我曾分享過認讀工具教材的作用，在分享了如何挑選給予小孩的圖書後，這次我會介紹一下我女兒小時候曾用過，Nanz現在也正在使用的一套教材工具書。（我們對這套工具教材的設計非常認可，在過去週刊雜誌上也分享過這套教材工具書。）
不知道香港家庭有否聽說過《樂樂中文聽讀叢書》？這一套三級共300本的分級閱讀小書冊，幫助了我當時認知及閱讀經驗也不足的女兒，順利從繪本過渡到閱讀橋樑書。
最近，我們收到一個好消息！台灣《樂樂中文聽讀叢書》願意為我們的讀者提供一個折扣優惠！（想當年我自己也是花了原價買回來⋯⋯）
有興趣為小孩添置認讀工具書的家庭可以考慮一下！
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樂樂文化也在網上建立了不少海外學習中文社群，不時舉辦共讀活動及分享心得，鼓勵海外的家庭一起努力。
即使不購買任何產品，也可以加入他們的群組，參考一下大家在世界各地的中文學習旅程。
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Sophie 的用後分享：
我的女兒是在學習了基礎的中文字500多個以後，才開始使用樂樂叢書（若一早認識的話，應該早買早享受才對。）當時我在想，學了500字以後，應該看甚麼書呢？
因為坊間的橋樑書對於我女兒當時的歲數和能力來說，字數又多，篇幅又長，實在太難了。但偶然看到網上有台灣媽媽分享了樂樂叢書，在比較多套不同的初級閱讀教材後，我再三思考，最後還是決定咬牙購入了這一套書（為甚麼要咬牙呢？因為它這套書的數量比別的多很多，價錢相對其他而言的確不便宜，）。我主要考慮的因素是它的 #書本數量，#主題內容 及 #每本頁數，都非常合適海外小朋友建立閱讀自信和習慣。
樂樂的圖書每級共有100本小冊，總共3級共300本以固定主題編排的小故事，我的女兒雖然一本接著一本地閱讀不同的新故事，卻仍能反覆接觸同一批詞語，符合記憶規律的同時，又不會過於沉悶。（因為當時我的女兒已經五、六多歲，需要多元化又新鮮的故事才能引起她的興趣）
當遇到不懂的生字時，因為句子短小，加上有插圖作為提示，女兒通常都能成功猜到詞語的意思，做到從閱讀中自然識字的效果，而且也建立了她透過上文下理及圖畫理解故事內容的習慣。
我想這個習慣也為她日後閱讀長文打下了很好的基礎，能夠理解文句的意思而掌握句子大意，不會因為書中出現有不會的詞語就感到壓力。
樂樂叢書每本小書只有短短八頁，內容淺易，所以只需要花少量時間就能看完整本小書，逐句朗讀也不會口乾，讓小朋友能產生滿足感，一本接著一本地看。
我女兒當時雖然已會基本的中文生字和書面句式，但實際上她的認知及閱讀經驗也不足以自行閱讀長篇的橋樑書，所以當她在閱讀初級的圖書時，第一次發現自己不需協助就有能力閱讀整本故事書，這給予了她強大的信心。
我的女兒使用樂樂叢書時五至六歲，所以她對故事的簡單內容非常滿意，會不時自行反覆閱讀。可是對於年紀比較大，心智較為成熟的小朋友，就需要自行衡量故事內容是否貼合小朋友的興趣。
基本上，我的女兒是靠著自行閱讀樂樂叢書，自學了更多的詞語和更多的句式，真正做到了透過閱讀而學會閱讀，而我則能在空閒時和她繼續看其他精彩和有趣的圖書。
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Nanz 使用中的分享：
我初識這套書，是在香港私小（非華語及本地學生約各佔半）任職時，同事為學校圖書館選書時有選入這一套教材。對學校非華語及識字不多的初小學生來說，這些薄薄的、用書封面的顏色劃分了不同程度的書，比較容易入手， 就像很多家長在小朋友初學英文時會提及的 Oxford Reading Tree一樣。還記得當時每星期帶學生去圖書館借書，有些學生會自信滿滿地在書架前跟我說他自己讀了哪本哪本，這是我對樂樂文化叢書的初印象。
#自然而然地加入，成為習慣
到我女兒2歲半多，伴讀繪本時，她似乎開始認得一些字，有時亦有興趣地跟讀指讀，對字似乎產生一些興趣，於是我開始嘗試把樂樂這套有系統的識字圖書加入在日常的閱讀中。樂樂這套書的設計是希望小朋友在反覆閱讀這300本小書，透過多讀，從中逐漸掌握約1000個常用中文字的形、音、義，特別是字義。這些字在書中各本反覆出現，在不同的文句中出現，小朋友透過多讀，就可以漸漸掌握字的意思及運用，包括意思抽象的字。
要將1000個常用字寫成300本小書，創作故事和把字分級是一個很精心的系統（我們在做雙週刊就知道，用有限的字寫成故事，是多麼不容易）。
因此，在使用上，我反而隨心而行，起初我只是把書放在餐桌旁的書架上（初級紅書），有時在她吃早餐時，或是從托兒所回來後，隨手抽一兩本來跟她一起看，一起讀（我會指着讀她聽）。她有時讀了一本，就會到書櫃拿其他繪本讀； 有時讀完一本，意猶未盡，又會去抱一疊來叫我跟她一起讀；又或是，有些她感興趣的，會讀完一次又讀一次，也開始願意/主動跟讀。
現在她剛滿三歲，最近，寒冷的冬天過去，她變得比較早起，早上出門前沒有那麼匆忙，那5-10分鐘的空檔，樂樂八頁一本的小書，正好讓她自己抽幾本坐在軟墊上一起讀，讀完後就動身出門去； 放學回來吃完點心，有時她會自己選書，有時會叫我選書，有時會捧着一疊書，我把書底反過來，一人抽一本地讀。 因為書薄句短，她興致來時，就會一本接一本地讀。而即使當天有其他更吸引的書或玩意，問她要不先讀一本，她也不太猶疑，因為對她來說，是輕鬆的，沒有甚麼阻力。
我現階段抱持的想法是，不在乎她每天要讀上幾多本，又或是有沒有在讀這本書時認到字，而是把它融入日常生活之中，將之變成習慣。
#反覆讀，從閱讀中識字
不過，在重覆閱讀中認到字，也是自然地發生的。這也是樂樂的作者出版這套書的理念（在它們的網頁有詳細說明，大家可以先了解一下）。
雖然最近我也開始有意地每天和女兒用字卡玩遊戲認字，這也反映在她讀樂樂的書時能夠認讀出那些字。同時，我也發現，在每天反覆閱讀的情況下，加上插圖的輔助記憶，一些我沒有跟她認的字，她似乎也有些印象。因此，我打算之後實驗一下，試試把她似乎認識的字反過來加入到字卡遊戲中，看看她是否能更快地熟悉這些字。
樂樂各級的書，書頁最後都有列出該級分類主題下的的書目及編號，方便家長如有主題學習的需要，可以按主題學習。我女兒很喜歡動物，雖然我沒有刻意按主題選讀，但她自己選書時，動物主題的初級紅書，基本上每天都會讀到，而相同的主題，亦有在中級黃書和綠書中。因此，我計劃在她已讀過大部分的紅書後，把中級黃書放出來，嘗試就她選的紅書，挑同主題的黃書一起讀，讓她可以接觸相類似的詞語和主題時，把字詞在重覆認讀中收入長期記憶中，以及慢慢地過渡至長句子/短文的閱讀。
#方便攜帶，隨時可讀
就像Sophie所說的，要購買樂樂這套書，價格可能會令大家猶豫。雖然我們都分享了這套書的心得，並且推薦給大家，可是最重要的還是家長們要有恆心、有耐心、有信心地讓孩子拿起來多讀，培養閱讀的習慣。因為無論是這套書還是其他被推薦的「好書」，如果只是買了放在家中，孩子們提不起興趣拿起來閱讀，也是無意義的。而要引起小朋友對閱讀的興趣和營造合適的氛圍，Sophie之前寫的帖文已詳細的分享，絕對是我們家長的功課。
換個角度想，如果讓孩子們透過這套書，每天輕鬆地讀上一兩本，建立起閱讀的習慣，識字的信心，並且願意重複閱讀這300本小書，攤算下來，也許你會覺得是值得的。
在Sophie寫的《 共讀的環境》中提到了讓書隨手可得的方法。而樂樂這套書一個實際使用的優點是因為它是釘裝書，尺寸小巧又薄，相較於一般精裝繪本，帶上幾本內容各異的樂樂小書出門，就變得十分方便了。
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最後感謝樂樂文化為Little Bean Cantonese的讀者提供5% off的折扣優惠！您可以透過以下連結
https://www.lelechinese.com?sca_ref=5680188.WFEsJnEjKX
在付款時使用coupon code: LITTLEBEAN，即可享受折扣價格。
同時，我們也要感謝樂樂文化給予我們獲得佣金的機會，（請有意購買的朋友記得 #經由我們的連結 及 #輸入Coupon Code，我們才能收到佣金
！）讓我們分享的同時有機會收到實質的回報，使我們能持續為大家製作和分享更多海外學習中文的資訊。
***目前樂樂的點讀筆為國語版本，非廣東話。
Le Le Graded Reading Booklets｜The Chinese Version of Oxford Reading Tree
Earlier this month, I shared the role of tools for character recognition. After talking about how to choose books for children, this time I want to introduce a set of learning tool books my daughter used when she was younger, and which Nanz is now also using. (We highly appreciate the design of this learning set and have previously shared it in our weekly magazines.)
Have families in Hong Kong heard of the Le Le Chinese Reading Series? This graded reading series consists of three levels, with a total of 300 booklets. It helped my daughter—who at the time had limited cognitive and reading experience—successfully transition from picture books to bridge books.
Recently, we received great news! The Le Le Chinese Reading Series in Taiwan is offering a discount for our readers! (Back then, I bought the full set at full price…)
Families interested in getting learning tools for their children might want to consider this!
Le Le Culture has also built several overseas communities for learning Chinese online, regularly organizing shared reading events and experience sharing to encourage overseas families to work together.
Even if you don’t buy anything, you can still join their groups and learn from others’ journeys in learning Chinese around the world.
