Program seeking children's rhymes on mice

A program launched by the Shanghai Children’s Foundation, the China Welfare Institute and the Fengxian District Education Bureau is seeking songs and rhymes for children on the theme of this year’s zodiac animal – the mouse.

The mouse is the first of the 12 zodiac animals in Chinese culture.

“The Chinese Zodiac is an important component in Chinese traditional culture, which symbolizes the circle and continuity of time,” said Yu Lan, proprietor of China Welfare Institute Publishing House.

“The old generations of poets passed excellent songs for children down to us,” she said.

Wang Luning, chairwoman of the foundation, said the theme of striving mice was a metaphor for the persistent creative actions of nursery rhyme lovers while facing the novel coronavirus.

People of all ages can send their work to sxtyzj2020@163.com and indicate whether they are children or adults.

The award-winning works will be announced in October and may selected for publication.