# Gordon and Li Li Learn Animals — Learn Animals in Mandarin > Bilingual Mandarin and English animal learning app with interactive features. (iPhone/iPad app by McWong Ink.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gordon-and-li-li-learn-animals/id501412183 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [McWong Ink](https://appshunter.io/developer/501412186) - Category: Education, Entertainment - Price: $1.99 - Rating: 4.80/5 from 11 App Store ratings · 15 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 11.0 · 64 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2012-02-15 - Data updated: 2026-08-24 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gordon-and-li-li-learn-animals/id501412183/reviews.md ## What is Gordon and Li Li Learn Animals? Gordon & Li Li Learn Animals brings the beloved book series to life—turning screen time into joyful, hands-on learning! Designed for English and Mandarin learners of all ages, this bilingual app makes Mandarin simple, playful, and engaging. Kids can swipe through adorable animations to hear, see, and read 28 animal names plus 5 bonus food words in both Mandarin and English. Tap each animal for delightful sounds and surprise animations that keep little learners curious and coming back for more. For older children, the app grows with them—introducing early writing skills as they trace Mandarin characters on screen using their fingertips, building confidence stroke by stroke. Best enjoyed alongside the Gordon & Li Li books, this app extends learning beyond the page—helping children connect spoken words, written characters, and visual cues for deeper language understanding. Perfect for first-time learners, heritage speakers, and curious families, Gordon & Li Li Learn Animals turns language learning into a fun, immersive adventure—one tap at a time. ::::: FEATURES ::::: • HEAR • All 33 interactive slides pronounce each word in Mandarin and English • READ • See every word written in English, Mandarin characters, and Pinyin • WRITE • Practice early writing skills by tracing Mandarin characters with your fingertip • CUSTOMIZE • Adjust settings to match your child’s learning level and your sound preferences Gordon & Li Li began at home. Brooklyn-based, fourth-generation Chinese-American mom Michele Wong McSween created the Gordon & Li Li board books to introduce Mandarin—and a piece of her heritage—with her young sons through everyday moments and play. As her children grew older and screens became part of daily life, Michele saw an opportunity to meet them where they were. She reimagined Gordon & Li Li beyond the page, transforming the books into a smart, simple, and joyful app that helps children learn Mandarin in a way that feels natural, interactive, and fun. ## Key features - Interactive animal and food vocabulary - Mandarin and English pronunciation - Character tracing for writing practice - Customizable learning settings - Visual and auditory learning aids ## Chart rankings - #178 in Top Paid · Education (US App Store) ## Recent user reviews (10 of 15) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gordon-and-li-li-learn-animals/id501412183/reviews.md ### 5/5 — What a fun app! *2022-06-07* I love the fun animated illustrations! It’s easy to use and includes a lot of popular animals. Highly recommend! ### 5/5 — Love how friendly, fun and simple this is! *2022-06-07* A lot of educational apps these days have a lot of bells and whistles, which we find overwhelming for us and our children. In contrast, this app is wonderfully simple, while still retaining a friendly and fun feel. You can simply review vocabulary or you can practice your strokes too. This is a great digital companion to the already adorable Gordon and Lili print series! ### 5/5 — Our 2 year old speaks Mandarin...but we don't! *2015-10-12* Our family loves the Gordon and Li Li series of books and this app is even better because it's interactive and you can hear the tones. Our daughter goes to a bilingual daycare and is picking up Mandarin very quickly. We don't speak it at home but want to reinforce her abilities. There are few (maybe just Gordon and LiLi?) resources available to us and we're just so grateful for the help keeping up with our toddler. Thanks for the help! ### 5/5 — Exactly like the book *2015-02-20* We love this app! I use it with the book and read it to my two boys 2 & 4. When are you going to have apps for the other books? ### 5/5 — My kids love this app! *2015-02-18* My two-year-old twins absolutely love this app - the cute animations get them so excited every time I fire it up, and they love to wave back "hi" at Gordon & Li Li. It's great to know that we can slowly introduce them to new languages in a way that keeps them engaged and excited. ### 5/5 — Fun for all! *2012-03-21* Our 3 year old loves playing Gordon and LiLi! He is learning his animals so quickly (as are we). He also enjoys tracing the characters. We are native English speakers, but this game makes learning Chinese very fun. We highly recommend it! ### 5/5 — We LOVE Gordon and Li Li! *2012-03-21* My 6 year old son has been a huge fan of the Gordon and Li Li books for years. He feels a connection to the characters, and has learned so much from reading the books over and over. Now, he is over the moon with this wonderful and educational app. He loves seeing his beloved friends come to life, and he has already learned to read and write all of the animal names! This has been a great addition to the Chinese he is learning in