“I knew I wanted Xander to learn Chinese because it’s his heritage. He’s half Chinese and I wanted to preserve his connection to that culture. I also thought it would be good for his development.”

Joyce Shavers speaks Mandarin but it’s not her native language. She wanted Xander to learn to speak Chinese, but because Joyce is not completely fluent, she decided to look for something to supplement his learning.

“Whenever he goes to the drawer, I know that he wants Little Pim” says Joyce, “he was very engaged from the first viewing.”

Joyce had trouble finding language learning programs, partly because she didn’t feel they were as suited to a child of Xander’s age.

“We like the practical day to day vocabulary and the mixture of seeing real people along with the animation. It definitely seems like the most appropriate program for young children.”

Joyce says Xander watches Little Pim several times a week. “He likes it because it’s bright and cheery and very upbeat – from the music and the bright colors, to the high production values. He often watches Little Pim with his favorite plush panda.”

According to Joyce, Xander benefits substantially from being exposed to an authentic accent. “It’s not true of all products. This Mandarin is great. It’s a Beijing dialect and very authentic.”

“I’m so glad that you’re making these DVDs and hope that you’ll make more!”

-Joyce and Xander, two years old.