Lunar New Year

K-Gr 2–Ling, a young girl excited for the holiday, introduces readers to Lunar New Year as she prepares for and celebrates with her family. In addition to showing the characters cleaning the house, shopping, and decorating with red banners, this text goes further than many similar titles, as Ling also paints honey on the Kitchen God’s lips, burns paper representations of household goods and wealth for her deceased grandfather, and celebrates the lantern festival. Each activity is exuberantly and thoroughly explained by the young narrator. Text is broken up with retro-feel illustrations. Indoor scenes, in particular, are infused with a muted warm palette, creating a cozy feeling as Ling celebrates with her family. All characters are Chinese. Extensive back matter contains further details on the holiday, including information on the zodiac; a dumpling recipe; a red envelope craft; lantern riddles; information on celebrations in Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines; and a quiz.