Mulan's Lunar New Year

by Natasha Yim, Sophie Li (Illustrator)

Overview

It's the Lunar New Year, and it happens to be Mulan's favorite festival! There is a lot to do to prepare for this important celebration, and for the first time, Mulan is old enough to help out. But everything Mulan does seems to turn out wrong. . . . Follow along with Mulan in this special Lunar New Year story that captures the unique sense of magic, imagination, and possibility that surrounds the holiday!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781368023269
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/30/2018
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.30(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Natasha Yim is an American Chinese author of fiction and non-fiction works for children and young adults. She is the author of Otto's Rainy Day, Cixi: The Dragon Empress, Sacajawea of the Shoshone, and Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas. She lives in Ukiah, California with her husband and three children.

Illustrator Sophie Li is a Chinese visual development artist working in animation and film both in Los Angles and Beijing, China. She relocated to the United States when she was 16, and has a BFA in Film and Television from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She worked on concept designs for films, commercials, exhibition art and character model designs for animated TV series such as Marvel's Spiderman, Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers. She currently is co-running an animation studio, Zeet Animation, in Beijing, China.

Editorial Reviews

02/01/2019

PreS-Gr 2—In this oversize picture book, Disney's Mulan is seven years old and eager to bring good luck to her family as the Lunar New Year approaches. Grandmother Fa shares many traditional Chinese beliefs as she reminds the girl that everything done during the New Year festival brings luck—good or bad. Mulan's family joyfully woo happiness, prosperity, reunion, and longevity by picking fresh flowers; eating steamed buns, dumplings, and noodles; and hanging dragon-shaped lanterns. Good-hearted but clumsy, Mulan makes a mess of many of the preparations. Has she brought bad luck on the whole family? No matter the blunder, her father, mother, and grandmother support her good intentions. The story culminates with a parade full of loud noises meant to drive away evil spirits. The digital illustrations are aglow with deep reds and golds (good luck colors) contrasting with charcoal black, stone gray, and other earth tones. Brush strokes add texture and depth. However, the symbolism of each tradition is only briefly explained in the text, lacking the supporting details that could truly expand readers' cultural knowledge. For instance, readers learn that eating noodles during Lunar New Year brings luck, but there's no context as to how and why that belief came to be. VERDICT This simple introduction to Chinese traditions surrounding the Lunar New Year will be most appealing to Disney fans, with some additional interest during seasonally appropriate times.–Amy Seto Forrester, Denver Public Library

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