Enjoy a good story to add to your Chinese New Year celebration!

Kids Books

Celebrating Chinese New Year
by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith, Lawrence Migdale (Illustrator)
Go along with Ryan as he and his family prepare to celebrate Chinese New Year in their home and community.

The Chinese New Year Mystery (Nancy Drew Notebooks, No 39)
by Carolyn Keene, Jan Naimo Jones (Illustrator)
The third-grade classes at Nancy's school are learning about Chinese culture, and they'll celebrate the Chinese New Year with a special parade. The highlight of the parade will be a dragon costume that Nancy's class is making out of feathers, sequins, gold tassels, and red silk. But right before the big day, the dragon disappears!

The Dancing Dragon
by Marcia K. Vaughan, Stanley Wong Hoo Foon (Illustrator), Stanley W. Foon (Illustrator)
The Chinese New Year is about to begin. There's lots to do--tie strings of firecrackers outside, hang up red scrolls, bake special cakes, and sing New Year's songs. And when family and friends are gathered together, it's time for the parade to begin.

Happy New Year! Kung-Hsi Fa-Ts'Ai : Kung-Hsi Fa-Ts'Ai
by Demi (Illustrator)
Children examine the flurry of activity associated with the Chinese New Year. Includes descriptions of everything from heavenly beings to candied cocunut. Children will also find their own animal sign of the Chinese New Year based on the year of their birth.

Lion Dancer : Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year
by Kate Waters, Madeline Slovenz-Low, Martha Cooper (Photographer)
On the Chinese New Year, six-year-old Ernie will perform his first Lion Dance. An intimate look at a Chinese household as the family shares a proud moment with Ernie.

Sam and the Lucky Money
by Karen Chinn, Cornelius Van Wright (Illustrator), Ying-Hwa Hu (Illustrator), Wright Cornelius Van (Illustrator)
A tale of a young boy eager to spend his lucky money on Chinese New Year day. As Sam searches the streets of Chinatown for ways to spend his four dollars, he stumbles upon a stranger in need. After he decides to give, rather than spend, his money, Sam realizes that he's he lucky one.

Books for Parents

Chinese Home Entertaining
by Angela Chang, Boa-Yu Shu
This bilingual cookbook provides inspiration to those who will be entertaining guests in the Chinese style and reaching out to friends from different cultures through the sharing of food. The book consists of six celebrations -- Fire Pot Party, Holiday Dinner Party, Chinese New Year Party, Dumpling Party, Summer Outdoor Feast, Hospitality Gourmet Food Box. Each party begins with an introduction discussing the special occasion and how it relates to entertaining in America.

The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen: Classic Family Recipes for Celebration and Healing
by Grace Young, Alan Richardson (Photography)
Encyclopedic book of traditional Chinese recipes featuring wonderful personal stories about the author's Chinese upbringing. Entire sections of the book are devoted to Chinese New Year Eve and Chinese New Year Day recipes.

Also consider these additional books, recommended to Kaboose by Sue E. Yee, Senior Children's Librarian of the Chatham Square Branch of the New York Public Library in New York City.

Preschoolers (ages 3-4)

• My First Chinese New Year. Karen Katz. Henry Holt and Company, 2004. 
  Bright/vibrant collages illustrate this simple introduction to Chinese New Year.
• This Next New Year. Janet S. Wong. Illustrated by YangSook Choi.  Frances Foster, 2000.
  A young boy describes how his Chinese-Korean family prepares for and celebrates the Lunar New Year.

Grade Schoolers (Ages 5-7 = K-2nd Grade)

• Chinese New Year Crafts. Karen E. Bledsoe. Enslow PubPublishers, 2005.
  Ten simple crafts for Chinese New Year.
• The Rooster’s Antlers: A Story of the Chinese Zodiac. Eric A Kimmel. Illustrated by YongSheng Xuan. Holiday House, 1999.
  Dragon and Centipede trick Rooster into giving up his beautiful golden horns. Also explains how and why the zodiac animals were chosen. The colorful illustrations are  reminiscent of traditional Chinese papercuts.
• Story of the Chinese Zodiac. Retold by Monica Chang. Illustrated by Arthur Lee. English Translation by Rick Charette. Yuan-Liou, 1994
  Cut paper 3-dimensional collage retelling the animals’ race,  rat’s treachery and explains why cat is not one of the zodiac animals.

Tweens (Ages 8-12 = 3rd-6th Grade)

• Cat and Rat: The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac.  Ed Young.  H.  Holt, 1995.
  Tells of the animals' race, Rat’s betrayal and why Cat is not one of the zodiac animals. The illustrations are charcoal and pastels on a dark background, making this more appropriate for the older crowd.
• The Chinese Book of Animal Powers.  Al Chung-liang Huang.  HarperCollins, 1999.  
  Large calligraphy-like illustrations depict each of the zodiac animals and explain their strengths and weaknesses.
• Exploring Chinatown: A Children’s Guide to Chinese Culture.  Carol Stepanchuk.  Illustrated by Leland Wong.  Pacific View Press, 2002. 
  By taking a tour of a fictitious generic Chinatown, Chinese food, traditional medicine, language and writing, festivals, religion and art are explored. Includes recipes and suggestions for activities.
• Moonbeams, Dumplings and Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities and Recipes. Nina Simonds, Leslie Swartz & The Children’s Museum of Boston. Gulliver Bks/Harcourt Inc, 2002.
  Presents background information, related stories and activities for five Chinese holidays: Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival, Qing Ming, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-autumn Moon Festival.

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