Chinese Short Stories

Yuanyuan, a little panda, wants to learn everything at once: climbing with the monkey, flying with the birds, swimming with the fish. She ends the day soaked and having learned nothing. Her mother teaches her to focus on one thing at a time, and a week later Yuanyuan climbs the tallest bamboo.

Bobo the robot can do every chore but can’t laugh. Xiaoyu and Xiaotian try jokes, funny faces and tickles with no luck. Then their puppy slips on a banana peel and tumbles into a box, the kids burst out laughing, and Bobo laughs for the first time.

As Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) approaches, Xiaoxue and her grandpa make red lanterns, symbols of good fortune and reunion. Noticing that her neighbor Grandma Wang will spend the holiday alone, Xiaoxue brings her a lantern and a plate of dumplings, and Grandma Wang no longer feels lonely.

At the Mid-Autumn Festival, Mingming makes mooncakes with Grandma, who tells the legend of Chang’e, the moon goddess, and her jade rabbit. Grandma explains the festival is about family reunion. That night, Mingming’s father, working far away, video-calls to say he’s watching the same moon.

A lion catches a mouse but lets him go when the mouse promises to help someday. Later the lion is trapped in a hunter’s net, and the mouse gnaws through the ropes to free him. No one is too small to help. An Aesop fable.

Lele’s grandfather gives her a seed. She’s frustrated when nothing appears, but he explains seeds need water, sunshine and time. She cares for it daily until it grows into a sunflower taller than her.

Liangliang, the smallest lighthouse on the coast, is afraid of the dark. One foggy night he shines with all his might and guides a lost fishing boat safely home. From then on he is no longer afraid.

Huohuo the dragon wakes up with hiccups that shoot sparks and smoke, scaring the village. A brave girl named Xiaomei climbs up, tries every remedy, and finally cures him with a big surprise “BOO!” They become best friends.

Four-year-old Kong Rong is offered first pick from a plate of pears. He chooses the smallest, explaining that his older brothers should have the bigger ones, and that as an older brother himself, he should also give way to his younger brother. A famous Chinese story about humility and sharing.

Little tadpoles set out to find their mother. Along the way, a mother duck, a fish and a turtle each give clues: four legs, big eyes, a white belly and a green coat. As the tadpoles grow legs, they find their mother frog on a lotus leaf. A classic Chinese story that teaches how tadpoles become frogs.