The first set of Chinese stories presented in English scripts (剧本) , titled Stories of China: Performed in English, was officially published by Foreign Languages Press. Planned by the New Channel International Education Group with the participation of playwrights from China, the United Kingdom and the United States, the book provides a new way for young people to learn English while inheriting (继承) and spreading Chinese culture.

The book contains 20 English scripts in novel formats covering a wide range of subjects. Unlike the most common English scripts for young readers on the market which are based on adaptations of European and American stories, those scripts presented in this book are unique for being based on classic Chinese stories, re-adapted and written in English. The book is divided into three grades in terms of grammar and vocabulary difficulty, making it suitable for young English learners from primary schools to junior and high schools.

All the scripts in the book are written by top playwrights with elegant, pure and vivid language. The scripts are provided with a summary of the story in both Chinese and English, so that readers can fully understand the plot as well as the history and culture behind it. Readers can not only improve their English skills through immersive (沉浸式的) reading and performance but also appreciate Chinese culture.

Hu Min, English education expert and founder of the New Channel, said the combination of traditional Chinese culture and English teaching has become a trend, guiding young people to tell Chinese stories to the world with their own wisdom and deep Chinese cultural heritage. The New Channel will offer special courses on Stories of China: Performed in English in its many schools across the country, and cooperate with primary and secondary schools in Beijing, Shanghai to offer English drama courses on a trial basis. Hu believes the courses will set off a new wave of enthusiastic learning among young people.

My Favorite Sweater

By Bonnie Highsmith Taylor

In Darrel Gregory’s encouraging picture book I’m Not Very Good at It, a mother suggests a means for her daughter to handle her low self-esteem.

The story centers on a downcast girl, who, when asked to do anything, tells herself, “Okay, but I’m not very good at it.” These words are voiced aloud whether she’s making a birthday card, baking, or helping her mother with a bird house. When her mother asks her why she responds in this manner, the girl replies, “Because that’s what my brain said.” Through a series of playful explanations, her mother advises her to listen to her heart instead. After a few attempts at practicing this new habit, the girl realizes that being good at something----or not!----is not as important as trying.

The story’s repetitive structure emphasizes its therapeutic message about stopping self-doubting talk and about practicing stillness. Though perfectionism and fear of failure are possible explanations for the girl’s behavior, the specific reasons and context for her self-doubt are absent. It is a depersonalized story whose heroine is generic, nameless, and tough to connect with. She is preschool-aged, but is asked to possess great self-awareness about her own personality and to shift her own features----it happens too early for a preschool-aged child, if not idealistic.

Ari Miller’s soft illustrations(插图) make the text vivid. Their detailed home scenes portray the girl’s activities. They are faithful depictions of the story that track the girl’s emotional change through subtle facial expressions. The girl’s mother is left out of these images, though her advice and support is one of the main features of the story.

Sincere in its description of growing past self-doubt, the picture book I’m Not Very Good At It encourages positive outlooks.