When the Awards Came In

It was 11:00 p.m. on a cool summer night in my home in Marietta, a suburb of Atlanta. I was about to shut down my computer after a long day of writing, reviewing illustrations, and responding to requests — all woven together with many shuttle runs between drop-offs, pickups, and the in-between moments of raising three kids.

The younger ones were already asleep. My teenager’s light was still on; I could hear the low murmur of his voice as he and his dad enjoyed their favorite video game. The kitchen was still scattered with unwashed pots and pans from dinner. Washing dishes before bed is my small nightly ritual — my “me time,” strangely soothing in its routine.

I glanced at my Email inbox one last time, and a subject line caught my eye: “Congratulations on your CALA Best Book Award.”

My heart leapt. I clicked it open.

“Yes!” I jumped from my chair, hands in the air. “Yes!” I shouted as I ran upstairs to my son’s room. “Our books won another Best Book Award!” Tears filled my eyes as my son and husband joined me in cheering.

I am a mother, an entrepreneur running JoJoLearning.com, and the author and producer of the newly published Book 1 and Book2 of the interactive JoJo Sing & Learn musical book series: JoJo Chinese Songs for Baby & Me, now in the thick of preparing the remaining four books in the series for release in early 2026. 

When I left a comfortable corporate job to start this entrepreneurial journey seven years ago, my brother sent me a text:

最努力地去做自己最爱的事情，剩下的交给时间。
(Work the hardest on the things you love most, and trust the rest with time.)

That message flashed back to me in this moment. Could this be one of these times?

Just ten days earlier, I had opened another email announcing our first national award: the 2025 IPPY Independent Publisher Gold Medal for Interactive Children’s Books. And now — another one.

The CALA 2025 Best Non-Fiction Children's Book Award feels especially meaningful to me because it comes from the Chinese American Librarians Association. As a first-generation Chinese American, this award feels like recognition from my home — from the family I was born to, my 娘家 (niáng jiā, literally “mother’s family”) — affirming that our books are authentic and carry the important voices of Chinese American stories.

The IPPY Best Interactive Children's Book Gold Medal, on the other hand, represents recognition among English-language books, where our bilingual work stood out and won gold. That feels like acceptance from my 婆家(pó jiā, literally the “husband’s family” I married into)—a new family and culture that has welcomed me in.

More recognitions came in in the following days, we also received Honorable Mention for Best Activity Books, Best Board Book, and Best Illustrations of the 2025 Purple Dragonfly Book Award. 

Together, these awards feel like a moment when time is answering back in its humble way.

Buried under creations, operations, and mom duties, I rarely pause to reflect on this journey. But now, as I sit down to respond to a media request to share our story, I have a chance to tell you about the inspiration, the science, and the love behind our award-winning books. 

-Why did you create the books?
-Where do I start If I want to raise my child to speak another language?
-The "Five Starting Points" for raising bilingual children.
-What are the best ages to use the books?
-Why are the first two books not pure black and white, like most high-contrast baby books?
-If you can name only one thing that makes your books unique, what is it?
-How long did It take you to create the books, and what did it take to bring them to life?
-How did you find the creative talents behind the books? What's their stories?
-The Illustrator
-The Music Producer
-The Singers
-The Author
-What’s your goal for the books?
-Any additional words for your readers and potential readers?

Why Did You Create the Books?

In 2018, I co-founded JoJo Learning with Caelyn Furman. Between us, we were raising four little ones to speak Chinese in Atlanta, and we faced the challenge of a lack of high-quality resources and immersive environments.

We deeply believed in the tremendous brain-development benefits of multilingualism, as well as the meaningful social impact of raising multilingual global citizens. We wanted to solve these challenges for families like ours, making it easier for parents in an English-speaking world to raise multilingual kids.

Over the years, we partnered with some of the education industry’s top players, tried different technologies, and developed a number of solutions. We were out at conferences, schools, book fairs, libraries, baby storytimes, playgrounds and homes — interacting with thousands of families raising bilingual children.

We have witnessed so much dedication, emotion, and effort from highly engaged parents who are working tirelessly to raise their kids to speak Chinese or another language — often a language that the parents themselves don’t even speak. 