Sophie’s User Experience:
My daughter started using the Le Le series after she had learned around 500 basic Chinese characters. (Had I known about it earlier, I would’ve bought it sooner!) At the time, I was wondering what books she should read after learning 500 characters.
Most bridge books out there had too many words and were too long for her age and ability. Then, I came across Taiwanese moms recommending the Le Le series online. After comparing various beginner reading materials, I thought it over and finally gritted my teeth and bought the set. (Why “gritted my teeth”? Because it includes a lot more books than other sets and is relatively expensive.)
What convinced me were three things:
- Number of books
- Themed content
- Length per book
All very suitable for overseas children to build reading confidence and habits.
#1: Topics & Volume Effectively Reinforce Memory
Each level includes 100 small books—300 in total—organized by theme. Though my daughter was reading different stories one after another, she kept encountering the same vocabulary, reinforcing memory without it becoming boring. (At that age—five to six years old—she needed variety and novelty to stay interested.)
#2: Cultivating Independent Word Recognition Skills
When encountering unfamiliar characters, thanks to the short sentences and illustrations, my daughter could often guess the meaning, learning new characters naturally through reading. This also helped her develop the habit of understanding stories using context and pictures.
This habit became a solid foundation for reading longer texts later. She learned to grasp the general meaning even if some words were unfamiliar.
#3: Building Reading Confidence
Each Le Le book is only eight pages long and very simple, so a child can finish one quickly. Reading aloud doesn’t tire them out and gives a sense of accomplishment, encouraging them to keep going.
Although my daughter knew some basic Chinese characters and sentence structures, her cognitive and reading experience wasn’t strong enough for longer bridge books. So the moment she realized she could finish an entire book on her own, it gave her immense confidence.
#4: Age Appropriateness
My daughter was five to six years old when using the Le Le series. She enjoyed the simple stories and often reread them on her own. But for older or more mature children, parents will need to judge if the content suits their interests.
