Poetry Picture Book - Every Month is a New Year by Marilyn Singer

Illustrated by Susan L. Roth

2018 Lee & Low Books

HC $20.95

48 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  3.57 - 109 ratings

My rating:  4

Endpapers: Solid bright yellow 

Oddities:  The book is read like  calendar - spine along the top.  

My comments:  What a wonderful concept for a poetry book, poems that explain or commemorate New Year celebrations (of all sorts!) in New York City, Scotland, Russia, Iran, Thailand, Jordan, New Zealand, Chile, Ancient Egypt, India, Ethiopia, Israel, Ecuador, Spain, and China!Susan L. Roth's illustration, done in cut paper, are equisite.  A lovely anthology with great resources and information at the end.

Goodreads:  Around the world, people celebrate the start of the new year at midnight when December 31 becomes January 1. But not everyone celebrates on this date. In fact, during every month of the year, some group of people in some part of the world is celebrating the new year. Chinese New Year is celebrated in January or February. Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, is celebrated on March 21. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is celebrated in September or October. Diwali, celebrated in parts of India, falls in October or November. All these celebrations, and many others, have unique traditions and festivities that people observe. This collection of poems pay tribute to several of these fascinating festivities, some well-known and some lesser-known. Go on a whirlwind international tour of these diverse celebrations--enough to fill a twelve-month calendar, and more.

The Year Turns

We chose the date.

From the earth’s movement,

from the moon’s phases,

these clocks and calendars

we create.

Together

in parks and squares,

in temples and houses –

watching

the year

turn,

we

celebrate.

Casting Away Sins
Rosh Hashanah

This morning in the synagogue,
     we heard the shofar's loud, clear sound.
This evening in the house,
     we'll have apples dipped in honey,
          pomegranates with their ruby seeds.
But now, this sunny afternoon,
     we walk to the creek, our pockets full of bread.
"I'll tell you the truth.  I lost the money,"
     my big sister whispers.
"I'll tell you the truth.  I tore the dress,"
     I whisper back.
Then we toss the bread and our sins,
     and watch the flowing water carry them
          far, far away.

PICTURE BOOK - The Runaway Wok by Ying Chang Compestine

Illustrated by Sebastia Serra

2011, Dutton Children's Books

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  3.84 - 478 ratings

My rating:  2.5

Endpapers:  Bright yellow-orange

1^st line/s:  "One Chinese New Year's Eve, a poor couple sent their son, Ming, to the market."

My comments:  What a great story, with really fun illustrations, with one not-so-tiny flaw.  Set during the Chinese New Year in Beijing, China, a wok steals from the rich and gives to the poor.  It also kidnaps the rich and gets rid of them (we know not how or where) forever.  What???  The beginning of the story seems based on Jack and the Beanstalk, the next based on Robin Hood.  But outright stealing and kidnapping instead of something more magical and legal would fit the bill for me a bit better.  I still can't rate it down too TOO much because the illustrations and the Chinese culture that shines through are wonderful.  Not to be missed:  The author's note and the "Festive Stir-Fried Rice" recipe at the end of the book.

Goodreads:  When a boy goes to the market to buy food and comes home with an old wok instead, his parents wonder what they'll eat for dinner. But then the wok rolls out of the poor family's house with a skippity-hoppity-ho! and returns from the rich man's home with a feast in tow!
          With spirited text and lively illustrations, this story reminds readers about the importance of generosity.

PICTURE BOOK - Ruby's Chinese New Year by Vickie Lee

Illustrated by Joey Chou

2018, Henry Holt

HC $17.95

40 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  3.35 - 36 ratings

My rating:  4  (why not a 5?  Some of the pages are a little wildly busy for me)

Endpapers:  Bright yellow-orange

1^st line/s:  "Every year Ruby's grandmother came to visit for Chinese New Year."

My comments:   What a nice way to introduce the twelve Chinese Zodiac animals to kids.  Illustrations are extremely bright and go from edge-of-page to edge-of-page without white borders, which I love.  A nice real aloud for Chinese New Year.  With repetition, which is always fun.

Goodreads:   In this picture book celebrating Chinese New Year, animals from the Chinese zodiac help a little girl deliver a gift to her grandmother.
           Ruby has a special card to give to her grandmother for Chinese New Year. But who will help her get to grandmother’s house to deliver it? Will it be clever Rat, strong Ox, or cautious Rabbit? Ruby meets each of the twelve zodiac animals on her journey. This picture book includes back matter with a focus on the animals of the Chinese zodiac.

