Home Language Read Aloud

Hi there! My name is Anna. I’m 13 years old and am currently in OIS grade 7. Both of my parents are Chinese, I came to Japan when I was 10. Chinese is absolutely my mother language and home language, which I feel most comfortable speaking compared to English and Japanese which I started learning 3 years ago.

If you ask me what is the best hobby, I would say it is reading. When I was in Kindergarden, my mom taught me the importance of reading and made me read books. No matter now or when I was little, As soon as I start reading, I can’t get my eyes away from the book I’m reading, including while eating, in the bathroom (inappropriate) and before sleeping. Reading was the biggest treasure I found in my life. I learned life principles, philosophy and all kinds of knowledge from reading books. As a kid who grew up reading books, I have 2 things to tell you : Never give up your mother language, Never stop reading! I hope you can develop these things while listening to the stories I read!

Hello everyone! I am Xi (Bity), a cheerful Chinese little girl from grade 8. I consider reading one of my biggest sources of happiness and hobbies. When I am reading, I feel like I’m floating around in another new world full of imagination, and experiencing a new, exciting journey along with the characters.

My parents played a big role in building up my reading habit when I was back in China for 11 years before coming to Japan. They took me to the local Chinese library at least twice a week to choose books and read. My parents will also ask me to share my feelings or tell them my favorite character after reading one book, which helped me to develop my analyzing skill. They encouraged and lead me to read more during my free time, and I feel thankful to them for all their effort in helping me build up my reading habit. Now, I will always read for a minimum of 40 minutes a day. I am looking forward to meeting all of you in my video! :)

Hello everybody, my name is Erika, and I am in grade 12. I am half Japanese and half Singaporean, and I consider English my first language and the language I am most fluent in, compared to my Japanese and Malay. I was born and raised in the Philippines, and at a young age, my mom began buying me books from bookstores nearby. A way my mom and I would bond at night was to read a book before I went to bed. I had many favorites in which my mom would read it to me repeatedly to the point that I knew the book from start to finish . I find reading a way to improve the way I communicate and write. English is the language I use at home with my family, and it is part of who I am. I hope you all enjoy the books that I chose to read to you all:)

Hello! My name is Hinako, and I am from grade 12. Although I am Japanese and consider it to be my first language, I have lived in other countries such as the US and Germany and have learned their languages. Throughout my experience living abroad, I always found reading in that language exciting and extremely helpful for me. Not only can I be pulled into the world of the stories I read, but I am always able to find or learn something from a new perspective. Communicating and learning in Japanese is a part of my identity that I always have and want to keep, and reading has supported that for me. I look forward to reading more books to you guys!

Hey, I have all of the “The 13-Story Treehouse” books, in both English and Korean. I have many other books that I purchased in my two most comfortable languages. I mention that, because reading in your home language, and another language has been proven to show many benefits in one.

My name is Soo Hyun, and I am in OIS grade 7. My whole family is Korean, but I’ve lived in Japan for my whole life. Despite living in Japan, I was taught Korean from a young age, and speak Korean the most in daily life. Although I am trilingual in Korean, English, and Japanese, I consider Korean and English my best areas of language usage.

I love reading. I used to mimic my brother reading out loud, and repeat it in the car. (My mom was surprised she called me a genius) Even as a “picky” reader, who spends hours looking for a book to be hooked on, finding a book that’s just the right fit for you, is truly the best feeling in life. Reading a book that is enjoyable, and beyond your imagination, makes you feel like you are part of the story, watching everything happen in front of your eyes. Like I mentioned, I have a lot of books in English that are translated into Korean. I read both versions, well, to re-read the story, but also because it’s a learning opportunity to understand vocabularies that I might not know in the other language. Scientists also have presented studies that learning, and reading in two or more languages exercises your brain to improve memorization, problem-solving, critical-thinking, and multi-tasking. I believe it’s important to read and learn in two languages, preferably your home language, and another language you use often. I want to show that memorizing, and presenting in a different/home language, is not much easier or harder than learning English from school, so I hope you guys enjoy the Korean books from my selection that I read for you guys!