A great way to introduce kids to Chinese culture and the traditions of Chinese New Year. The book follows a boy named Ryan and his family as they get ready for Chinese New Year in their home city of San Francisco. Though the text is aimed at an elementary school-level audience, it is certainly a good resource for preschool age children, with modifications. Preschool Unit: Chinese New Year (Friends In Many Lands)
Summary: This informational book follows one family in San Francisco as they prepare to celebrate the Chinese New Year. It has wonderful photographs and explanations of the many elements and symbols of this two-week long celebration.
Response: The book was written 10 years ago, but the information and treatment seem very authentic and respectful (of course, I say that as someone who knows almost nothing about the holiday, so I can only go by my understanding of portrayals in children's writing). The author covers the information in depth, with lots of explanations of the symbolic meanings of the foods and activities (such as cleaning the house and getting haircuts before the new year). I realized in reading it how much I hadn't known about Chinese New Year myself!
Wonderfully colourful walk through of the Chinese New Year's customs and traditions. Beautiful expressive photographs of the various activities, foods and of the elaborate dragon and lion costumes all meant to let out the old year and bring in the new. Simple crafts and recipe for fortune cookies is the perfect ending to this wonderful book. Excellent source for those learning about the Chinese New Year or deepening their understanding.
The book follows Ryan as he gets ready to celebrate the Chinese New Year with his family. First, you must clean out the bad luck and buy things for the big family dinner. Giving oranges means good luck and they visit their ancestors. During the Chinese New Year, they hold a big family dinner and go to a parade. There is a lion dance and a dragon ends the celebrating.
This is a great teacher resource for learning about the Chinese New Year. A boy from San Francisco and his family go through this celebration. I like how respectful the family is to each other. This book has a glossary and index which are very useful. This is good to use for culture type lessons.