A large portion of these families have Asian heritage, especially American-born Chinese who are now becoming parents and eagerly want to pass their heritage language and culture on to their children. Many feel they missed the opportunity to fully grasp Chinese growing up, and now they want to give that chance to their kids. They hope their children will be able to connect with their grandparents, and feel proud of their heritage and identity. 

Another significant portion of families have no Chinese heritage at all. These are parents who believe in nurturing their children’s brains and expanding their worlds by exposing them to another language. As one parent explained to me: “We chose Chinese as our kids’ second language because it is a completely different system from English — it provides the most dynamic stimulation for their brains.”

Raising a multilingual child in the United States, however, is not easy. While most of the world raises children with two or more languages, the U.S. is among the most monolingual nations. About 80% of Americans speak only English at home. Only about 20% K–12 American students study a foreign language, compared to over 90% in Europe and practically 100% in Asian countries such as China, Japan, and Korea.

Because the U.S. lacks schools support for language learning, the work falls largely on families and communities. 

When we just started JoJo Learning, we worked on solutions for families who had already started their language journey and were further along. But we realized there was an urgent need to create something for those just beginning.

When I interact with young parents, I hear the same question over and over again: “Raising bilingual children sounds amazing, but where do I start?”

Where Do I Start If I Want to Raise My Child to Speak Another Language?

After interviewing hundreds of parents and conducting extensive research, in 2021, we decided it was time to answer this question. We wanted to create something intuitive that would naturally blend into a family’s daily life, while at the same time introducing the essential first words of Chinese.

That’s when we began working on the press-to-play musical book series. Our goal was to develop an easy-to-access starter kit for any family wanting to expose their babies to a second language — regardless of whether or not that language is spoken at home.

The "Five Starting Points" for Raising Bilingual Children —the Science behind JoJo Sing & Learn Musical Book Series

1: Start Young
The easiest and most natural time to start learning a language is in infancy.

Newborns can hear all the sounds of all languages. This ability begins to diminish around 6–12 months, But don't worry if you have missed that short window — the critical period for language learning,  when a child's brain is naturally wired to acquire language efficiently, lasts until about age 7.

Bilingualism changes a child's brains, leading to significant benefits in many ways, including greater cognitive flexibility, improved memory, stronger problem-solving, focus, multitasking, listening, attention, and even better reading skills later in life.

I have read extensively — and witnessed firsthand — the magic of raising multilingual children. My own 3-year-old daughter is already a fluent speaker of Chinese, Spanish, and English, all learned effortlessly. We, as parents, do so many things to support our children’s development anyway — so why not do it in a new language?

I saw the need for musical books designed to provide bilingual input from day one, supporting developmental milestones through progressively complex images, texts, and activities.

2: Start with Essential Conversations
What’s the very foundation of any language? The first words parents say to their babies: rock you, kiss you, go to sleep, what's the matter, are you hungry... These are words of physical and emotional survival, expressing the most basic communication needs between parent and child. 

Essential Conversations should be where a language starts and thus should build the foundation for the lyrics of our songs. 

I wanted the lyrics to be pure and simple — words that feel natural and authentic, but that also carry the beauty of poetry through their emotion. Parents everywhere make up songs and rhymes when interacting with their babies. I wanted to find gold in these real, authentic everyday words. 

I asked parents from many language and cultural backgrounds: “What do you say to your baby?” Their answers often became the loving lyrics of our songs. One of my favorites is from the 摇摇你 (yáo yao nǐ ) Rock You song in Book 1: “你是最乖的宝宝 (nǐ shì zuì guāi de bǎo bao) You are the cutest baby”. 

These natural conversations, simple as they are, contain the most essential words — the building blocks of any language. For example, our 36 songs in the series organically include all of the “Super Seven” verbs that every language learner needs from day one to build real conversation — such as, “去 (qù) to go” and  “想 (xiǎng) /要 (yào) to want”.

3: Start with Research-Based Best Practice
Babies learn best from one particular style of speech: Parentese. This means slow, clear, high-pitched, exaggerated intonation, with simple but correct grammar and immediate action. You narrate your action to your baby. You ask a question, pause, and then answer it for the baby.

Our songs are woven with these principles. For example, many lyrics include questions and answers, building interaction and conversation. I hoped for these song-conversations to become the very first words our babies speak.

I still remember how delighted I felt when my daughter, at barely two years old, quoted one of the songs to me: “再来一个，再来一个，好不好？(zài lái yí ge zài lái yí ge hǎo bu hǎo)” One more, just one more, alright?” 

4: Start from the Social Brain
I’ve been deeply influenced by Dr. Patricia Kuhl’s cutting edge research on brain and language development at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences at the University of Washington. She has said: “The social brain is the gate for learning.”

Language begins with interaction. Language is interaction. Babies need our voices, our faces, our touch, and our undivided attention. Nothing can replace that. 

“Social” is really the golden word in many early development approaches, including Parentese, Montessori, and Total Physical Response, the three pillars that our musical books are built on. Without human connection, even the most advanced technology is powerless in front of a baby. Don’t just set your child in front of a screen, or even a book. They need you!

That’s why every one of our songs is designed to be a highly social, person-to-person activity: counting fingers together, going out to play, rocking the baby to sleep…

5: Start from Music
There’s a solid body of research showing that music is especially powerful for babies’ brain, language, and social development. Bilingualism + music = the perfect double brain workout!

• Dr. Patricia Kuhl’s lab found that musical play helps 9-month-olds learn speech rhythms and patterns, strengthening brain responses to both music and speech.
• A McMaster University study (2012) showed that babies in interactive music classes smiled more, communicated better, and developed stronger social skills than those who only listened passively.

As the book title suggests, our books are truly for “Baby and Me.” Parents, grandparents, and caregivers are encouraged to sing face-to-face with their little ones. Families singing together strengthen bonding, emotional security, language, and the brain.

Some of my fondest experiences composing for the songs are the times I’ve spent singing with my daughter since she was a newborn. When she was just over a year, she would fill in the missing words when I paused mid-song. Singing with her melted my heart every time. That’s what I want to give other families: the opportunity to create those same meaningful connections, in a beautiful new language.

What are the Best Ages to Use the Books? —Newborn to Age 7.  

The books are designed for babies, and because of that, they also become an ideal starting point for all Chinese beginners — especially children ages 0–7. Many linguists agree that language learning should mimic the way a baby learns, following the “natural approach”: no stress about grammar, just start with listening, lots of input, and repetition. Music is a wonderful place for any beginner to start.

Yes, the “learn as babies learn” linguistic structure of our music books makes them valuable for language beginners of any age. But there was a real design question we had to ask ourselves: How can we create a book that is perfectly suited for babies and toddlers, while also engaging a curious 7-year-old — and still enjoyable for parents and grandparents, too?

Typical “baby books,” with their simple phrases and images of basic objects, are often short-lived, serving just a fleeting moment in a baby’s life before being outgrown. We wanted something more enduring.

Working alongside more than 40 amazing testing language learning families, we discovered the balance between simplicity and sophistication, between teaching and entertaining. We stayed true to our “poetic essential conversation” to provide a solid linguistic foundation, while pioneering what we call “layered illustration and storytelling.”

The result is a fresh, new style that respects babies’ and toddlers’ visual and cognitive development while also offering deeper storytelling, stronger emotions, and greater entertainment value through sophisticated music, activities, and narrative.

For example, if you open the first page of the first book  “你好 (nǐ hǎo) Hello!” the lyrics couldn’t be simpler, the illustration contains vivid patterns  and are high-contrast for babies. Yet the image tells an emotion-filled story of a family welcoming a new baby into the world:  mother is tired but radiant with joy; father is awed, perhaps still a bit 心疼 (xīn téng), tenderly aching for the new mom; older brother is curious— a little excited, a little in shock. Parents, babies, toddlers and older kids may all take away something different from that page. I wanted each page to connect with readers of different ages in their own way.

Why Are the First Two Books Not Pure Black and White, Like Most High-Contrast Baby Books?

We know that newborns have limited color vision and primarily see in shades of gray. They are naturally attracted to high-contrast images, which is why black-and-white baby cards and books are everywhere.

