Parents Want Bilingual Babies — But Don’t Know Where to Start. A New Musical Book Series Says Start with a Song.
Before fluency, there is connection. Through songs, cuddles, movement, and everyday moments, JoJo Learning helps families experience Mandarin from day one, whether parents speak the language or not.
Marietta, GA, Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Many parents dream of raising bilingual children. They imagine their babies growing up connected to grandparents, comfortable across cultures, or simply open to a bigger world. Yet somewhere between the dream and reality comes a quieter question:
“Where do I even start?”
For parents who do not speak a second language fluently, or do not speak it at all, that dream can feel surprisingly lonely. Parents hear repeatedly that the earliest years matter, and that babies’ brains are especially wired for language from the very beginning. But new parenthood is already overwhelming, the baby years feel fleeting, and many quietly wonder:
“Did I already miss the opportunity? Am I even qualified to do this?”
One Atlanta mother shared the question that would stay with JoJo Learning founder Christine Yang Barry for years. A single mother working full time while attending graduate school, she drove nearly two hours each day so her 2-year-old could attend a multilingual preschool and experience Chinese, Spanish, French, and English. She asked Barry:
“I want so badly to be part of my daughter’s language experience. I want to do something in Chinese with her. But how? I speak zero Chinese.”
On July 28, 2026, JoJo Learning launches the complete six-book JoJo Chinese Songs for Baby & Me series, interactive bilingual musical board books created around a simple belief:
Before fluency, there is connection.
Rather than turning language learning into pressure, formal lessons, or screen time, the books invite families to experience Mandarin and Chinese culture through the moments parents and babies already share: cuddling, moving, playing, bath time, washing hands, winding down for sleep, singing together, and even playful traditional Chinese family games woven naturally into everyday life.. The launch marks the next step in JoJo Learning’s broader mission, the Bilingual Baby Movement, encouraging families everywhere to:
Sing Mandarin from Day One.
Designed for babies and toddlers from birth through the early years, the complete series includes six interactive bilingual musical board books featuring 36 original Mandarin songs and more than 300 foundational everyday words. The books follow a developmental journey, from closeness and comfort to movement, imagination, emotions, and growing independence. With a simple press of a button, each page plays a song that invites families to sing, move, and play together while experiencing Mandarin. Created for both heritage families hoping to reconnect children with language and culture, and families completely new to Mandarin, the books include simplified Chinese, pinyin, and English translations so caregivers can participate with confidence, even when learning alongside their child.
“When we created these books, I wasn’t searching for lyrics. I was searching for words of love. I often ask parents a simple question: What do you say to your baby?” said Christine Yang Barry, founder of JoJo Learning and author of the series. “I believe that bilingualism is a relationship, not a project. Parents already sing, cuddle, laugh, soothe, and play with their babies every day. Language should live in those moments, simple, intuitive, and soaked in love.
“Parents shouldn’t need to speak the language themselves to start a new language with their babies, because the beginning of all languages is naturally simple, and surprisingly alike across cultures: communicating the most basic human needs and emotions—love, comfort, joy, closeness—things everyone feels and understands instantly. Starting a new language with a baby may actually be the perfect place to begin. I believe starting a new language with a baby is the best place to begin. I wanted our books to speak the universal language of love—in Chinese. Let language start with a song, together.”
The books were developed alongside more than 40 families with babies and toddlers in the United States, Canada, and China, who participated in testing sessions and feedback conversations throughout development. Inspired by Chinese nursery songs, family rituals, and early childhood learning research, the series was shaped through observation and input from real families living bilingual life every day.
The release of the complete six-book series also marks the culmination of years of collaboration between educators, artists, musicians, parents, and children. The first two books in the series, released earlier, received national recognition, including the Gold Medal for Best Interactive Children’s Book at the 2025 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY), Best Nonfiction Children’s Book from the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA), and a Silver Medal at the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards.
The series was created by a Marietta-based creative team spanning education, visual arts, and music. Barry partnered with internationally recognized illustrator Lukas Miao Zhang and music producer Felton Pilate, a Grammy- and Oscar-nominated musician and recipient of the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.
The complete JoJo Chinese Songs for Baby & Me collection launches July 28, 2026, and will be available as both individual books and a six-book boxed collection for babies and toddlers ages 0+, featuring 36 songs and more than 300 foundational Mandarin words. Families can learn more and follow launch updates at www.jojolearning.com.
About JoJo Learning
JoJo Learning creates joyful, research-informed resources that help families introduce Mandarin to babies, toddlers, and preschoolers through singing, bonding, and everyday interaction. Its flagship series, JoJo Chinese Songs for Baby &Me, is a collection of bilingual interactive musical board books designed to help families experience language and culture together from day one. Through the Bilingual Baby Movement, JoJo Learning encourages families everywhere to:
Sing Mandarin from Day One.
The JoJo Chinese Songs for Baby & Me series Book 1 and Book 2 are available through Amazon and www.jojolearning.com. The complete 6-book series will be available for purchasing in July 2026.
In-depth Story—Learn more about the inspiration and research behind the JoJo series in the blog post: The Love & Science Behind JoJo Chinese Songs for Baby & Me Books
Related News Release—Marietta Creators Win National Awards for Bilingual Musical Book Series
Media Contact:
Jennifer Dang
JoJo Learning
Press@jojolearning.com
Media Assets:
Please visit our Media Assets page to download fact sheets, bios, high-res photos, logos, and short videos for editorial use.
