By: Gilbert Delhaye and Marcel Marlier    
Originally Published in: Belgium
Format: Paperback
Language: Simplified Chinese
Pages per book: 21
Lines per page: 4-8
Luka® can read these books!

This series of classic stories 玛蒂娜故事书 (mǎ dì nà gù shì shū) Martine Storybook by Belgian duo Gilbert Delhaye and Marcel Marlier has been translated into 33 languages and sold in 50 countries--100 million copies have been sold worldwide! (Two of the stories were even made into pop up book style video games for the platform Nintendo DS.)

The first book, Martine à la ferme (Martine At A Farm), published in 1954 in French, was followed by 59 other books. The final result is this 60-book set full of heartwarming stories and more than 6000 illustrations.

The set gives the reader a window into the idyllic childhood of Martine (known as "Emma" in the UK and "Debbie" in the U.S.) as she grows from a toddler to a mature little girl. For the Chinese learner, this series is great because it will introduce a ton of new vocabulary which is fun and relevant to a child. The reader can vicariously spend a day at a farm, going camping, traveling on a hot air balloon, learning to drive a sailboat, working in the garden...doing house chores, playing with friends outside, learning good manners, and going on adventures in the woods. 

Martine, the protagonist in the series is confident, brave, elegant, happy and generous. She is full of energy and sympathy, and often finds herself helping friends overcome a variety trials. Adorable Martine is portrayed in such vivid detail that she has become a literary friend and role model to children around the world.

Book 1 to Book 60 are arranged according to their publishing date. Children will love watching Martine grow in size and maturity.  Parents will enjoy watching how the wardrobes in Martine's world transition from the frills of the 60's, to the bell-bottoms of the 70's, and the jeans and sweaters of the 90's.

We think these beautifully illustrated and wholesome stories will delight your young Chinese learner today and might continue to inspire future generations of learners in the decades to come.  

For more information on this set of books, check out CHALK Academy founder Betty Choi's review.  

Book titles:

第一辑 Episode One 
　1. 《玛蒂娜在农场》 Martine Goes To The Farm
　2. 《玛蒂娜去旅行》 Martine In A Trip
　3. 《玛蒂娜去海边》 Martine At The Beach 
　4.《玛蒂娜看马戏表演》 Martine Goes To The Circus 
　5. 《玛蒂娜去上学》 Martine Goes To School
　6. 《玛蒂娜去园游会》 Martine Goes to The City Fair
　7. 《玛蒂娜表演戏剧》 Martine And The Play 
　8. 《玛蒂娜去滑雪》 Martine Goes Ski 
　9. 《玛蒂娜野外露营》 Martine Goes Camping
　10. 《玛蒂娜坐轮船》 Martine On The Cruise Ship 

第二辑 Episode Two
　11. 《玛蒂娜的春夏秋冬》 Martine's Four Seasons
　12. 《玛蒂娜做家务》 Martine And The House Chores 
　13. 《玛蒂娜去动物园》 Martine Goes To The Zoo
　14. 《玛蒂娜去购物》 Martine Goes Shopping
　15. 《玛蒂娜坐飞机》 Martine On The Airplane 
　16. 《玛蒂娜学骑马》 Martine Learns To Ride Horses
　17. 《玛蒂娜去公园》 Martine Goes to The Park
　18. 《玛蒂娜当妈妈 》Martine The "Mother" 
　19. 《玛蒂娜过生日》 Martine's Birthday
　20. 《玛蒂娜做园艺》 Martine The Gardener

第三辑 Episode Three
　21.《玛蒂娜学骑车》 Martine Learns To Ride Bikes 
　22.《玛蒂娜学芭蕾》 Martine's Ballet Class 
　23.《玛蒂娜参加花车游行》 Martine In The Parade 
　24.《玛蒂娜学烹饪》 Martine Learns To Cook
　25.《 玛蒂娜学游泳》 Martine Learns To Swim
　26.《玛蒂娜生病了》 Martine Is Sick
　27.《玛蒂娜在姨妈家》 Martine Visits Her Aunt 
　28.《 玛蒂娜坐火车》 Martine On A Train
　29. 《玛蒂娜学开帆船》 Martine Learns To Drive A Sailboat 
　30.《玛蒂娜和小麻雀》 Martine And The Sparrow 

第四辑 Episode Four
　31.《玛蒂娜和小毛驴》 Martine And The Donkey 
　32. 《玛蒂娜过母亲节》 Martine And Mother's Day
　33.《玛蒂娜乘坐热气球》 Martine Rides The Hot Air Balloon  
　34.《玛蒂娜的校园生活》 Martine's School
　35.《玛蒂娜学音乐》 Martine And Music
　36. 《玛蒂娜的狗狗丢了》 Martine's Missing Dog 
　37.《玛蒂娜在森林里》 Martine In the Forests 
　38. 《玛蒂娜的生日礼物》 Martine's Birthday Gift
　39.《 玛蒂娜的怪邻居》 Martine's Strange Neighbor  
　40. 《玛蒂娜不同寻常的星期三》 Martine's Unusual Wednesday

第五辑 Episode Five
　41. 《玛蒂娜的圣诞夜》 Martine's Christmas Eve
　42. 《玛蒂娜要搬家》 Martine Moves Away
　43. 《玛蒂娜的漂亮舞裙》 Martine's Pretty Dress
　44.《玛蒂娜和流浪猫》 Martine And The Homeless Cat
　45.《玛蒂娜和小雪貂》 Martine Martin and The Little Ferret
　46.《玛蒂娜住进了医院》 Martine In The Hospital 
　47.《玛蒂娜当保姆》 Martine The Babysitter 
　48.《玛蒂娜的发现课堂》 Martine's Discovery Class
　49.《玛蒂娜学画画》 Martine Learns To Draw
　50.《玛蒂娜漫游奇境记》 Martine's Wonderland 

第六辑 Episode Six
　51.《玛蒂娜学做厨师》 Martine The Chef
　52. 《玛蒂娜和神秘礼物》 Martine And The Mysterious Gift
　53.《玛蒂娜和诺亚方舟》 Martine  And Noah's Ark
　54. 《玛蒂娜参加古装游艺会》 Martine's Custom Party
　55.《玛蒂娜和有趣的幽灵》 Martine And The Funny Ghost 
　56.《玛蒂娜和小马》 Martine And The Pony 
　57.《玛蒂娜和让和好了》 Martine Made Up With Her Brother 
　58. 《玛蒂娜雨中历险》 Martine's Rainy Day Adventure  
　59.《玛蒂娜保护大自然》 Martine Protects The Nature 
　60.《玛蒂娜和神秘王子》 Martine And The Mysterious Prince

Marcel Marlier (1930-2011), Creator of Martine 

Is my child ready for this set?

"Read to me":
Ages 5+ will enjoy having these books read to them either by Luka® or a caregiver.

"Read by myself":
The limited text per page and the prevalence of common language make it a good "bridge book" for readers. The involved plot and detailed illustrations will capture the interest of experienced readers ages 6+. 

Option to pair with Luka®:
Consider adding Luka®, the reading robot, to your order. Luka® reads 70,000 books in Mandarin Chinese! ​
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Set Luka® in front of the book, and it will read aloud any page your child turns to-- creating a unique, independent physical book reading experience even if your child isn't ready to read by themselves. Click to read our founders' personal review of Luka here.

Happy learning!