Terracotta Army: Learning About Ancient China
Who isn’t fascinated by the life-sized terracotta soldiers that were unearthed in China several decades ago? Thousands of these clay soldiers were discovered, each with unique facial characteristics. They were buried with China’s first emperor in his mausoleum, along with hundreds of statues of horses and chariots. It is estimated that it took more than 700,000 workers nearly 40 years to complete the figures. The terracotta army is now considered one of the greatest archaeological finds of all time and continues to offer clues about life in Ancient China.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the book below for review purposes; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Terracotta Army: Learning About Ancient China
Ming’s Adventure with the Terracotta Army is a fun book to teach children about the terracotta soldiers. When Ming visits the museum to see an exhibit on the Terracotta Army, his mother buys him a small replica of the army’s general as a souvenir. That night in his dreams, Ming meets the general, who has magically come to life! The general takes Ming flying through the air in his chariot to visit the Emperor’s mausoleum, where they play hide and seek among the soldiers before rushing home at dawn.
I love this gently told adventure, appropriate for even young children, and how it easily incorporates factual information into the story. Ming learns quite a bit about the army as he plays with the general, but there is even more detailed information included as well, separated from the main text by a distinctive font. The artwork is lovely, bringing the clay figures to life and capturing the intricate details of the soldiers’ uniforms. Really wonderful book to introduce children to this archaeological wonder and get them excited about their next trip to the museum!

By Ismoon (talk) 19:40, 9 January 2013 (UTC) (Own work) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Online Resources
Find out even more about China’s terracotta army with these wonderful online resources:
The Children’s Museum of Philadelphia: 10 Amazing Facts about the Terracotta Warriors & The Story of the Terracotta Warriors (video)
DK Find Out!: The Terracotta Army
National Geographic Kids: China’s Terracotta Warriors (video)
Marie’s Pastiche: Make Your Own Terracotta Soldiers
Welcome to our fourth annual Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month Blog Series and Giveaway! Follow along all month for ideas about sharing with kids the rich cultures of this vast and varied region. Also, be sure to enter the giveaway below and link up your posts at the bottom of the page.
For even more ideas, visit our blog hops from last year, 2015 and 2014. You can also follow our Asia and Australia & Oceania boards on Pinterest.
May 1
Miss Panda Chinese on Multicultural Kid Blogs: 10 Fun Facts About Taiwan for Kids
May 5
Chinese American Family: Visiting Locke and Connecting with California’s Rural Chinese History
May 11
The Art Curator for Kids: Chinese Bronze Vessels with Abstract Zoomorphic Designs
May 15
Crafty Moms Share: Our Japanese Tea Party
May 17
Bicultural Mama: The Limitations of DNA Testing for Asian Americans
May 19
Wise Owl Factory: Cherry Blossom Books and Craft Idea
May 22
Ketchup Moms on Multicultural Kid Blogs: Fun Facts About India Including a Floating Post Office
May 24
All Done Monkey
May 25
Miss Panda Chinese
May 30
All Done Monkey
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Giveaway
Enter below for a chance to win one of our great prize packages in our annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month giveaway! The giveaway goes from May 1 to May 31, 2017, at midnight PT. If the winner falls outside the shipping area of a prize, that prize will revert to the next lower prize package. Read our full giveaway rules.
And for all of our readers, here is a special offer from our sponsor Tingomo! Use the code TENOFFTINGOMO to get 10% off any pre-order! (first kits to ship in July)
Grand Prize
From One Dear World: Set of 4 plush multicultural dolls, each with its own passport, plus the story book The Adventure of Hat Hunting in London, starring the dolls as the main characters
From Tuttle Publishing: Adventures in Asian Art, Indonesian Children’s Favorite Stories, Malaysian Children’s Favorite Stories, and Filipino Children’s Favorite Stories
From Wisdom Tales: Rock Maiden – US Shipping Only
From Bollywood Groove: Go on a fun adventure with Maya & Neel and learn about famous festivals and places in India! In this very colorful, three-picture-book series, kids will learn about festival of lights – Diwali (Amazon best-seller), festival of colors – Holi and the home of Bollywood – city of Mumbai. US Shipping Only
From Miss Panda Chinese: Winner’s choice of an “Everyday” learning unit with audio links
From Tingomo: Passport Craft™ Kit: Make Your Own NEPAL Paper Lanterns US Shipping Only, will ship in July
1st Prize
From World Music with Daria: set of tingsha (handbells) US Shipping Only
From Quarto Knows: Summer Under the Tamarind Tree, I is for Iran, and 50 Things You Should Know About the Vietnam War – US Shipping Only
From Monika Schröder: Saraswati’s Way – US Shipping Only
From Miss Panda Chinese: Winner’s choice of an “Everyday” learning unit with audio links
From Tingomo: Passport Craft™ Kit: Make Your Own NEPAL Paper Prayer Flags US Shipping Only, will ship in July
2nd Prize
From The Dumpling Mama: Pack of 20 good luck envelopes: Give good luck wishes with money in a red envelope. Perfect for Lunar New Year, birthdays, graduations, and holidays US/Canada Shipping Only
From Kathleen Burkinshaw: The Last Cherry Blossom – US Shipping Only
From Candlewick Press: A Piece of Home and Bronze and Sunflower – US Shipping Only
From Miss Panda Chinese: Winner’s choice of an “Everyday” learning unit with audio links
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