Last year, my daughter heard some of the Max Lucado books in English when she attended a Christian preschool. When we heard about the Max Lucado books in simplified Chinese with Pinyin, I had to get them for my kids! The books have also been translated to traditional Chinese!
Max Lucado – Pastor and Author
Max Lucado is a pastor and best-selling author of numerous books that have been translated into other languages! His children’s stories have a special way of teaching God’s love through parables.
Max Lucado Books in Chinese
I bought a set of 4 paperback Max Lucado books in simplified Chinese with Pinyin from Taobao, and I’ll share a bit about each book as well as a photo of inside the book. Since I am neither fluent or literate in Chinese, I have been looking for books with Pinyin to help me read to my children.
Although my daughter can read Chinese independently, she has not yet read these on her own and has only wanted me to read them to her. Our Chinese speaking level is conversational, and I felt that we were able to understand You are Special (你很特别) and You are Mine (你是我的孩子) books well. Children of the King (爱你本来的样子) and All You Ever Need (你所需要的) were more difficult for me to read as there were new words that I do not typically use in our everyday Chinese vocabulary.
Please keep in mind that I have not read these books in English, so I cannot comment on the quality and accuracy of the translation. However, I do plan on buying Max Lucado books in English so that my husband can read them with our kids!
Photos and ISBN of Chinese Max Lucado Books
Here’s a closer look at each book with links for where to buy each book. I have included different language versions for convenience, but please note that I do not have those other versions to compare.
1. You Are Special (Max Lucado Wemmick’s)
Chinese title: 你很特别 (Nǐ hěn tèbié)
- Simplified Chinese with Pinyin / ISBN: 9787304045364
- Simplified Chinese (no Pinyin) / ISBN: 9787210082507
- Traditional Chinese with Zhuyin / ISBN: 9789864001767
- English / ISBN: 9780891079316
You are Special (你很特别) is about a community of wood puppets who are judged by other puppets with gold stars or grey dot stickers. Those who do well in whatever task are awarded gold stars, while those who fail are frowned upon with grey dots.
The main character, 胖哥 (Pàng gē), is discouraged and covered with grey dots. Then he meets a stickerless puppet, 卢西亚 (Lú xīyǎ / Lucia).
When he learns that no stickers stick to her, she explains that it’s because she only cares what her maker thinks, and that she tries to visit him often. When 胖哥 begins to have faith in the maker, he notices a grey dot sticker falls off.
For a more in depth discussion about this story, this philosophy website for children has great ideas for family discussion!
2. You Are Mine (Max Lucado Wemmick’s)
Chinese title: 你是我的孩子 (Nǐ shì wǒ de háizi)
- Simplified Chinese with Pinyin / ISBN: 9787304045388
- Simplified Chinese (no Pinyin) / ISBN: 9787210082507
- Traditional Chinese / ISBN: 9570368535
- English / ISBN: 9781581342765
You are Mine (你是我的孩子) is the sequel to You are Special (你很特别). A community of wood puppets who compete with each other to collect the most number of objects.
In this competition, the puppets mistakingly think it’s better to have more things. However, the truth is that it’s not about what you have but who you are. God doesn’t need us to compete for His love!
3. The Children of the King (Formerly Just the Way You Are)
Chinese title: 爱你本来的样子 (Ài nǐ běnlái de yàngzi)
- Simplified Chinese with Pinyin / ISBN: 9787304045395
- Traditional Chinese / ISBN: 9570368446
- English / ISBN: 9781433540912
Previously titled Just the Way You Are in English, this is a story about 5 orphan children who all have special talents except the youngest child. The King is coming to visit, and the older siblings are busy perfecting their talents while the youngest girl is not sure what to do with herself.
Her gift is kindness, but it’s not quite as tangible as her siblings. So she asks each of them to help her, but they are all too busy. Alone outside, she sees a person who needs help. Without hesitation, she helps him, only later to find that he is the King!
The takeaway message is that physical talents do not make God love us more. He loves us just the way we are! If you are too concerned about doing things for God, you might actually miss Him.
4. All You Ever Need
Chinese title: 你所需要的 (Nǐ suǒxūyào de)
- Simplified Chinese with Pinyin / ISBN: 9787304045371
- Traditional Chinese / ISBN: 9570368438
- English / ISBN: 9781581341348
Over time, he made more and more rules for the water, which angered the villagers. One day, a Watermaster’s son shows up at the well and tells the servant that the water must be shared with all people. When the villager’s shout that they don’t want the servant to have water since he is mean, the Watermaster’s son replies with grace.
The illustrations are particularly beautiful in this book! The details are quite realistic, and both of my kids loved the illustrations in this book the most!
Have you read Max Lucado Books in Chinese or English?
I hope that your family can enjoy reading and discussing the beautiful lessons of each of these Max Lucado stories. If you have read any of his books, I would love to hear your thoughts and recommendations!
More Christian resources for kids
My kids are big fans of Stream of Praise Music, and we have been listening to their CDs almost everyday for months! You can learn more about their DVDs/CDs here and their music board books here!
Here are fun, hands-on Christian crafts that you can do with your kids!
- “Jesus is King” crown craft and coloring pages
- Washi Tape Cross Craft
- Easter egg craft stick puzzle
- Chalk eggs with glue resist
For more resources and support, please join our Facebook group Christian Parents Raising Bilingual Children in English & Chinese!
Sunny says
Thanks for the mention! So glad you like it.