revolves around a white cat that a little girl finds up in a tree, scared of the noise of the firecrackers. She rescues the cat and brings it home, naming it … “Kitty.” (That was not supposed to be a forever name!).
Kitty goes with the little girl as she traverses around Beijing on her bicycle. During the Dragon Boat Festival, Kitty gets intrigued by a kite and takes off into the air as the kite is airborne. The little girl feels distressed to lose her cat.
She searches for her cat the next day all over the city. Finally, she happens upon a hutong (traditional Chinese house) where she hears a cat. To her surprise, there is Kitty! But now Kitty has a new name and the little girl realizes how Kitty has found someone who needs her. [Picture book, ages 4 and up.]
p.s. To learn more about China, including Chinese New Year activities, please see these posts:
Red Envelope Crafts for China Unit
Chinese New Year Crafts and Activities
Cultural Revolution and My Dad’s Story
Top 10 Chinese American Books for Kids
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We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court
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Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
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- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
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- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
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Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Thanks for sharing these….always looking to add to my list. I particularly love books by Demi.
Hi Barbara Ann,
I’m a big fan of Demi too!
Love the selections. I particularly like, “Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing.” Would love to read about the Cultural Revolution through the eyes of a boy.
Hi Patricia,
I liked how that book gave a more gentle description of that time, as did the Little Duck one. My father’s friends who went through this won’t talk about it but I know that it was very rough on their. His friend who is a professor of sound waves is missing a few of his fingers.
Nice list! I like learning about new countries. 🙂
Thanks so much Erik! I blogged about a lot of books on China over the last few years being half Chinese that it was nice to sift through all the book and pick my favorites.
Oh we love reading our way around the world… one of our favourite picture books ever is: A New Year’s Reunion by Yu Li-Qiong and Zhu Cheng-Liang It is about a family in which the father is a migrant worker and he only comes home once a year for New Year. It is a beautiful and poignant tale…
Hi Se7en,
I have to read that book!! Sounds amazing!
We like “I See the Sun in China”. I’ll have to look for your other recommendations.
Hi MaryAnne,
I love that series too!
What a great collection! I love your lists of books. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much Beth!