In the past, the kids and I have marked the Chinese New Year with a paper craft. This year, I came across a series of books about Chinese history and thought we might just change the pace a bit. One in particular interested me because it talked about how the Great Wall of China came to be. “The Emperor Who Built The Great Wall” tells the story of the first emperor of China, who not only built the Great Wall, but is also famous for the terracotta warriors in his tomb, and for unifying China when it previously consisted of seven states.
To celebrate Chinese New Year, the author, Jillian Lin, has made this book available for free on Amazon, on February 19-20, 2015. Here’s the link. I hope you use it and download it, especially if you are studying ancient history this year. We found the book informative and easy to read and understand. The illustrations are Chinese-style, so it will be a total immersion in all things China.
For Chinese New Year, we read some books on ancient Chinese history
The kids actually asked me to read it again. At the end of the story, there is a very informative section called “Did You Know?” which contains even more historical facts presented in a short and sweet way. Then, you get to test their knowledge with a series of multiple-choice questions based on the book. You only have three choices: a, b, and c, which I think is better for younger children.
For my kids, it was a learning experience through and through. We located China on a world map, we saw who were the northern tribes invading (Mongolia), and we learned that when both a. and b. are correct answers, we choose “c. all of the above.”
My son has a standardized test coming up in a month or so – his first ever. So this book made for a great preparation.
I would have only one word of caution: ancient history is rather violent, so use discretion. The story mentions an assassination attempt. There is one paragraph about how the emperor used to put his enemies to death. I did not read that paragraph to my children. Definitely preview this book before sharing it with a younger audience.
The other book I read to the kids is about Hua Tuo, the Miracle Doctor. As you can see there are other books in the series, coming out throughout 2015.
I received both books for free in exchange for my honest review. No other form of remuneration has been exchanged. The links in this post are my Amazon affiliate links: at no extra cost to you, I receive a small percentage of the sale price.
Jillian Lin’s social media links and online presence are as follows:
