Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the Lunar calendar. In Chinese culture and East Asian countries, the festival is commonly referred to as the Spring Festival. The Chinese zodiac assigns an animal to each year in a repeating twelve-year cycle. In 2022 the Chinese New Year starts on February 1 which marks the start of The Year of The Tiger. The Tiger is known as the king of all beasts in China. The zodiac sign Tiger is a symbol of strength, exorcising evils, and braveness. Many Chinese kids wear hats or shoes with a tiger image of for good luck.
These 12 gorgeous children’s books offer a great way to introduce your child to the magic of the Lunar New Year and its rich symbolism and traditions.
1. The Nian Monster by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Alina Chau; Albert Whitman & Company, 2016
Tong tong! The legendary Nian monster has returned at Chinese New Year. With horns, scales, and wide, wicked jaws, Nian is intent on devouring Shanghai, starting with Xingling! The old tricks to keep him away don’t work on Nian anymore, but Xingling is clever. Will her quick thinking be enough to save the city from the Nian Monster?
2. Bringing In the New Year by Grace Lin; Knopf Books, 2013
In a brightly colored board book, perfect for the youngest child, Newbery Honoree Grace Lin tells the tale of a Chinese American family as they prepare for the Lunar New Year. Each family member lends a hand as they sweep out the dust of the old year, hang decorations, and make dumplings. Then it’s time to celebrate. There will be fireworks and lion dancers, shining lanterns, and a great, long dragon parade at the end!
3. How to Catch a Dragon by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Andy Elkerton; Sourcebooks, 2019
From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling How to Catch series comes an all-new dragon book for kids―do you have what it takes to catch a dragon? The How to Catch kids are off again, this time trying to catch a dragon as they chase him through Chinese New Year celebrations! A great Chinese New Year book for kids, How to Catch a Dragon is the perfect dragon book for kids ages 3-8. Set in China during the Spring Festival, otherwise known as Chinese New Year, the wily dragon will have to avoid trap after trap as the kids run through paper lanterns, red lunar envelopes, fireworks, and more! Includes bonus educational back matter and Mandarin translations to enhance your reading experience.
4. Alex’s Good Fortune by Benson Shum; Penguin Workshop, 2020
In this story designed to engage early readers, charming characters combine with simple text, lively illustrations, and laugh-out-loud humor to help boost kids’ confidence and create lifelong readers! Chinese New Year is the most important holiday for Alex and her family, so it’s even more special when she gets to share her favorite traditions with her best friend, Ethan. Together, they join the Chinese New Year parade and get to help 6. make the dragon dance. Then they prepare for the festivities by tidying up, decorating, and making dumplings. After that, it’s time to open red envelopes, eat a great big feast, and enjoy the lantern festival! Exciting, easy-to-read books are the stepping stone a young reader needs to bridge the gap between being a beginner and being fluent.
A picture book based on the author’s own immigration story, the infinite impact of friendship, and passing on love and kindness around the world.
On a snowy Lunar New Year’s Eve in Northeastern China, it’s Dandan’s last night with Yueyue. Tomorrow, she moves to America. The two best friends have a favorite wintertime tradition: crafting paper-cut snowflakes, freezing them outside, and hanging them as ornaments.
As they say goodbye, Yueyue presses red paper and a spool of thread into Dandan’s hands so that she can carry on their tradition. But in her new home, Dandan has no one to enjoy the gift with―until a friend comes along.
6. Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim, Illustrated by Grace Zong; Charlesbridge, 2015
It’s Chinese New Year, and Goldy Luck’s mother wants her to take a plate of turnip cakes to the neighbors. The Chans aren’t home, but that doesn’t stop Goldy from trying out their rice porridge, their chairs, and their beds—with disastrous results. In this funny and festive retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Natasha Yim and Grace Zong introduce a plucky heroine who takes responsibility for her actions and makes a new friend (and a whole plate of turnip cakes!), just in time for Chinese New Year. Includes back matter about Chinese New Year and a recipe for turnip cakes.
7. Playing with Lanterns by
Zhao Di wishes the New Year would never end!
Zhao Di and her friends are excited to go out at night with their paper lanterns and celebrate Chinese New Year. Each holding a unique colorful lantern with a lit candle inside, they admire the breathtaking colors while doing their best to avoid the wind and the sneaky boys in the village. Every night, until the fifteenth day of New Year, Zhao Di and her friends take part in this fun tradition, experiencing the thrill of nighttime in their village. And then―it’s time to smash the lanterns!
8. Lunar New Year by Hannah Eliot, illustrated by Alina Chau; Little Simon, 2018
Learn all about the traditions of Lunar New Year—also known as Chinese New Year—with this fourth board book in the Celebrate the World series, which highlights special occasions and holidays across the globe. After the winter solstice each year, it’s time for a celebration with many names: Chinese New Year, Spring Festival, and Lunar New Year! With beautiful artwork by Chinese illustrator Alina Chau, this festive board book teaches readers that Lunar New Year invites us to spend time with family and friends, to light lanterns, and set off fireworks, dance with dragons, and to live the new year in harmony and happiness.
9. Tet Together by
Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, is a time of celebration and it involves much preparation. This festive story is a great introduction to the most important Vietnamese cultural holiday. Readers will learn the significance of each tradition during this special time.
As families prepare to celebrate Tết, it is also a time of reflection and togetherness. Families come together to help sweep out the old year, hang dazzling decorations, and prepare lavish meals to share. Discover how the anticipation of Tết and the days of festivities that follow, all culminate in the celebration of families and the Vietnamese cultural heritage.
10. Maisy’s Chinese New Year by Lucy Cousins; Candlewick, Jan 2022
Join Maisy and friends in a joyful celebration of Chinese New Year.
Tomorrow is Chinese New Year, and Maisy’s friend Tiger is coming home for the occasion. Hooray! Tiger has brought some beautiful gifts, some with a special symbol that means good luck. Maisy has asked all her friends to her house to celebrate with a delicious feast, and Penguin and Ostrich are handing out lucky red packets with money inside. Now it’s time for Tiger to tell the story of Chinese New Year, while everyone stays up late for fireworks. But the best is to come on New Year’s Day, when Maisy and all her friends take part in a dragon dance! Vivid with red and gold, this First Experiences book—featuring a simple visual glossary of common Chinese New Year’s objects—will be a favorite of little ones new to the tradition as well as those for whom it’s a beloved event.
11. Peppa’s Chinese New Year; Paperback; Scholastic, 2018
It’s the year of the Pig–Peppa Pig, that is! When Madame Gazelle tells the children it’s time to celebrate Chinese New Year, they couldn’t be more excited. Peppa and her friends hang lanterns, eat fortune cookies, and put on a dragon dance! This beautiful 8×8 comes with a sheet of stickers. There’s also a sheet of fun facts in the back about Chinese New Year.
12. Ruby’s Chinese New Year by Vickie Lee, illustrated by Joey Chou; Henry Holt and Co., 2017
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.
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