Our visual director and lead illustrator, Lukas Zhang, is a true expert in color. He taught us that high contrast doesn’t have to mean black and white. “Pure black and white is an incomplete and overly simplistic interpretation of high-contrast imagery for babies’ vision,” Lukas explained. “There are many creative ways to show contrast that are more soothing and engaging for young eyes. We shouldn’t oversimplify babies’ vision and appreciation — babies are the most curious little artists, and their color perception develops quickly. Even high-contrast images for babies should carry subtle sophistication and interest.”

That’s why, in Book 1 and Book 2,  Lukas pioneered a new style of sophisticated, layered high-contrast images for babies — applying visual principles of color saturation and value. Lukas used shades of deep brown, navy blue, white, and bright accents to create images that are striking yet soothing for both babies and adults alike. In the JoJo books, you won’t find pure, blunt black-and-white; instead, the depth of color and shade invites young eyes with contrast that is rich, gentle, and full of interest — giving little ones plenty to wonder at and explore as they grow.

Books 3, 4, 5, and 6 will unfold into a feast of full-color illustrations. We can’t wait to share them with the world in early 2026.

The 转圈圈 (Spin in a Circle) song in of JoJo Chinese Songs for Baby & Me , Book 2  for Ages 3 Months+— an example of layered high contrast using the fundamentals of color saturation and value. In addition, the technique of complementary colors helps bring the whimsical, translucent jellyfish to life.

If You Can Name Only One Thing That Makes Your Books Unique, What Is It? 

Love. It is love.

Our books are all about love and connection — going beyond language learning.

After giving birth to my third child, my daughter, I experienced a serious labor complication and spent time recovering in the ICU. I was allowed only 15 minutes a day with my newborn. 

In those fleeting moments, all I could focus on was the pure connection between mother and child: giving her my voice, my touch, my undivided attention. That experience reminded me that children first need to feel loved, secure, and connected. Without that, any early childhood learning loses its roots.

Every single song in our books is built around activities or conversations parents can share with their babies. They are created by mothers and fathers for their own children, they are truly for the love between “Baby and Me.”  They are About being present with your child in the simplest, most meaningful ways.

How Long Did It Take You to Create the Books, and What Did It Take to Bring Them to Life?

More than three years for the first two books. Friends and family told me I was moving too slowly, that it wasn’t wise from a business perspective. But I didn’t question myself. I believe that we owe our youngest children the highest-quality materials. And quality requires time and patience.

I poured myself into this work more than a full-time job, obsessively. I hosted individual and group sing-along sessions to test and re-test beta versions with families in the U.S., Canada, and China. Over 40 families with babies and toddlers, some as young as newborns, volunteered their time to help. I am forever grateful for their feedback and friendship. I am so honored by their generosity to share their precious family time to help develop the JoJo Sing & Learn books.

We also studied best practices in interactive baby music classes in Spanish and English, as well as preschools in China. We sought feedback from parents, grandparents, teachers, child psychologists, and even older siblings.

One of my favorite “critics” was Olivia, a sharp and sweet 10-year-old from North Carolina. She speaks fluent English, German, and Chinese, and she reviewed songs with me as I developed them. She now enjoys using the very books she helped shape — with her baby sister!

The work was tremendous, but it brought me so much joy and growth. No matter how well these books sell, I already feel very fortunate.  I’ve had the chance to dedicate myself to what I love, to collaborate with master-level artists, musicians, and linguists, and to create something I truly believe in.

On an stressful everything-everywhere-all-at-once day, I read the book's overwhelmingly positive reviews. I thought about the new mom from England, with her two-week-old baby, who took her precious time to write to me about how she and her little one enjoy the books every day. Our readers give me strength!

How Did You Find the Creative Talents Behind the Books?  What's Their Stories? 

I searched high and low for the right people, and I tried working with several teams before finding the talents who were truly meant for this project. Amazingly, the main creators of the books all now live within seven minutes of each other in Marietta, Georgia. It feels like destiny.

The Illustrator

Our lead illustrator, Lukas Zhang, moved to Marietta just one year before we met. He came to the U.S. from Beijing on an “extraordinary ability” visa (often called a “genius visa”), granted to individuals with outstanding achievements in the arts.