school. We recommend this to all parents who want to expose their kids to Mandarin, and it would be great for beginners as well as those already learning Mandarin. We congratulate the amazingly talented Ms. McSween on creating such an effective, charming, and engaging app, and hope there will be many more to come! ### 5/5 — Gordon and Li Li *2012-03-04* Great App to introduce Mandarin to children as well as adult. It's charming, colorful and fun to look at and manipulate using the trace mode. Great fun! ### 5/5 — So easy and fun to learn.... *2012-02-27* One of the easier and simple but well illustrated language app I've bought so far. My son was so excited to complete tracing each words...and giggled while saying the words. ### 5/5 — Great Intro to Chinese, Esp. for Children *2012-02-26* This was the first App I came across that teaches not only the sounds of Chinese, but how to actually write. Gordon & Li Li is a great way to introduce kids to an important language now and even more so in the future. ## Frequently asked questions about Gordon and Li Li Learn Animals ### What is Gordon and Li Li Learn Animals? Gordon and Li Li Learn Animals is a bilingual educational app designed to teach Mandarin and English vocabulary related to animals and food. It uses interactive animations, sounds, and character tracing to make learning engaging for children. ### How does Gordon and Li Li Learn Animals teach Mandarin? The app teaches Mandarin by having users swipe through interactive slides to hear, see, and read 28 animal names and 5 food words in both Mandarin and English. It also includes Pinyin for pronunciation guidance and character tracing for writing practice. ### What age is Gordon and Li Li Learn Animals suitable for? The app has an age rating of 4+ and is designed for English and Mandarin learners of all ages, from first-time learners to heritage speakers and curious families. ### Can I use Gordon and Li Li Learn Animals offline? The provided data does not specify offline functionality. However, educational apps often function without an internet connection once downloaded. ### How much does Gordon and Li Li Learn Animals cost? Gordon and Li Li Learn Animals is a paid app, priced at $1.99. There are no indications of in-app purchases or subscription models. ### What devices support Gordon and Li Li Learn Animals? The app is supported on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. It is developed by McWong Ink and was first released on February 15, 2012. ### How often is Gordon and Li Li Learn Animals updated? The latest version of Gordon and Li Li Learn Animals is 2.1.2, last updated on January 30, 2026. This indicates a history of updates, though the exact frequency is not detailed. ### Does Gordon and Li Li Learn Animals have ads? No, Gordon and Li Li Learn Animals does not contain advertisements. The app is a paid download and is ad-free. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.1.2 — 2026-01-30 Bug Fixing and Improvements ### 2.1 — 2022-11-01 * Improved support for newer, wider devices with rounded screen corners * Updated graphics with Gordon & Li Li's new colors * Minor "behind-the-scenes" technical improvements ### 2.0.1 — 2015-02-21 This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon. * Updated App Icon * Minor Code Tweaks ### 2.0 — 2015-02-11 • FREE BONUS PACK of Gordon & Li Li's 5 favorite foods. • NEW READ-ALONG INTRO. Kids can read along with Gordon & Li Li as each word becomes highlighted when spoken. • NEW ANIMAL SOUNDS & TAPPABLE EVENTS. Kids will delight in hearing their favorite animal sounds and will love discovering the interactive tappable events. • NEW PAGE ORDER. Animal names who contain the same Mandarin character are grouped together from easiest to advanced. This reinforces the understanding that Mandarin words are made of different characters and that each character is a combination of different components. • IMPROVED TRACING. Little fingers will be able to trace the Mandarin characters more easily. • AVAILABLE ON ALL iOS DEVICES: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch. ### 1.1.1 — 2012-07-12 • NEW ANIMATED INTRO! Your kids will love seeing Gordon & Li Li say hello to them with fantastic lip-synced animation. • General behind-the-scenes maintenance for improved performance. • Fixed issue in version 1.1 where navigation tray could be moved vertically as well as horizontally. ## Apps similar to Gordon and Li Li Learn Animals | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Learn Chinese - Games for Kids](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-chinese-games-for-kids/id1597412004) | 4.3 (124) | Free | Education | | [HSK 1 Hero - Learn Chinese](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hsk-1-hero-learn-chinese/id1109421922) | 3.8 (57) | Free | Education | | [ChineseSkill - Learn Chinese](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chineseskill-learn-chinese/id777111034) | 4.8 (15,287) | Free | Education | | [HelloChinese - Learn Chinese](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hellochinese-learn-chinese/id1001507516) | 4.9 (22,739) | Free | Education | | [Chinese Pinyin: Learn Mandarin](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-pinyin-learn-mandarin/id1076450419) | 4.3 (52) | $2.99 | Education | | [HSK 3 Hero - Learn Chinese](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hsk-3-hero-learn-chinese/id1128820514) | 3.9 (30) | Free | Education | --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-24.*