“What is the first thing that a baby does when it comes into the world？”Sarah Lu asks in one of the beginning lessons of her new language manual entitled Mandarin Hip Hop．The baby cries．And with that very first cry，the newborn begins to communicate and establishes bonds with the people who are nearby rejoicing at that piercing squeal．And，soon to follow that cry will be the baby’S first giggle and laugh．an expansion of its sound repertoire with which it expressesits needs，fears and happiness．With more giggles and cries，a child mimics the adults，experi．mentmg with various strange sounds and associating them with things and deeds jn the sound．ing world．A mother tongue begins as a foreign language，a speech that a child learns through im．itations and repetitions．The learning is never short of challenges，but each challenge is surely to come with fun and appreciation．Fun invites participation and fun promises gratification．No fun，no gain．Fun is indeed the key that characterizes Sarah’S philosophy in teaching and learning Chinese．a language whose graphic and tonal complexities are often found to be an ultimate chal．1enge to linguistic sophistication．As her book title indicates，Sarah teaches through chants and songs in the language manual．Children have a natural inclination for music．With its rhythmic flow from word to word，language readily translates into music．Sarah makes a special effort to evoke that musicality inspeech and turns it into a source of motivation and enjoyment in language learning.
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