🎙️ Welcome to the second episode of the Little Audio Library's "Blog Pod" series! For this one, we're jumping to the April 2024 post from The Little Blog. The post, entitled Have We Met?, gives you a peek behind the curtain and chance to hear all about the genesis and "making of" Little Crab Educational Press.

But first, what's a "Blog Pod"? It's the part of our Little Audio Library where our written blog posts are transformed into engaging audio content.

Although we didn't initially set out to include podcasting in our repertoire, we realized that as a language study resources company, our audio offerings should expand beyond the free audio accompaniments we provide with our books. This decision not only aligns with our core value of inclusivity (and, as such, working to build content that is more accessible), but it also resonates with our busy lifestyles as working moms. After all, podcasts lend themselves so well to task-stacking!

Looking forward to creating a Part Two to this one someday. This post is going to feel like a time capsule! :-D

Things in the audio we mention would be available in the show notes:

1) Get your Bilingual Boats printable freebie version <---here.

2) Here is your access to the Little Freebie Library.

3) School House Teaching Supplies, who carries LCEP titles on their shelves, is the Educational Store for Everyone, in Victoria BC, Canada.

Wanna hear something kinda fun and unusual? In April 2024, Rebecca (朱婷 / Zhū Tíng) and Xianjing (张娴静 / Zhāng Xiánjìng) did an interview with Host Joyce Lee from Fairchild Radio 1430 AM in Toronto, am1430.com, and here is their segment. The show, called 一期一會 (English translation is "See you on Sunday"), starts off in Cantonese but since neither Rebecca nor Xianjing speak Cantonese, their answers are in Mandarin. Our introductions start at about the 35 second mark, if you want to skip the intro.

In this interview, Joyce, speaking Cantonese, asks us about our backgrounds and how we came to start writing Mandarin and English bilingual kids books, and we share one of the poems from our book Vegetables! My First Chinese English Nursery Rhymes Collection! - 蔬菜！我的第一本中英文童谣集  (Shūcài! Wǒ de dì yī běn zhōnyīngwén tóngyáo jí ) Available at our website littlecrabpress.ca or on Amazon.

This is the English version of our flagship storybook Little Byron - Xiǎo Bái Rèn - 小白任 , which can be purchased through our website ⁠littlecrabpress.ca⁠, through independent bookstores in Canada, or through Amazon. Just search for the ISBN, which is 979-8818315928.

🎙️ Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Little Audio Library's "Blog Pod" series! In this episode, we're thrilled to bring you an audio rendition of our first post from The Little Blog at Little Crab Educational Press.

But first, what's a "Blog Pod"? It's the part of our Little Audio Library where our written blog posts are transformed into engaging audio content.

Although we didn't initially set out to include podcasting in our repertoire, we realized that as a language study resources company, our audio offerings should expand beyond the free audio accompaniments we provide with our books. This decision not only aligns with our core value of inclusivity (and, as such, working to build content that is more accessible), but it also resonates with our busy lifestyles as working moms. After all, podcasts lend themselves so well to task-stacking.

In this episode, we're diving into "6 Awesome Ways to 'Stretch' Your Kids' Storybooks." We'll explore creative techniques to maximize the educational benefits of storytime with your little ones. Whether you're a parent, educator, or simply someone passionate about language learning, this episode offers valuable insights to enrich your family's reading experiences.

Whether you're folding laundry, commuting to work, or simply unwinding at home right now, we hope you find inspiration and practical tips to make the most out of every storybook adventure.

Thank you for joining us. Now, let's dive into "6 Awesome Ways to 'Stretch' Your Kids' Storybooks"!

Here is where you go to grab your Little FREEBIE mentioned in this audio blog.

This is the Mandarin version of our flagship storybook Little Byron - Xiǎo Bái Rèn - 小白任 , which can be purchased through our website littlecrabpress.ca, through independent bookstores in Canada, or through Amazon. Just search for the ISBN, which is 979-8818315928.

This track is the Mandarin Chinese - 中文 audio accompaniment for the book Vegetables! My First Chinese English Nursery Rhymes Collection! - 蔬菜！我的第一本中英文童谣集. The paperback book was released for sale on our littlecrabpress.ca website and on Amazon in December of 2023 . English poem recitations are also provided as a separate track.

In this track you will hear the English version of 26 nursery rhymes which focus on one vegetable per letter of the alphabet. (Ex. A = Alfalfa sprouts /苜蓿芽, B = Broccoli / 西兰花.) In cases where there is no English word that fits the theme for a given letter, which is often the case with letters such as Q/X/Y/Z, then Pinyin is used for that letter. For example, in this set of poems, X is for Baby Bok Choi because in Pinyin it is "Xiǎo Bái Cài", (小白菜).

These 26 poems are completely original works, lovingly co-written by certified Mandarin and English teachers Zhang Xianjing and Rebecca Juetten. While the rhyming patterns do not always align in both languages, the poems were written "congruently" as opposed to one after the other, such that neither language is a translation of the other. In other words, the poems were co-written to correspond in meaning line by line as accurately as possible while still maintaining a rhyming structure. 

如果您希望听到单词发音更慢或更快，只需降低或提高播放速度即可。

If you wish to hear the words pronounced slower or faster, simply decrease or increase the playback speed.

This track is the English audio accompaniment for the book Vegetables! My First Chinese English Nursery Rhymes Collection! - 蔬菜！我的第一本中英文童谣集. The paperback book was released for sale on our littlecrabpress.ca website and on Amazon in December of 2023 . Mandarin poem recitations will be provided as a separate track.

In this track you will hear the English version of 26 nursery rhymes which focus on one vegetable per letter of the alphabet. (Ex. A = Alfalfa sprouts /苜蓿芽, B = Broccoli / 西兰花.) In cases where there is no English word that fits the theme for a given letter, which is often the case with letters such as Q/X/Y/Z, then Pinyin is used for that letter. For example, in this set of poems, X is for Baby Bok Choi because in Pinyin it is "Xiǎo Bái Cài", (小白菜).

These 26 poems are completely original works, lovingly co-written by certified Mandarin and English teachers Zhang Xianjing and Rebecca Juetten. While the rhyming patterns do not always align in both languages, the poems were written "congruently" as opposed to one after the other, such that neither language is a translation of the other. In other words, the poems were co-written to correspond in meaning line by line as accurately as possible while still maintaining a rhyming structure.

If you wish to hear the words pronounced slower or faster, simply decrease or increase the playback speed.

如果您希望听到单词发音更慢或更快，只需降低或提高播放速度即可。

Little Crab Educational Press presents - Simplified Chinese Vocabulary Study System: Holiday Series. Audio for ABCs of CHRISTMAS   圣 诞 节   Shèng Dàn Jié. Copyright 2023, all rights reserved.

First Section:

中文, Mandarin - Starting at 0:21. A slow but still fairly natural pace. There is enough time between each word to repeat it once.

Second Section:

英文, English - Starting at 2:15. A slow but still fairly natural pace. There is enough time between each word to repeat it once. The plural and singular form of relevant nouns are both spoken.

Third Section:

中文和英文在一起, Chinese and English together - Starting at 4:45. A relaxed, natural pace. The Chinese word is said first, then the corresponding English word is said second. There is enough time given between each word to repeat the Chinese pronunciation once, or to challenge yourself and say the word in English before the “answer” is spoken.

Little Crab Educational Press presents: "The 10 Special Sounds in Mandarin - Tutorial"

We created this brief introductory tutorial (mainly in English) to help English speakers better understand the sounds that are the trickiest for most learners to grasp when developing a correct (or at the very least comprehensible!) Mandarin accent. This track is great for new beginners or as a refresher for more advanced beginners looking to improve their pronunciation.

Copyright 2023, all rights reserved.

Little Crab Educational Press presents: "Mandarin Chinese Pronunciation - in a Nutshell"

We created this brief introductory tutorial (in English) to help demystify Mandarin for English speakers by highlighting key similarities and differences between both languages. This track is great for absolute beginners who would benefit from an overview of how Mandarin and English are alike and are different before starting on their language learning journey!

Copyright 2023, all rights reserved.