Lunar New Year

by Hannah Eliot, Alina Chau (Illustrator)

Overview

Learn all about the traditions of Lunar New Year—also known as Chinese New Year—with this fourth board book in the Celebrate the World series, which highlights special occasions and holidays across the globe.

After the winter solstice each year, it’s time for a celebration with many names: Chinese New Year, Spring Festival, and Lunar New Year! With beautiful artwork by Chinese illustrator Alina Chau, this festive board book teaches readers that Lunar New Year invites us to spend time with family and friends, to light lanterns, and set off fireworks, dance with dragons, and to live the new year in harmony and happiness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534433038
Publisher:	Little Simon
Publication date:	12/11/2018
Series:	Celebrate the World Series
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	2 - 4 Years

About the Author

Hannah Eliot is a children’s book editor who lives in Vermont. Her favorite activities include editing (of course), writing, drawing, and spending time with her family!

Alina Chau grew up in Hong Kong, where she discovered that drawing and painting were the best way to keep her out of mischief. Art is what eventually led her to the United States, where she received an MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles. After over a decade working in the animation industry, she decided to focus on illustration and writing stories full time. Her whimsical art style is highly sought after for art exhibits worldwide. Alina currently resides in Los Angeles with her mischievous puppy, Piglet.

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/05/2018
In the fourth title of the Celebrate the World board book series, Eliot describes the folkloric and cultural history of Chinese New Year—including the story of Nian, a monster who is only frightened by “the loud crackling of burning bamboo (or firecrackers), the color red, and the bright lights of lanterns.” Families are pictured lighting fireworks and lanterns, hanging red decorations, and dining together. Finally, it’s the Lantern Festival: “We celebrate with parades led by people dressed as dragons and lions.” Chau illustrates in fluid, elegant lines and depicts warm interactions between loved ones. Even those who don’t observe the holiday may reflect on similarities within their own family traditions. Ages 2–4. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 02/01/2019

PreS-Gr 1—A lively family of five and their relatives are the centerpiece of this new entry in the series. In this standout introduction to Lunar New Year, the holiday's origins and the concept of the Chinese zodiac are explained. Then, it's time for the family to cook, clean, and decorate in preparation for the festivities. Important traditions and symbols of the festival are presented, along with key themes of the holiday, such as luck and prosperity. The information is supplemented by Chau's vibrant organic illustrations that brim with life. They deftly blend the look of traditional Chinese painting on pages showing ancient myths with more contemporary illustrations depicting modern New Year celebrations. The text is longer and more involved than is typically found in board book selections. VERDICT The bright, playful illustrations and descriptive text make Lunar New Year an outstanding introduction to the holiday for children.—Katherine Barr, Cameron Village Regional Library, Raleigh, NC

School Library Journal

2018-12-05

The Celebrate the World series spotlights Lunar New Year.

This board book blends expository text and first-person-plural narrative, introducing readers to the holiday. Chau's distinctive, finely textured watercolor paintings add depth, transitioning smoothly from a grand cityscape to the dining room table, from fantasies of the past to dumplings of the present. The text attempts to provide a broad look at the subject, including other names for the celebration, related cosmology, and historical background, as well as a more-personal discussion of traditions and practices. Yet it's never clear who the narrator is—while the narrative indicates the existence of some consistent, monolithic group who participates in specific rituals of celebration ("Before the new year celebrations begin, we clean our homes—and ourselves!"), the illustrations depict different people in every image. Indeed, observances of Lunar New Year are as diverse as the people who celebrate it, which neither the text nor the images—all of the people appear to be Asian—fully acknowledges. Also unclear is the book's intended audience. With large blocks of explication on every spread, it is entirely unappealing for the board-book set, and the format may make it equally unattractive to an older, more appropriate audience. Still, readers may appreciate seeing an important celebration warmly and vibrantly portrayed.

Lovely illustrations wasted on this misguided project. (Board book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews