The Lunar New Year is observed on January 29th of this year and marks the beginning of the Year of the Snake. To help celebrate this joyful pan-Asian and international holiday of togetherness and new beginnings, we’ve gathered ten wonderful children’s books about the Lunar New Year’s traditions, fables, and zodiac, as well as the diverse cultures that take part in it.
A Sweet New Year for Ren by Michelle Sterling, Illustrated by Dung Ho
Waking to the welcome sight of the cherry blossoms in bloom, Ren is delighted to spend the day preparing for her family’s Lunar New Year celebrations. Yet wherever she offers help — hanging lanterns, folding dumplings, or boiling noodles — she is gently rebuffed with the phrase, “You’re still too little.” More than anything, Ren wants to help make her favorite pineapple cakes, but she’s apparently too little for that as well! Yet when her older brother Charlie arrives home, she finally has someone who can help her be part of the preparations. Sterling captures the frustration that smaller kids may feel during holiday prep in a thoughtful way, and Ho’s incredible illustrations look good enough to eat.
Friends Are Friends, Forever by Dane Liu, Illustrated by Lynn Scurfield
Based on Liu’s own migration story, friends Dandan and Yueyue enjoy their annual traditions during the lead-up to New Year’s Eve, especially cutting red paper to make ornaments. Their time together is bittersweet, though — on New Year’s Day, Dandan’s family leaves for their new home in the United States. The girls resolve to spend their remaining time enjoying one another’s company, then offer a mournful goodbye. In the US, Dandan feels isolated and misses Yueyue terribly but gradually begins to find her voice and new friends. Still, she misses the traditions she had with her forever friend — can she find a way to keep them alive?
Wish Soup: A Celebration of Seollal by Junghwa Park
Seollal — or Korean New Year — celebrations are on their way, and little Sohee is particularly excited to eat her traditional bowl of tteokguk. This year, she becomes an eonni (“older sister”), and to her, eating the New Year’s tteokguk will signal this rite of passage. However, whenever she tries to sit down to enjoy her soup, she is interrupted by a family member asking her to complete a task or help with a small favor. When Sohee finally returns to the tteokguk, she finds that her little sister Somi has eaten every last bowl! Brokenhearted at not being able to “grow one year older” by having the soup, Sohee is assured by her mother that growing up isn’t just about age, but how responsible and helpful you are to loved ones.
LunarTale: A New Year’s Adventure by Stella Hong
This delightful board book is a wonderful way to introduce the earliest of readers to the Lunar New Year. As a brother and sister make their way to their grandmother’s house to celebrate, they are guided by the twelve animals of the Lunar zodiac. Die-cut details, vocabulary words, and fold-old flaps offer plenty of engagement and visual interest for little hands and eyes, and Hong’s bouncy text and charming illustrations are sure to appeal to readers of any age.
Boys Don’t Fry by Kimberly Lee, Illustrated by Charlene Chua
In Jin’s house, every year, all of the women gather in the kitchen to prepare the massive family meal for the Lunar New Year. The little boy is entranced by the smells, the activity, and the chatter and wants to join in on the fun, but his aunties keep shooing him away, as they presume that a little boy will only get in the way. At last, Jin’s grandmother Mamah welcomes him into the kitchen, declaring that if he wants to learn about cooking his family’s traditional Malaysian recipes, he has every right to do so. Lee’s story about bucking gender norms, especially in the interest of honoring one’s culture and connecting with family members, is heartwarming, and Chua’s colorful illustrations are a feast for the eyes.
12 Lucky Animals: A Bilingual Baby Book by Vickie Lee, Illustrated by Joey Chou
Another adorable Lunar New Year board book for the tiniest of bookworms, this one offers the added bonus of being bilingual. Each animal of the Lunar zodiac is presented alongside its name in English letters and Standard Chinese characters, as well as the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation and the animal’s best-known traits. A wheel on the back cover allows readers to identify the sign they were born under as far back as 1989, and Chou’s absolutely precious illustrations complete the package.
Nian: The Chinese New Year Dragon by Virginia Loh-Hagan, Illustrated by Timothy Banks
In this loose retelling of a traditional Chinese legend, readers are introduced to young Mei, who hates springtime. Why does she dread the end of winter? Because a terrible dragon named Nian is able to escape his undersea mountain prison once a year to fill his belly with children at this time. This year, however, Mei dreams of a magical warrior who charges her with stopping the dragon. Using her wits and courage, Mei devises a plan to scare the dragon away that involves food, fireworks, and the color red. Banks’s awesome brush painting-inspired illustrations perfectly complement this story of a fierce heroine and give an exciting origin to many Lunar New Year traditions for little bookworms.
The Tray of Togetherness by Flo Leung
A little girl excitedly prepares for a Lunar New Year party with her parents and grandmother that they are throwing for their friends and family. Her favorite part is gathering the treats for the Tray of Togetherness: a special platter with eight lucky snacks, each with a special meaning that represents good wishes to the friends and neighbors to whom they offer the yummy bites. With peanuts for long life, pistachios for happiness, and many more, they greet their diverse group of well-wishers and invite them to share the holiday festivities. Leung’s pages are filled with warm and welcoming words and illustrations that both honor the Cantonese tradition of the Tray of Togetherness and celebrate the spirit of sharing one’s culture with those who are unfamiliar.
Ping’s Perfect Pot by Helen H. Wu, Illustrated by Zihua Yang
When Ping is at the market with her grandpa, she finds the perfect tangerine tree for the Lunar New Year and is delighted to bring the emblem of good luck and prosperity home. When they arrive, Ping determines that the perfect tree must have the perfect pot and sets about making one while her Grandpa continues preparing for the big day. However, all of Ping’s efforts are without success, with each pot failing to pass her exacting standards; still, her Grandpa encourages her to learn from her mistakes and keep trying. Wu and Yang tell a gentle and encouraging story of not only perseverance but also of learning to embrace what we may initially view as flaws (and are often what make our efforts unique).
We hope that you and your little readers will enjoy one or more of these books together for the Lunar New Year and that your family enjoys the holiday together! Happy Year of the Snake, and happy reading!
To read more about the Lunar New Year, check out our interview with Helen H. Wu, the author of Ping’s Perfect Pot!
To see all of our recommendations for mini bookworms, check out our Bookshop bookshelf.
