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Reading Wonderland Week 3: A Taste of Literature! Sip, Snack, and Read! Our Book Tasting Tea Party is Here!

April 28, 2026

The middle of the semester is often fast-paced, but at the Hongkou campus, we made sure to give our students a moment to "slow down." This didn't mean hitting pause on learning; rather, it was about approaching literature in a different way—lighter, more immersive, and perfectly in tune with the essence of spring. Thus, for the third week of our Reading Wonderland Month, we transformed our reading corner into a spring-themed literary café. Right on World Book Day, our heartwarming Book Tasting Tea Party officially opened its doors.



The Book Tasting Tea Party

Stepping into the venue, you were immediately embraced by a cozy reading atmosphere: neatly arranged desks, the sweet aroma of tea and snacks, and the excited whispers of students. Each genre station featured a carefully curated selection of both Chinese and English books, ensuring that children of all reading interests and levels could find their perfect entry point. This wasn't a space for "completing reading assignments"; instead, it was an invitation—an invitation for children to lead with curiosity and approach a new book at their own pace.


The event featured a "rotating tasting" format. Guided by their homeroom teachers, students were divided into four groups and rotated counterclockwise through the stations. They spent 8 minutes at each stop, exploring three distinct genres—Fantasy, Realistic Fiction, and Non-Fiction—before wrapping up at the snack station. Eight minutes may seem brief, but it was just enough time to do something very important: make a meaningful first connection with a book.







"Tasting" a book means much more than just skimming the surface. Students started by examining the cover and title, flipping through the table of contents, and reading a few paragraphs to find a hook—whether it was a fascinating character, an engaging conflict, intriguing facts, or simply a beautifully written sentence. Afterward, they recorded their thoughts in their Book Tasting Reviews. They noted whether they liked the cover, if they wanted to keep reading, what the book was about, and gave their overall rating. In just a few short minutes, our students were actually practicing higher-order reading skills: scanning for information, evaluating their own interests, expressing opinions, and learning to respect diverse tastes ("I might not like this book, but someone else will!").











The snack station gently extended this delightful experience. As students recharged with sweet treats, they eagerly chatted with their peers about the amazing plots they had just discovered. In these moments, reading seamlessly transformed from a quiet, solitary activity into a vibrant, shared experience among friends.





Behind the success of this event was the meticulous planning and on-site support of our teachers. From curating the booklists and guiding the rotations to providing immediate assistance and keeping the tables perfectly organized, they ensured everything ran beautifully.


Vibrant Campus LifeSpring Colors Dress-Up Day

A beautiful event calls for beautiful outfits. Our teachers and students naturally embraced the "Spring Colors" dress code, filling the campus with soft yellows, tender greens, pastel pinks, and delicate floral prints. The entire school looked like a vibrant, moving watercolor painting. At this moment, the beauty of nature and the joy of literature perfectly intertwined.







Look Ahead: Fostering Home-School Connections

As the weekend approaches, the magic of our Reading Wonderland will extend from the campus right into our students' homes. Every family is now happily preparing for our upcoming Family Reading Night. We simply cannot wait to see those heartwarming scenes—children snuggled up with their parents and siblings under the warm glow of living room lamps, sharing a quiet, pure moment of reading together.


From Week 1's fantasy tales sparking imagination, to Week 2's realistic fiction bringing characters to life on stage, to this week's "tasting" of diverse genres, one thing has become incredibly clear: Reading Wonderland Month is not just a series of events; it is a continuous thread of growth. May the reading seeds planted this spring slowly sprout, ultimately blooming into a vast, boundless world for every child.


(Written by Nina Kang

Pictures by Rachel Wu, Elaine Zhu

Reviewed by Ms. Zhu Dan, Shiyu Wu, Hannah Kloeber)