About the Author

My name is Ms. Szeto.  I was born in Hong Kong, but came to the United States when I was just a baby.  Since my parents didn't speak English, Cantonese was my first language.  I learned Chinese by going to Chinese school on Saturdays.  But Chinese school wasn't very fun.  Memorizing and copying the text didn't help me keep the language.  Luckily I loved watching Chinese dramas.  I still do.  I feel my interest in Chinese dramas has allowed me to keep my heritage language.

When I went to college, I studied creative writing and education.  I loved to write stories and I enjoyed teaching children.  I got a bilingual credential because I wanted to help students learn English as well as Chinese.  I spent 13 years teaching newcomer Chinese how to read English.  Now I teach in a bilingual school to help 4th graders learn English and Chinese.  

Most students nowadays don't like learning Chinese.  They feel it is a burden.  I feel that learning Chinese should be fun.  It should also be accessible to students.  I created little Chinese readers to help my students learn Chinese in a fun and natural way.  I designed the short 8 page books so that students can learn the Chinese characters naturally.  The characters are matched with simple text to help students figure out the characters.  

Each  book is created using one single piece of paper per student.  As a teacherI know that resources are expensive.  This is the perfect solution for teachers with limited time and resources.  It is also the perfectly sized books for tiny hands.  The just-right sized books become the student's personal library of Chinese books that they can read over and over again.

When I am not teaching or writing, I am usually found painting a mural at school or watching a Chinese drama.