Strawberry Mochi Understands
Seeing red in a new and loving way.
Strawberry Mochi is often very nervous. Yet, she bravely navigates the big feelings she experiences at school, at home, and in her neighborhood. Her magic rose-colored glasses give her a special ability to see situations with compassion. To be loving helps her stay calm and understand herself and others better.
Toney
Let Toney help you picture the Pinyin tones needed to help you pronounce words.
“Picture” Words
Chinese characters are pictorial representations of its meaning rather than phonetic like many Latin-based languages.
Constructivism and UDL
Active learning (Constructivist Theory) and flexibility in how information is presented (Universal Design for Learning for Learning Framework) put you at the center of meaning-making. You construct what you know through experiences. Attach “pleasure” to your reading!
Sberry’s “play” Community
Strawberry, or Sberry, is surrounded by a colorful cast of family and friends. Meet the personalities with varying interests and quirks who challenge or reaffirm Sberry’s big feelings as she seeks common ground and understanding.
Meet the Author
“When the student is ready the teacher will appear.” – Lao Tzu
Hi! I am a credentialed educator of twenty plus years’ experience serving K-12 students and families throughout the greater Los Angeles area. I began my career in the classroom and worked my way to school administration. I am well-versed in K-12 general education and I specialize in building stand-alone language programs as well as various immersion models.
I earned my B.A. in Communications at the University of Pennsylvania, M.A. in Teaching at University of Southern California, and Administrative Services Credential at the Loyola Marymount University.
This book series is a love story twenty years in the making. It began with teaching Spanish-speaking English Learners a third language. I, too, had to learn Chinese as an additional language growing up in the U.S. Back then, there were few or no books written for non-heritage learners. I was inventing my own curriculum by the day. Still, students came to class excited to learn with me.
Currently, I do accreditation work for USC’s Rossier School of Education. More so than ever, children need the skills—including emotional regulation—to navigate an increasingly global and complex society. How we learn may be changing rapidly and significantly but life skills required of well-being and a fulfilling life remain a constant. Join me in cheering on the young learners of the world!
Yours,
Sally Chuang
What people are saying
“Who am I is a wonderful Mandarin & English children’s book that my 3-year-old daughter enjoys a lot! She loves the cute and colorful illustrations—especially the adorable Strawberry Mochi character. The story and phrases are simple enough for my daughter to repeat and learn easily. It’s the perfect book for teaching a toddler to be bilingual. Highly recommended.
Gloria C.
Finally! A Mandarin children’s book with substance. It is fun to read and standards-aligned. The sentences are introduced in iterations so that the story almost reads like a poem. Plus, its succinct and engaging story is packed with themed vocabulary—just look at the glossary. Also it comes in different versions, I use the Traditional with Pinyin. I wish I had books like these growing up when I was learning Chinese as an ABC (American-born Chinese)!
Freddie M.
Sally’s Personal Core Values about Learning
Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” – Aristotle
- Emotional regulation is everything in life and in learning,
- Critical thinking outweighs content knowledge,
- Everyone is doing their best,
- Learning anything including languages is often a byproduct of having fun experiences (i.e. tacit knowledge)
© Tacit Channel
Original Children’s Book Series 