 
- Books and Me Children's Chinese Library, founded in 2005 by the Zhaoyu Cultural Foundation, is the first children's Chinese library in Northern California. Our library aggregates children's books in simplified and traditional characters, for children between 0 and 10 year-olds.
**Please Note: Our library will be closed on Saturday, 2/14/2026 for the President's Day long weekend. We will resume our regular hours on Saturday, 2/21.
**Books and Me Library's regular hours 10am-4:00pm on Saturdays only; Mandarin Story time 11:40am-noon. You are also welcomed to email us at librarian@zhaoyu.org to make appointments for library visits on a weekday.
*Basic membership allows members to check out up to 8 books for free and join our free Saturday story time! Members can make weekday appointments by emailing librarian@zhaoyu.org for visits. You may make a donation to become a VIP member with more benefits. To apply for Free Basic Membership/Library Cards, please click here : Library Membership Application.
* Please refer to the Library Operating Hours chart on the right for drop in or appointments.
*** Important Announcements :
--The fire on 2023 Christmas Day destroyed our building at 4600 El Camino Real. Books and Me Library lost everything, our books and media collections, the entire art studio, and the award winning student artworks and work in progress. Fortunately, there was no one got hurt.
Currently, The Mandarin-immersion Art classes are held in the Emerson School (2800 W. Bayshore Road, Palo Alto) which also has a Mandarin Immersion program. Art Classes will continue in Emerson School. We are still evaluating how to reestablish full library service. A temporary library is set up now and provide lending services and resumed our Saturday story time inside Emerson school as well. Please email us when you come to visit our library.
--Starting in June, 2024, all our class teachers will operate their own classes independently from the Zhaoyu Cultural Foundation. Art and Abacus teachers will continue to provide classes with the same curriculum and instructions in Mandarin! You can check out Teacher Yuming's website:
www.artwithyuming.com
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2026 Winter/Spring Class "Art With Yuming"
Registration Starts NOW! Learn arts in a Mandarin immersed environment! For details, please check Teacher Yuming's website:
www.artwithyuming.com. You can also follow her on "Art With Yuming" Facebook.
Winter/Spring Art classes started on 1/9 and 1/10/2026 and all taught in mainly Mandarin with English when necessary:
* Group 51 (8-11 year-olds): Fridays 4:15-5:15pm
* Group 61 (8-11 year olds): Saturdays, 9:15-10:30am
* Group 62 (4-5 year olds): Saturdays, 10:45-11:35am
* Group 63 (6-8 year olds): Saturdays, 11:45-12:45pm
* Group 62/63P (4-7year olds): Saturdays, 1:00-1:50pm
* Group 64 (8-11 year olds): Saturdays, 2:30-3:30pm
* Group 65 (9-12 year olds): Saturdays, 3:45-5:15pm
* Portfolio Group(High School): Saturdays, 5:15-7:15 (by Invitation Only)
Teacher Yuming will start a weekday online class on Tuesdays if there is a demand!
- 2026 Winter/Spring In-Person Elementary Abacus Class:
Started on Saturday, 1/10/2026! This is class for beginners or students who has some knowledge about abacus. Will be taught in Mandarin and onsite of Emerson School In Palo Alto.
Come join the effective Elementary Abacus class. Our students, age 5 and above, won medals at regional competition! In the weekly class, they learn clear place values and number sense, and improve computation speed by special Abacus technics. Build solid foundation in math and gain confidence in the future class!
Saturday In-Person Class:
Class Time: 12:30-1:20 & 1:30-2:15pm on Saturdays; or privately arranged with Teacher Lydia
**For questions regarding Online Abacus Classes, please email librarian@zhaoyu.org and we will have our abacus teacher contact you directly!
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- Books & Me Children's Chinese Library is open to MEMBERS only.
Membership is free. You will need a Books and Me Library Card to use the facility and check out library items. Please read our library policy carefully.
**To apply for a library card , please use this link: to apply online and email a proof of California Residency to librarian@zhaoyu.org to complete the application and need to pick up the library card later in person
**VIP Membership: Make a donation (min. $40/year) every year to receive borrowing privilege and priority in class registration; and help Books and Me Library provide better service to our community. Please fill out the form here .
or email us at librarian@zhaoyu.org for details.
