Chinese

Xiaojun’s red kite soars high and complains that its string holds it back. When the string snaps, the kite tumbles into a tree. Xiaojun ties a new string, and the kite realizes the string helps it fly higher.

Xiaoyu loves stars and planets. One night a glowing little spaceship takes her on a tour: bouncing on the Moon, passing red Mars, seeing Saturn’s rings and Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, and finally the beautiful blue Earth. She wakes up wanting to be an astronaut.

A little raindrop falls from a cloud onto a mountain leaf, flows down a stream and a river past fields and cities, reaches the sea, and rises again as water vapor into a cloud. A gentle introduction to the water cycle.

An ant falls into a river and a dove saves it by dropping a leaf. Days later, the ant sees a hunter about to net the dove and bites his foot, so the dove escapes. An Aesop fable about kindness repaid.

Xiaoming kicks a ball indoors against his mother’s wishes and breaks her favorite vase. He hides the pieces and is tempted to blame the cat, but confesses and apologizes. His mother hugs him, saying his honesty matters more than any vase.

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.

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.