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Monday, May 5, 2014
I've moved!
Please check out my new blog Monkeys & Mooncakes where I share fun and creative ideas for bringing Chinese language and culture in to the home.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Chinese New Year Books for Kids
It has been a very long time since I've posted anything. Many apologies to my readers!
In August, we welcomed baby Ailin (爱霖), whose name I translate (with some creative liberties) as "deluge of love." Born during a summer downpour, she is all sweetness but being a mommy to three has taken more of me than I imagined, and I am just now starting to write down all the ideas that have been circling in my head for months.
In honor of Year of the Horse, here is a list (and mini reviews) of some of my kids' and my favorite English-language children's books about the New Year.
A New Year’s Reunion by Yu Li-Qiong and
Zhu Cheng-Liang (Candlewick Press: Mass, 2011) tells the story of Chinese
New Year, as experienced by Maomao, a young girl whose father works far away, and
can travel home only for the important holiday. When the father arrives home, the
family of three make sticky rice balls (yuanxiao),
fix up the house, and watch a dragon dance weave its way through town.
Long Long’s New Year:
A Story about the Chinese Spring Festival (Tuttle Publishing: Boston, 2005)
is a story about a young boy (Long Long) who helps his grandfather (a cabbage
seller) earn enough money to buy food and supplies for his family’s Spring Festival.
The Star Maker by
Laurence Yep (Harper Collins: NY, 2011) tells the story of young Artie during the months leading up to Chinese New Year in San Francisco Chinatown
during the 1950s. Throughout the book, Artie is vexed with
how he will come up with the money to buy firecrackers**for all
of his cousins to set off during the Lunar New Year, a boast he made to his
cousin Petey during a family dinner. This is a story of a young child’s perceptions of family (his idolization of his Uncle Chester, disdain for cousin Petey, and respect for Granny), in the context of 1950s Chinatown. A chapter book, this will most appeal to kids in 1st-3rd grade.
In August, we welcomed baby Ailin (爱霖), whose name I translate (with some creative liberties) as "deluge of love." Born during a summer downpour, she is all sweetness but being a mommy to three has taken more of me than I imagined, and I am just now starting to write down all the ideas that have been circling in my head for months.
In honor of Year of the Horse, here is a list (and mini reviews) of some of my kids' and my favorite English-language children's books about the New Year.
My First Chinese New
Year by Karen Katz (Henry Holt and Company: NY, 2004) is the story of how a
little girl prepares for the Chinese New Years with her family: sweeping the
bad luck away with a broom, purchasing plum blossoms, getting a haircut and
wearing new clothes. The book features Katz’s signature colorful and endearing illustrations. Unlike Katz’s board books, this book is geared toward older
babies, toddlers or even preschool age.
In Bringing in the
New Year by Grace Lin (Alfred A. Knopf: NY, 2008), a young girl tells of her
family's preparations for the Lunar New Year: hanging red couplets, making dumplings, sweeping the floors,
getting a haircut, and wearing new clothing. The celebration culminates in a dragon dance, which is depicted on a large three-page fold-out.
Children will be swept into the New Year's celebrations by Lin's vibrant illustrations. Parents will appreciate the cultural notes Lin
provides about the traditions described in her book.
The illustrations are touching, the bright colors of the
Chinese New Year celebration and child’s clothing contrast the dark colors of
the father’s clothing. I love this book
because it captures Chinese New Year as experienced by many families across China.
It captures both the joy of being reunited as well as the sorrow of separation
when the father must return to work, all through a child’s eyes.
Long Long’s New Year:
A Story about the Chinese Spring Festival (Tuttle Publishing: Boston, 2005)
is a story about a young boy (Long Long) who helps his grandfather (a cabbage
seller) earn enough money to buy food and supplies for his family’s Spring Festival.
The story captures the hustle and bustle of small village life in the days
leading up to New Years. The illustrations, which look like they were painted
on antique rice paper, are replete with details of village life and will appeal
to adults and children who will enjoy looking for hidden details.
Silk Peony, Parade
Dragon by Elizabeth Steckman (Boyd Mills Press: PA, 1997) is the story
of Silk Peony, a magnificent dragon who is rented by a powerful mandarin for the
annual New Year’s parade. Based on legend, this is the story of how the dragon
came to lead the New Year’s parade. The
traditional story and whimsical illustrations of dragons are sure to appeal to
young children and the young at heart.
The Star Maker by
Laurence Yep (Harper Collins: NY, 2011) tells the story of young Artie during the months leading up to Chinese New Year in San Francisco Chinatown
during the 1950s. Throughout the book, Artie is vexed with
how he will come up with the money to buy firecrackers**for all
of his cousins to set off during the Lunar New Year, a boast he made to his
cousin Petey during a family dinner. This is a story of a young child’s perceptions of family (his idolization of his Uncle Chester, disdain for cousin Petey, and respect for Granny), in the context of 1950s Chinatown. A chapter book, this will most appeal to kids in 1st-3rd grade.
**Parents, don't worry: In the preface, Yep explains that even though firecrackers were legal when he was a child, he always set them off when his parents were close by. He encourages children reading his story to stay away from firecrackers due to their danger**
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