When I approached Lukas about the project, he told me: “I can’t give you a quote because I’m probably too expensive for you. But I’ll do it anyway — because I believe in JoJo and I believe in this project. Creating a great children’s book for babies is an act of goodness that lasts for generations. It also means a lot for me to create books about Chinese culture and language for a global audience. ”

Lukas has a wealth of life experience — he is an award-winning mixed-media oil painter, animation film director and producer, master teacher, and philosopher. He has led artistic projects involving hundreds of creative talents.

It is truly a blessing to work with such a high-level artist who is not only meticulous with every artistic technique, but also elevates illustration to a platform of shared human emotion (人类共同情感).

What sets Lukas apart from many other illustrators I’ve worked with is his philosophy: “Every stroke in the illustration must have a reason to be there. Does it help convey and resonate with the essence of humanity — love, kindness, and connection? Does it help children feel and learn on a social-emotional level?”

Most children’s art is treated as a simplified, “dumbed-down” version, based on the belief that children are too simple to understand deeper meaning. But in truth, babies and young children are the most advanced learning machines. Their art, while respecting cognitive ability, must also be real, authentic, and filled with emotion.

Today, Lukas serves as JoJo Sing & Learn Series’ Design Director and lead illustrator, pouring his heart into the musical books every single day.

I always love to share this example of his vision: I gave Lukas a sketch for the last page of book 1, which I intended as a simple “review and recap ” or “table of content” of the songs, as well as the key vocabulary, because babies love repetition. Lukas returned with this illustration below and a description that took my breath away:

“The moon replaces the sun. In the river of life, every fleeting moment is to be cherished. At the heart of these moments stands Grandmother, for the older generation is the root of the family tree, and the wellspring of family tradition.”

I was speechless. I was sold.

The last page in JoJo Chinese Songs For Baby & Me, Book 1 for Ages 0 Months+, as a "review and recap" of vocabulary (also song titles)   

The Music Producer

The music was produced by Felton Pilate, a legend in American funk and R&B history. He produced and co-wrote massively successful albums with MC Hammer, was Grammy- and Oscar-nominated, and received the 2022 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.

Felton is one of the most talented and dedicated musician I’ve ever known — and also one of the most devoted, humble and kind. His energy and enthusiasm spill over during our music production sessions. He can become so immersed in his creative world that he’ll work for 10 hours straight, forgetting to take a break.

He often tells me, “These songs are so much fun to create! Each one is a different genre, inspired by classical tunes from around the world — diverse, unique, and real fun for little ones!”

Felton transformed these baby songs into true, high-quality musical creations. For example, he turned one of the baby exercise songs in Book 2 into a super fun rap — and I’ve seen so many kids dance along to it. It’s become one of our biggest hits.

What a fortune it is to have two artistic giants, our music producer and illustrator, pouring their hearts into our baby books!

The Singers

At first, I approached professional singers, but none quite captured the deep emotion and authentic connection we were looking for. Both Lukas and Felton strongly encouraged me — as the author, creator, and mom of three — to sing the songs myself. They reminded me that the most loved singers are often those who can tell the story, connect emotionally, and sing with sincerity.

So, I trained in singing and discovered a joy I never expected at this stage of life. Lukas, who is also a professional voice-over artist (what talent doesn’t he have?), sings the male parts. The children’s voices are my own 3-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son, representing the wonderful bilingual children these songs were created for.

Especially in Books 3–6, we’ve incorporated more children’s voices, because we want the songs to be about families having fun together — singing, laughing, and learning side by side.

The Author

That part is me. I wrote the lyrics of the songs, with input from educators and experienced linguistic consultants, including Professor Yuan Liu from Qingdao University of Science & Technology in China.

I am a first-generation Chinese American, married to a native Texan, and raising three multilingual children in Marietta, Georgia. My 25-year career has spanned global academic institutions and multinational corporations, and in the last decade I have devoted myself to early childhood bilingual learning.

In 2018, I co-founded JoJo Learning, which now supports thousands of families in more than 12 non-Chinese-speaking countries as they raise children to speak Chinese as a second language.

