Little Newton (小牛頓) is a well-known Taiwanese publisher of science magazines, encyclopedias, comics, and books for children. Their publications are printed in Traditional Chinese, with and without Zhuyin depending on the recommended age. This is my review of the 新小小牛頓 New Little Newton Magazine set of 36 issues that come with a reading pen, workbooks, and DVDs with each issue.
What’s Included
- 36 full-color magazines
- 36 full-color workbooks
- 36 DVDs
- Reading pen
- Charger
Magazines
Each magazine is printed in full color with a satin finish. The images are a combination of real photos and illustrations that are vivid and crisp. The paper is thicker than a standard magazine and the quality is high all-around. Most of the text is printed in a large font that is easy for young children (and parents like me) to read. A more decorative font that I find difficult to read is used minimally.
There are 7 sections in each magazine:
- 主題故事 – Feature Story
- 世界大驚奇 – Big Wonders of the World
- 自然博物館 – Museum of Nature
- 小小實驗室 – Tiny Science Lab Experiments
- 故事寶貝盒 – Treasure Box Story
- 地球你好 – Hello Earth
- 原來如此 – Oh, I see!
Workbooks
Every page of the workbook is printed in full color on thick paper. My children still need assistance with the workbook and activities since they do not read Zhuyin. The activities seem age-appropriate. I am happily surprised to find that even my 7-year-old son finds the activities interesting, although they seem too easy for him.
The workbooks introduce basic math concepts, reading skills, logic, colors, and more!
Reading Pen
The reading pen is made of plastic. There is no detectable delay in feedback when the pen taps any part of the magazine. The volume goes up pretty loud and there is an audio jack to plug in headphones.
Audio Narration
Tap anywhere on the magazine to hear the audio. The recordings are clear and easy to understand. Please note that the intro of each section does not read verbatim. It is narrated in a story style with music and sound effects. The pen will read the rest of the printed text as shown.
Record Button
Press down the record button until you hear two beeps. The pen will start recording. Press again to stop recording. Press again to hear your recording. I don’t know the purpose of this feature but my kids find it funny and record messages to each other.
Music Button
Press the music button once to play English songs. Press again for English stories.
Reading Mode
Click the “Read” button to activate the reading mode. Tap anywhere in the magazine to hear the Chinese audio. When the pen beeps the microphone turns on and you can repeat the Chinese phrase to practice your speaking skills.
DVDs
Each magazine includes a DVD with 4 short videos that accompany the content of the magazine. The videos are well done and comprable to other nature and science videos for kids. I find they are similar to the Ciaohu videos.
Recommended Age
This set of 新小小牛頓 New Little Newton Magazines is recommended for ages 4-8. I find the content is suitable for my children that are currently 5 and 7 years old.
Language
Traditional Chinese with Zhuyin.
Where to Purchase
For U.S. and Canada, order from Gloria’s Bookstore and get $5 off using my referral link. Here’s the direct link to the LIttle Newton set reviewed in this post.
The same reading pen also works for the following sets:
- 小小牛頓幼兒館STEAM系列 Little Newton Kindergarten STEAM
- 10萬個為什麼 10,000 Whys, 8 Books + 8 CDS
- 新小小牛頓點讀版 低幼版 – New Little Newton for ages 2-5
*This is not a sponsored or partnered post. This set was purchased and paid for by me. These are my personal views and experience with the 新小小牛頓 New Little Newton Magazine set.
