Chinese New Year: A Celebration for Everyone

Orca Origins Series

by Jen Sookfong Lee

From its beginnings as a farming celebration marking the end of winter to its current role as a global party featuring good food, lots of gifts and public parades, Chinese New Year is a snapshot of Chinese culture. Author and broadcaster Jen Sookfong Lee recalls her childhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, and weaves family stories into the history, traditions and evolution of Chinese New Year.

Genres: Nonfiction, Holiday, Middle Grade, China, Childrens, Canada

88 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 2017

About the author

Jen Sookfong Lee writes, talks on the radio and loves her slow cooker.

In 2007, Knopf Canada published Jen’s first novel, The End of East, as part of its New Face of Fiction program. Hailed as “an emotional powerhouse of a novel,” The End of East shines a light on the Chinese Canadian story, the repercussions of immigration and the city of Vancouver.

Shelter, Jen’s first fiction for young adults, was published in February 2011 as part of Annick Press’ Single Voice series. It follows a young girl as she struggles to balance her first and dangerous love affair with a difficult and demanding family.

Called “straight-ahead page-turning brilliance” by The National Post and shortlisted for the City of Vancouver Book Award, The Better Mother, Jen’s sophomore novel, was published by Knopf in May 2011. Set in Vancouver during the mid-20th century and early 1980s, The Better Mother is about the accidental friendship between Miss Val, a longtime burlesque dancer, and Danny Lim, a wedding photographer trying to reconcile his past with his present.

A popular radio personality, Jen was the writing columnist for CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and All Points West for three years. She appears regularly as a columnist on The Next Chapter and Definitely Not the Opera, and is a frequent co-host of the Studio One Book Club. Jen is a member of the writing group SPiN and is represented by the Carolyn Swayze Literary Agency.

Born and raised in East Vancouver, Jen now lives in North Burnaby with her husband, son and hoodlum of a dog.

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has been partaking in Chinese New Year celebrations since birth, this book is a nice collection of fun facts, history, recipes, and even memories of other people who consider it a part of their heritage. There were many familiar facts that I know of, I was anticipating new information that would be brought up. Despite that, this is a short, but detailed read on the holiday that is celebrated worldwide.

[Wunderdrugged · Rating 3 out of 5]

This title is nominated for the 2019 Hackmatack Award in the English non-fiction category. The book explores the historical and cultural significance of Chinese New Year, and how it is celebrated around the world. Growing up on the east coast of Canada, I have had very limited experience with Asian cultures, so I was pretty excited to read this book. I liked learning about a few of the Chinese New Year customs like cleaning the house, eating sweets & taking a week off to spend with family. My favourite thing about it was the personal stories. It was a very personal account of how one family celebrates, with some other individual's stories mixed in. I feel like a learned a lot without it being forced. My only criticism is that some of the page turns are a little awkward, but that really isn't a big deal. I would definitely recommend this to anyone (young or old) who is curious about Chinese New Year.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice, quick look at Chinese or Lunar New Year. I appreciated that Lee stated that the celebrations across the globe as well as generations have affected what traditions those who celebrate have and it is a good reminder that this isn't a set in stone account of celebrations. The little personal stories at the end of the sections/chapters were nice. I also liked the recipes shared int he book and cannot wait to try them.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but it felt stretched out, like there was too little information for the length of the book.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great children's book about Chinese New year. Loved the personal touches.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a nice overview of the traditions, both old and new, with stories of personal accounts of the holiday.

[Stephen Epp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great concise information on Chinese new year. Exactly what I was looking for! Quick read but lots of good info :)

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting information about Chinese New Year. This is such a good series!