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The question of how a child becomes bilingual in two languages that differ so dramatically in their morphology, syntax, phonology, and ortho-graphy as do Mandarin Chinese and English raises matters of great practical and theoretical importance. Children growing up with these two languages, along with associated cultural concomitants, enjoy advantages but also face challenges and problems. There are concerns among parents and early childhood educators about children’s bilingual development. There are entrenched beliefs that bilingualism is confusing for children not only because children may not discern which language they are speaking but also (and more important) because it confuses them intellectually. There is a particular concern for Chinese immigrant families in Australia because Mandarin-English bilingual children growing up in a predominantly English-speaking Australian environment seem to experience a delay in certain aspects of linguistic development, and pass through a speech-silent period in English. Added to this are recurrent concerns among parents and educators of bilingual children: Do children confuse the two languages? Do bilingual children learn language more slowly than monolingual children? Do they show the same rate and route of development in both languages? If not, is asymmetrical development a cause for concern? Given that the number of bilingual families with children speaking English and Mandarin (or another Chinese language) is on the rise in the 21st century, the study of this particular language pair is of growing practical importance. Such a study may not only address issues of bilingual language acquisition but also provide a new window for viewing development processes and pathways and enriching both the theoretical investigation and empirical coverage of early bilingual acquisition. This book provides a living example of one child who uses two languages without confusion, and it is hoped that the account provided will alleviate some typical concerns of parents and educators and demonstrate that two languages are not a deficit but an asset for a child. The asymmetrical and unbalanced development of the two languages does not always cause delay in a child’s language development. What is remarkable is the dynamic relationship between the two languages in the child’s development and the child’s capacity to become a competent speaker of two widely dissimilar languages.