40. The Year of the Dog - Grace Lin

audio read by Nancy Wu (very well, too)

3 unabridged discs/ 3 hours

2006, Little Brown

160 pgs.

Middle Grade CRF

Finished 6/26/2014 (with Ella while riding around Cumberland County)

Goodreads Rating: 3.88

My Rating: 4 (Ella thought it was awesome, I liked it)

Bosler Library, Carlisle

Setting: Upstate New York

1^st sentence/s: 

My comments:  Ella (7) and I listened to this as we were driving around this week.  She loved it.  When I asked her why, she said she liked learning more about the Chinese culture and the way American and Chinese cultures combine during holidays.  It was a very sweet story.

Goodreads Summary:   It's the Chinese Year of the Dog, and as Pacy celebrates with her family, she finds out that this is the year she is supposed to "find herself." Universal themes of friendship, family, and finding one's passion in life make this novel appealing to readers of all backgrounds. This funny and profound book is a wonderful debut novel by a prolific picture book author and illustrator and has all the makings of a classic.

The Wishing Tree - Roseanne Thong

Illustrated by Connie McLennan
Shen's Books, 2004
32 pages
Rating: 5
Endpapers: Gold & beige decorated Chinese designs

I spent an hour browsing and reading in the Martha Cooper Library on Catalina - a small public library I rarely get to visit. The local neighborhood holds many cultures, and there are many kids' books in different languages here. In other words, a great multicultural find.

There's a huge banyan tree in Ming's hometown where his grandmother would always take him to make a wish for the lunar new year. She would purchase a Ng Bo Dip (Five Treasures Pile), a stack of decorated red and yellow papers. After writing a wish, the papers were rolled into a scroll, secured with string, and attached to a large mandarin orange. When ready, this was flung high into the banyan wishing tree.

For many years Ming and his grandmother enjoyed this yearly custom, until, when Ming was nine, his wish was not fulfilled and his grndmother's sickness does not get better. She dies. The rest of the story deals with grief resolution in a positive, helpful way.

Each two page spread is beautiful with an edge-to-edge illustration on one side and the text is usually within a pale-colored box that looks like paper. The same one inch Chinese patterns found on the endpapers are "seals" at the bottom of the page.

Fantastic explanation in the Author's Note at the end of the book.

Included are directions for making your own Ng Bo Dip and a black and white WISHING PAPER page to photocopy and use as the five pages.

Perfect addition to my 4th grade China study!

BOARD BOOK - Lucky New Year! - Mary Man-Kong

Illustrated by Chi Chung
Golden Books, 2008
$9.99
6 double-page board book spreads

Pop-up, flip books are really quite fascinating. This one's cool, telling a little abouot the Chinese New Year - this year beginning on Feb. 14th with festivities running for fifteen days.

Calligraphy for gung hay fat choy, a wheel that you can turn to match yourb irth year with the animal year, a broom to sweep back and forth, an orange to sniff'n smell, dim sum containers to open, choptsicks to maneuver, "hong baos" envelope to open, dragon eyes to open and close and a big pop dragon as the finale. Lots of information for little ones about some of the traditions that are part of the Chinese New Year.

Lots of fun. If I could afford to start a pop-up collection, this would be included.

A Gift - Yong Chen

Boyds Mills Press, 2009
$16.95
32 pages
Rating: 4
Endpapers: Red

A simple story.

I live 3000 miles away from my family, but I don't have to cross an ocean to get the them. I live in the same country and am surrounded by the same cultural stimuli as them. Not so for the mother of the protagonist in this lovely picture book.

Amy's mother's family lives in China - far away from Amy's American home. It's really difficult being so far from loved ones, but there are certain times that are even more difficult. For Amy's mom, the Chinese New Year is one of those times.

A package and a letter arrive from China. The mother's siblings, working together, have created a beautiful dragon pendant from a lovely found piece of stone. It's a beautiful gift within a loving, far-flung family.

Note" Red is the color of luck in Chinese tradition. For Amy to hang her pendant from a red string is a sign of live and a wish for luck.

Illustrations are realistic, large, many complete cover the page. The appear to depict the Chinese culture well.