This beautifully illustrated multicultural children's book tells a story about China's most famous archeological site—the terracotta soldiers of Xi'an. When a special exhibition of terracotta warriors comes to town, Ming and his mother go to see them at the museum. To remember this exciting event, Ming's mother buys him a little figurine of a General to keep in his room at home. But at midnight, Ming wakes up and finds the General figurine is alive and he has a copper carriage ready to take Ming to his home in Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Tomb in Xi'an, China. In this mysterious underground world over 2,000 years old, Ming meets the General's army of terracotta warriors. Read and find out more about Ming's adventures with his new friends!

In this action-packed adventure and coming-of-age story that finely weaves fact and fiction, thirteen-year-old Ming lives in a small village in Maoist China in the 1970s. His father is convinced that Emperor Qin’s tomb—and the life-size terra-cotta army created to serve and protect the emperor in the afterlife—lies hidden in the hills around them. But if Ming’s father doesn’t prove it soon, the town’s Political Officer will condemn him to the brutal labor camps. From the stories of a terra-cotta soldier who has survived through the centuries, Ming learns the history of Emperor Qin, known for building the Great Wall of China, and how and why the terra-cotta soldiers came to be. As their unlikely friendship develops, Ming experiences the mysterious tomb firsthand, braving deadly traps and witnessing the terra-cotta army in action. Most importantly, he comes to see how he can save both the terra-cotta soldiers and his father from the corrupt Political Officer and his Communist cronies. The book is illustrated with photographs of Communist Chinese village life in the 1970s, the Great Wall, and, of course, the excavated tomb with its many terra-cotta soldiers. It also features a special recipe from the story. Praise for Secrets of the Terra-Cotta Soldier "Historical photos and Indiana Jones–style adventure enrich this tale of an unusual meeting between the Qin Dynasty and the 20th century." --Kirkus Reviews "Despite the hardships, both courageous characters work to uphold their respective duties: Shi to protect the tomb and Ming to protect the cultural legacy of China’s people. With archival art, recipes, and end notes, this title is sure to be a hit in the classroom." --Booklist

Meet Lin Yi — a little boy with a big heart and a talent for bargaining. Tonight is the moon festival and he wants nothing more than a red rabbit lantern; but first he must buy the things his mother needs at the market. This heartwarming story shows the rewards of putting others first, and includes educational notes at the end about the Chinese moon festival, life in rural China, and the legend of the moon fairy.

When young Ming travels with his father to Qufu, the hometown of Confucius, little does he know that he will meet the famous philosopher himself! Ming and his father are in China's Qufu, Shandong Province, where the great sage Confucius was born over 2,500 years ago. While Ming's father studies the stunning historic architecture, Ming's attention is drawn to a game of Chinese checkers set up in a gazebo. As soon as he touches the checkers, he finds himself magically transported back in time to ancient Qufu. There he meets Confucius and his students, and explores with them the principles established by the renowned teacher, which remain so important in China today.

Julie is inspired by her film idol to take Kung fu classes, but soon learns to value the art much more than the color of the belt she might wear.

In ancient times under the reign of Yellow Emperor (about 2500 B.C.), people kept records by piling stones and tying knots. One day, Cang Jie, a historical official who tied knots to keep records under Yellow Emperor, unexpectedly made a big mistake. Feeling very guilty, he was determined to find out a better way for keeping records. He went back to his hometown to think it over for many days and nights. Inspired by the footprints of animals, he began to carefully observe the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, as well as birds and animals. At the same time, he traveled around collecting signs created by fishermen, farmers, hunters and soldiers. In the end, he succeeded in creating Chinese characters, which are still widely used today. In this multicultural children's story, kids will find out that there is a story behind every Chinese character. Children will also learn about basic Chinese characters and how to make them.

For more than two thousand years, a secret army of life-size terra-cotta soldiers lay buried underground in China. But in 1974, some farmers digging a well discovered the first of what turned out to be an army of more than 7,000. Who made them? And why? In this fascinating reader, kids will learn all about one of the wonders of the ancient world and the fierce first emperor of China.