The Night Before Lunar New Year
Family's Lunar New Year tale is a fun, detailed read-aloud.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Night Before Lunar New Year, by Natasha Wing and Lingfeng Ho, is a warm, delightful story packed with fun details of the ways a family gets ready to celebrate Lunar New Year. While the family cooks and decorates the house, a young girl worries about the loud noises in the Lunar New Year parade that she loves so much. She perseveres through her fears and comes up with a solution of her own. The rhythm and rhyme of the writing makes this a great book to read aloud, and illustrator Amy Wummer artfully blends the smiling faces and happy pastel scenes with vibrant reds and yellows of dragons, envelopes, and more.
What's the Story?
As a girl and her family get ready to celebrate in THE NIGHT BEFORE LUNAR NEW YEAR, they cook lots of traditional food, shop for new clothes, and decorate the house. She loves all of the fun with her family, but is nervous that the loud noises at the Lunar New Year parade will be too scary. While she celebrates at home, she thinks of a creative way to enjoy the fun of the parade without being nervous when she sees the dragon in the street.
Is It Any Good?
This is a wonderful story for those who regularly celebrate Lunar New Year and for those who are just learning about it. The Night Before Lunar New Year is full of warmth and great details about how families and communities celebrate, and the girl's worries about loud noises at the parade reminds readers that things can be hard even in the middle of happiness. Those familiar with the story The Night Before Christmas will see a similar beginning here: "‘Twas the night before Lunar New Year and all through weeks past … " which is a fun twist for families who celebrate multiple cultural traditions.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about ways they get ready to celebrate holidays with family, like the Chinese family in The Night Before Lunar New Year. How do you like to help? What is your favorite part of holidays?
Is there anything about celebrating holidays that makes you nervous? What do you do to make those times easier?
What other books about Lunar New Year have you read? Which are your favorites?
Book Details
- Authors: Natasha Wing, Lingfeng Ho
- Illustrator: Amy Wummer
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Great Girl Role Models, Holidays
- Character Strengths: Courage, Perseverance, Teamwork
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
- Publication date: December 27, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 6
- Number of pages: 32
- Available on: Paperback, Kindle
- Last updated: January 6, 2023
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