As a non-fluent Cantonese speaker, I so appreciate children’s books in written/colloquial Cantonese. Bonus points if the content is accessible to toddlers. And extra bonus points need to be awarded if the books come in the toddler-friendly board book form.
Duck Duck Books three board books win all these points plus they are a minority owned small business. I was delighted to have the opportunity to back their latest book “I Love You More” on Kickstarter. And since I was already paying for it to be shipped overseas to me, it would have been a waste if I didn’t add their other two board books to my package.
Books Overview
There are currently three books Duck Duck Books have published in Cantonese:
- I Love You More:我最愛嘅人就係你 – Explain to your baby how much you love them, while learning about the seven different love languages there are.
- All Puppies Are Good Puppies: 所有嘅狗仔都係乖狗仔 – Look at many adorable photos of puppies while learning that no matter their shape, size or appearance, all puppies are good puppies.
- I Am Me!: 我就係我自己！ – Celebrate both our differences and similarities through lots of lovely photos of children.
Pros
- Absolutely stunning illustrations and photos, which represent a diverse range of people (and puppies!)
- Powerful messages of celebrating Chinese culture, diversity, self-love and our children’s uniqueness.
- The books contain written Cantonese, jyutping, and English so can suit a variety of readers.
- Key words and phrases are colour coded to further help non-native speakers.
- The books are printed using plant based ink and sustainably sourced paper.
- The board books are well-made. Pages are glossy and embossed which adds to the quality.
- By the buying the books, you are supporting an Asian-American owned publishers. The books are 100% written and designed by people of colour.
- Read-aloud videos are available on their website and YouTube channel, which will help any non-native reader.
Cons
- Shipping is costly from the USA at around £26 (please let me know if you know any UK stockists!)
- The text is pitched too high for toddlers as sentences are quite long and can use niche vocabulary. They are still ideal for parents to read to their babies but not so ideal for independent reading.
Positive Parenting Phrases
These books contain lots of good phrases for those following a positive parenting style, especially “I Love You More”. I’ve picked out some key phrases for you to add to your repertoire. I’ve also added them to my Positive Parenting Quizlet deck if you want to practise them through flashcards.
- 我爲你驕傲 ngo5 wai6 nei5 giu1 ngou6 = I am proud of you
- 我會即刻去到你身邊 ngo5 wui5 zik1 hak1 heoi3 dou3 nei5 san1 bin1 = I will be here for you
- 我愛嘅人就係你 ngo5 oi3 ge3 jan4 zau6 hai6 nei6 = It’s you I love
- 唔一樣係好事 m4 jat1 joeng6 hai6 hou2 si6 = It’s good to be different
- 我哋大家都唔一樣 ngo5 dei6 daai6 gaa1 dou1 m4 jat1 joeng6 = We are all different
- 你值得我哋嘅讚賞 nei5 zik6 dak1 ngo5 dei6 ge3 zaan3 soeng2 = You deserve our praises
Overall, I’m so pleased with the books. AJ loves looking at all the illustrations and I’ve learnt lots of new useful vocabulary from them. I look forward to one day having actual conversations with AJ on the messages of the books, like me telling him all the ways I love him, how our differences make us special, and of course how all dogs are the best!
Are there any Cantonese kickstarter projects you have backed? Let me know below.
P.S. You can support Mama Bear Cantonese on Patreon. From £1 a month, you can access editable versions of all my resources as well as bonus content. Your generosity will help cover this site’s running costs. 多謝 do1 ze6!
Mama Bear Cantonese 