Once Upon a Time, Twice with Ms. Rachel Xi

Sneezy the Snowman by Maureen Wright is a popular children's book about a snowman who gets cold and tries to warm up in silly ways, like drinking cocoa or sitting in a hot tub, causing him to melt, but children rebuild him each time. Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin, the book features repetitive, rhyming text and playful illustrations, making it a favorite for preschoolers and early elementary students during winter. 

Little Blue Trucks' Christmas is written by Alice Schertle and illustrated by Jill McElmurry. Little learners will explore seasonal vocabulary, simple phrases and cultural fun as they follow Little Blue delivering joy to all his friends in both English and Chinese.

God Gave Us Christmas is written by Lisa Tawn Bergren and illustrated by David Hohn. In this sweet story, little cub and mama polar bear go out on an adventure looking for God and find beautiful sightings of Him and the meaning of Christmas.

What does a snowman like to eat? Snowball soup of course! Tune in for an adorable story of Little Critter, Little Sister and Dog with their new friend.Snowball Soup is a scholastic book by Mercer Mayer.

In this cozy storytime episode, we follow our young explorers on a fun filled leaf hunt! Join us as we wander crunchy paths, spot colorful treasures, and discover the magic hidden in nature's tiniest details.

In this episode, we cozy up with the heartwarming fall classic Spookley the Square Pumpkin, by Joe Troiano. This sweet story reminds us that being different isn't something to hide, it's something to celebrate! We walk through Spookley's journey from feeling like an outsider to discoverying that his uniqueness is actually his greatest strength!

In today’s episode, I’m sharing the story behind why I started this podcast. I’ll also take you inside my experience at the LeadHer Summit in Dallas, a weekend filled with powerful connections, meaningful inspiration, and transformative moments. Many of you may have seen my posts about it on social media, consider this episode a deeper dive into the key lessons and takeaways that left a lasting impact =)

Count the exciting days leading up to Thanksgiving, and get ready for a festive gathering with family! This episode brings together numbers, family, and holiday festivities in English and Chinese with Ms .Rachel, enjoy!12 Days of Thanksgiving i a Scholastic book by Jenna Lettice and illustrated by Colleen Madden.

In this episode,we dive into the book Does Giraffe Eat Alone? By Anita Bijsterbosch. It' a heartwarming and thoughtful children's book about family, friendship and togetherness through the eys of animals.This book is extra special to me since my little boy picked it out when he was a wee toddler, and now he can read it in English and tell to me in Chinese since I have read it bilingually so much over the years to him. Don't forget to connect with me on Instagram @ rachelxeverafter, and if you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe and leave a review, it means the world!See you in the next story!Zai Jian!

In this episode, I will be teaching you some of the most useful phrases in Chinese, enjoy!

In this adorable kid's story, you will learn basic words when going to a party. It's a kid friendly story to listen to or watch wherever and whenver!

In this episode, I used my kids' Usborne book All You Need to Know before You Start School to teach you basic phrases you can form with numbers and animals. Now you can confidently talk about common animals you see in phrases!

In this short and sweet episode, I introduce to you the basic colors in Chinese! The video of me holding the book and pointing to the colors is available on Spotify or Youtube.

By popular demand, today's episode is all about going back to the basics. I know many of you have shared that you're just starting your journey in learning Chinese, so I want to make sure everyone feels included. This episode is perfect for beginners learning Mandarin Chinese, as we learn to count from 1-99, with all the correct tones!

In this special episode, I will teach you all about Chinese New Year, the cultures and traditions, phrases to say and know, the Chinese zodiac etc. Enjoy!

What would lack of sleep do for a kid who is flying all the way to China to celebrate Chinese New Year with her grandpa? Find out in Grumpy New Year by Katrina Moore. The book is beautifully illustrated by Xindi Yan, and this podcast episode is audio only.

Maomao's father works far away and comes home only at Chinese New Year. Join me in reading this heartwarming story about Maomao, written by Yu Li-Qiong, who has a BA in literature from Nanjing University (where my husband graduated from!). In the coming weeks, I will be reading and releasing 2 stories a week to make up for some lost times, and they will all be about Chinese New Year!

Join us for a heartwarming journey with Cynthia Cotten's enchanting children's book, "This is the Stable." In this episode, we bring to life the story of the Nativity, as seen through the eyes of the humble animals in the stable. Experience the wonder and joy of the birth of Christ, with vivid storytelling that captures the magic of Christmas. Perfect for families and children of all ages, this episode is a delightful way to celebrate the true spirit of the holiday season. As always, you can find me on Instagram @rachelxeverafter, and I would appreciate it if you can like, subscribe and write me a review =) See you in the next book!

For the next 5 stories, I will introduce you to 5 famous Chinese parables. They are so renowned pretty much every Chinese kid and adult in China knows them, and these stories are used in daily conversations to convey people's intentions. Today's story is Jing Di Zhi Wa, or The Frog in the Well. We often tell our kids to not be like that frog at the bottom of the well, wonder why? Listen and find out! =)

I was packing for a month in Asia when I recorded this episode. Because of the crazy timing, I didn't have time to do too much detailed explanation after the story. But my kids enjoyed this episode and learned a lot and I hope you do too! This episode is audio only for now since it wouldn't let me upload the full video (taking over 2 hours) from Shanghai, China. I will replace it with the full video when I get back home =)