Well, I've come across several of these "how many flaps to lift?!" books recently (Lucy Brownridge queen of that world, at the moment, apparently), and I have seen more books for the very young about Chinese New Year festivities this year alone than all my other decades put together, so I guess it's only fair and good that we get a volume to combine the both. Here we get just a few dioramas of a very busily-decorated Chinese (or Chinese diaspora) home, and no end of flaps to lift and see what's what and where. Some of the flaps reveal one of the two door gods that are so key to the celebrations, to the extent they're on every spread, some show what things look like underneath, what is hidden in the bag, what is stowed in that box or drawer etc. Some just flip up to give us a tiny caption – a little factoid about the events.
I think, however, this is all a little too fussy – the amount of flaps being better in an entertainment, where we might gain something from lifting them all, and a pure pleasure in poring over the page, but not something to learn. Yes, the visuals are wonderfully ornate and probably lifelike, the amount of lucky charms and special things that have to be displayed, bought, baked and suchlike. I certainly consider the multiple ways of learning we think of catering for these days, but I certainly think I took on board more on this subject from many of those other volumes. And isn't it the case that when you by default close the flaps things get forgotten about? Why would we want that to happen to information?
All that aside, this is a decent enough affair, and one that celebrants would proudly show to their kids. It covers the gamut of special nights and events and gifts, to a good detail. And while I still hold out for the more traditional non-fiction book, no matter the target age, I can see the effortful achievement here. From me this gets three and a half stars, and a bonus free admission that many will think that very tight indeed.