What exactly is Lunar New Year you may be asking yourself. I have the answer for you. Lunar New Year is celebrated by numerous cultures. Some calendars featuring Lunar New Year are:

  • Chinese Calendar
  • Hindu-Buddhist Calendars of South and South Eastern Asia
  • Islamic Calendar
  • Jewish Calendar in the Middle East

These calendars are based upon a calendar year whose months are contingent on the moon’s cycles and phases. The year 2023 will be known as the year of the Rabbit and will begin on Sunday, January 22, 2023.

Here are just a few of our Children’s picture books that will help you celebrate:

Friends are Friends, Forever by Dane Liu

Just before Chinese New Year, Dandan discovers that her family is moving to America, far away from her best friend Yueyue. Before they leave, Yueyue gives her a stack of red paper and a spool of string so she can share the art of paper cutting with Americans. When Chinese New Year comes around again Dandan remembers Yueyue’s gift and introduces her new friend Christina to this ancient art.

Maisy’s Chinese New Year by Lucy Cousins

Spending Chinese New Year with her friend Tiger, Maisy learns about traditional symbols, shares a delicious cultural feast, and exchanges lucky red hongbao envelopes before listening to a story about the holiday. She end the day by staying up late to watch a fireworks display.

Chinese New Year Colors by Rich Lo

This vibrant and simple bilingual book is the perfect introduction to Chinese and English words for colors as it honors one of the biggest holidays around the world.

Nian, the Chinese New Year Dragon : A Beastly Tale : Adapted from a Chinese Legend by Virginia Loh-Hagan

This is a retelling with illustrations of the Chinese folktale about a dragon that threatens a village each spring and Mei, the young girl who is destined to defeat him.

Angel in Beijing by Belle Yang

In busy Beijing, New Year’s Eve firecrackers scare a stray white cat into the courtyard of a young girl. The two become fast friends, riding the girl’s bike through the city and seeing all kinds of people and things. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, the girl and the cat watch the kites soaring above crowded, chaotic Tiananmen Square. Kitty is enthralled by the enormous, colorful dragon kite, and she leaps to catch it as it sails up into the sky. The kite takes Kitty with it and carries her out of sight! The girl searches the city, visiting all their favorite spots and ringing her bell along the way, but Kitty is nowhere to be found. Will the two ever be reunited? Or could another unexpected friendship be in store for both of them?

Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim

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.

A New Year’s Reunion by Li-Qiong Yu

Little Maomao’s father works in faraway places and comes home just once a year, for Chinese New Year. At first Maomao barely recognizes him, but before long the family is happily making sticky rice balls, listening to firecrackers, and watching the dragon dance in the streets below. Papa gets a haircut, makes repairs to the house, and hides a lucky coin for Maomao to find. But all too soon it is time for Papa to go away again.

Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin

This exuberant story follows a Chinese American family as they prepare for the Lunar New Year. Each member of the family lends a hand as they sweep out the dust of the old year, hang decorations, and make dumplings. Then it’s time to put on new clothes and celebrate with family and friends. There will be fireworks and lion dancers, shining lanterns, and a great, long dragon parade to help bring in the Lunar New Year.

I hope you enjoy these selections to celebrate 2023’s Lunar New Year.

Happy Reading!