I was born and raised in Xuyong, a small, remote town in Sichuan province that was once listed among the top 100 poverty-stricken towns in China. About 100,000 people lived within a three-square-mile area surrounded by evergreen mountains. To reach the next city, it took eight hours by bus on bumpy, muddy roads along a valley. 

Despite the scarcity of educational resources in my hometown, I had a safe haven at home filled with the wonder of literature and arts. My father was a literature enthusiast, an Erhu musician, and an artist (when he wasn’t working as an Animal Husbandry administrator). Neighbors often heard his passionate poetry readings and singing through our always-open windows, and sometimes came over to join in loud, laughter-filled evenings of music and recitation.

From an early age, my father encouraged me to read Chinese dictionaries for fun (yes! Can you believe it?!). He taught me that every Chinese character carries a story, and showed me the depth and wonder of Chinese literature. I excelled in school and fell in love with languages — both Chinese and English. That passion eventually took me to larger schools in bigger cities, then to Beijing, where I landed my first job at the Chinese Academy of Sciences right after college.

But I longed to explore the mysteries of the English-speaking world. I later went to Texas on a full scholarship for graduate school. I earned an MS in Science Journalism from Texas A&M University, an MBA from Rice University, and worked for several years at General Electric before leaving in 2018 to launch JoJoLearning.com.

Being bilingual has shaped every part of my life. It carried me from a small mountain town to world-class universities, global organizations, and now, to social entrepreneurship. It has given me friendship, surprises, adventures, courage, and opportunities I could never have imagined.

I’ve studied brain development and language acquisition research extensively. I believe it is my calling to combine my cultural and literary roots, my skills in Chinese literature, my knowledge of language acquisition, and my experience working with thousands of parents to create beautiful, authentic Chinese learning resources for the next generation.

The best literature is powerful. It opens doors to the heart and brings smiles to faces. My dad passed away 18 years ago, but I believe he would be smiling his big, wide smile if he could see the beautiful musical books I've created.

With a love for words, I carefully refined every character to convey authenticity and the everyday stories of today’s family life. I did often turn to the dictionary my dad gifted me back in 2005.

Thank you, Dad.

The dictionary my father gifted me, with his handwriting: 二00五年六月十二日于泸州 （June 12, 2005, in Luzhou), and a seal he carved with my Chinese name — 杨柳青之印 (“Yang Liuqing’s Seal”) — in ancient Chinese calligraphy style. The bamboo pen holders shown in the picture were also carved by my father.

What’s Your Goal for the Books?

Beyond the books, I hold a dream: to build a tribe of young parents raising multilingual children from day one.

For the books, my goal is to create a timeless series for generations of families who want to introduce Chinese to their children with ease and joy.

I hope the Baby & Me Sing & Learn books become a top choice for families — as part of their everyday bonding moments, an easy and fun first step into Chinese, no matter their background. 

I also want my children — and their children — to hold these books in their hands, to sing these songs, and to celebrate the beauty of authentic Chinese language and culture as part of their heritage.

Any Additional Words for Your Readers and Potential Readers?

Connect with me —write to me and stay updated with us by signing up for our newsletter.  I’d love to hear about your challenges and aspirations in raising multilingual kids.

I need help in building a tribe of families raising multilingual kids! You can support our endeavor by sharing your stories, writing reviews of our books and sharing them with friends.

Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates about the JoJo Sing & Learn musical book series, along with free vocabulary lists and Chinese learning materials.

Most of all, I invite you to embark on the journey of raising multilingual children. And let’s support each other along the way. It is a truly rewarding path of connection — connection with our own kids, and connection with another culture. Every bit of effort is worthwhile!

With much gratitude, 

Christine Yang Barry 杨柳青

JoJo Blogs: Raising Children Who Speak Chinese in the U.S.

JoJo Chinese Songs for Baby & Me-Book 1, Sing & Learn Interactive Musical Board Book for Ages 0 Months to 7 Years

JoJo Chinese Songs for Baby & Me-Book 2, Sing & Learn Interactive Musical Board Book, for Ages 3 Months-7 Years

Watch Video: Why we created JoJo Sing & Learn "Chinese Songs for Baby and Me" Musical Books