Basically, my daughter learned a lot of vocabulary and sentence patterns just from independently reading the Le Le books. She truly learned to read through reading, and I could use my free time to read other fun and engaging books with her.
Nanz’s Current Use:
I first learned about this series when I worked at a private primary school in Hong Kong (with a mixed student body of non-Chinese and local students). My colleague selected this series for the school library. For early primary students with limited literacy, the color-coded levels made these thin books easy to pick up—similar to what many parents mention when introducing English through Oxford Reading Tree.
I remember taking students to the library weekly. Some would proudly tell me which Le Le books they had read—that was my first impression of the series.
#Naturally Becomes a Habit
When my daughter was about 2.5 years old and started showing interest in words during storytime, I began casually incorporating Le Le books into our daily reading. These books aim to teach around 1,000 high-frequency Chinese characters—including their form, sound, and especially meaning—through repeated reading.
Characters reappear across different books and sentence structures, helping children understand abstract words and usage through context.
Creating 300 books using just 1,000 characters, while grading vocabulary and crafting stories, is no small feat (we know how hard this is from our own biweekly magazine production).
So I used them casually at first—just placed the beginner-level red books on a shelf by the dining table. Sometimes, during breakfast or after preschool, we’d pick a book or two to read together (I’d read aloud while pointing). Sometimes after finishing a book, she’d grab others to read, or bring a stack for me to read with her. She’d often reread the same favorites repeatedly and even started reading aloud with me.
Now that she’s just turned three, with winter over and mornings a bit more relaxed, she often pulls out a few Le Le books to read before heading out. After school and snack time, she may choose or ask me to choose books. Because the books are short and simple, she’ll sometimes read several in a row. Even when more fun books or toys are around, if I ask her to read just one first, she’s usually willing—because it’s light and easy, not a burden.
Right now, I don’t worry about how many she reads daily or how many characters she recognizes. My goal is just to make it part of our daily life—a habit.
#Word Recognition Through Repetition
That said, character recognition does happen naturally through repeated reading. That’s part of Le Le’s philosophy (explained in detail on their website).
Recently, I also started using flashcards daily to play word games with her, and I can see this helping her recognize words in Le Le books. Sometimes she even remembers words I never taught her directly—likely thanks to illustrations and repeated exposure. I plan to test this by turning these “semi-familiar” words into flashcards to see if she picks them up faster.
#Next Step: Themed Reading
At the end of each Le Le book, there’s a list of books under the same theme and level—great for parents who want to teach by topic. My daughter loves animals. Even though I didn’t deliberately choose by theme, she often picks animal-themed red-level books, and similar themes appear in the yellow and green levels.
So, after she finishes most red books, I plan to bring out the yellow ones and pair them by theme, helping her encounter similar vocabulary in different contexts, reinforcing long-term memory and gradually transitioning to longer sentences and short paragraphs.
#Portable and Readable Anytime
As Sophie mentioned, the cost of the Le Le series may give parents pause. While we both recommend it, the key is that parents stay committed and patient in encouraging kids to read and make it a habit. Even the best books are useless if they just sit on a shelf collecting dust.
But if this series helps your child read a book or two a day, build confidence in recognizing characters, and enjoy reading all 300 books repeatedly, it may very well be worth it.
Sophie’s post about creating a “reading environment” discussed how to make books accessible. A practical advantage of Le Le books is their small size and stapled binding. Compared to bulky hardcover picture books, they’re easy to bring along—handy for outings.
Lastly, a big thank you to Le Le Culture for offering a 5% discount for Little Bean Cantonese readers!
You can use the following link:
https://www.lelechinese.com?sca_ref=5680188.WFEsJnEjKX
And apply the coupon code: LITTLEBEAN at checkout to enjoy the discount.
We’re also grateful to Le Le Culture for giving us a commission opportunity. (So if you decide to buy, please use our link and enter the coupon code, so we receive the commission 
!) This support helps us continue producing and sharing more resources for overseas Chinese learners.
Note: Currently, the Le Le reading pen supports Mandarin, not Cantonese.