**All check-out procedures have to be completed 15 minutes before closing time. It will be greatly appreciated if you can reserve enough time to browse and borrow our library materials when visiting the library.
**Due to our members' generosity, limited space, and the pandemic, we CANNOT accept any donation of books and Audio/Visual materials (CDs, VCDs, VHS, or cassette tapes) until further notice. We really appreciate your support to Books and Me Library
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Free In-Person Mandarin Story Time : Regular Story time 11:35am-noon starting 9/6/2025!
Children's stories told in Mandarin, free for children 2-10 year-old of members. Parents or guardians are required to be with the attending children. No need to sign up for regular story time.
- Library Operating Hours:
Books and Me Library are on Emerson School in Palo Alto. We are open on Saturdays ONLY! *Please call or email librarian@zhaoyu.org for directions to get inside the school building.
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Library Hours:
| Saturdays ONLY
10:00am-4:00 pm
OR by Appointment
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- Books and Me has thousands of books and audio/visual
materials for children, in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Topics cover natural sciences,
history, culture, education, parenting and more.
- To renew library items, please email to
librarian@zhaoyu.org. You only can renew once per item.
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Library Theme - Self-awareness
Suggested Reading List (Chinese editions):
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Book: Patrick’s Violin
Written by: Quentin Blake
A young man named Patrick goes to a secondhand stall and uses his only silver coin to buy an old violin. Gently, he blows the dust off the instrument and begins to play one light, melodious tune after another. Then something magical happens: the fish in the pond turn colorful and begin to fly, the leaves transform into brilliant shades, a flock of pigeons becomes the most beautiful birds in the world, cows start to dance, and cakes grow on trees. Even the saddest people cannot help but smile. Patrick never says a single word. He simply keeps playing his violin with quiet dedication. The story reminds us that we need music, imagination, and stories like Patrick’s to make our world more joyful, more vivid, and truly extraordinary. Traditional Chinese, Zhuyin, suitable for children over six years old.
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Book: The Three Robbers
Written by: Tomi Ungerer
Three robbers wearing tall hats and black capes plunder treasures under the cover of night, leaving the public in a state of constant fear. One day, they encounter an orphaned girl named Tiffany, who, completely unfazed, asks them, "What is all this treasure for?" This simple question forces the robbers to reflect on the meaning of their own existence. Utilizing a striking palette of black, blue, and red, the book creates a mysterious and captivating atmosphere where children enjoy the whimsical fantasy, while adults discern deeper themes of choice, conscience, and redemption. It reminds us that profound transformation often begins with a sentence, a question, or even a fleeting moment of opportunity. Traditional Chinese, Zhuyin, suitable for children over six years old.
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- Volunteers:
The success of Books & Me depends on your involvement. We
are looking for volunteers in many fields. Please write to hr@zhaoyu.org if you are interested in
lending a hand.
- Library Assistant/Admin
- Marketing Assistant
- Storyteller/Activity Teacher
- Activity Organizer
- Web Engineer
- Representives from Chinese schools
- Book Carriers
- Equipment:
Your junk can be a treasure for us. Please contact gift@zhaoyu.org for equipment
donations.
- Chinese children's audio CDs with or without books
- Chinese children's videos
- A flat screen computer monitor 19" or larger
- A Computer projector SVGA resolution or better
- A Projector screen
Due to space constrain, we do not accept
English books, books for adults (except parenting books), and homework
practice type of books. We also do not accept toys and craft items
unless specified on the website.
- Donations:
Public support is essential to the success of the Library. Your
donation to Books & Me through the Zhaoyu Cultural
Foundation is tax deductible. A small donation can help us bring
more books and better service to your children and the community. For
more information, please click here, or contact us at: gift@zhaoyu.org.
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The Zhaoyu Cultural Foundation (ZCF)
is
a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization registered in the State of
California. Our mission is to promote multi-lingual mastery of Chinese
language, culture and identity among overseas Chinese children in North
America.
The Books & Me Children's Chinese Library is our first
community service. For information about the Foundation and our future
plans, please click links below: |
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- We also want to thank the following volunteers for their
extraordinary work to make the library launch smoothly:
- Gina Ng
- Sheena
Chin
- Jenny Huang
- Sharon Wang
- Sharon Chiu
- Chia-Chun Wu
- Aaron Chum
- Samantha Chang
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