Lunar New Year Recommended Readings: Lunar New Year in China (Elementary School)

Home for Chinese New Year by Wei Jie with Xu Can, Illustrator 2017. A father in northern China has to travel long distances by train in the snow to spend New Year’s eve with his family. Many Chinese Americans also have parents who work in other cities and can only come home occasionally. Grades K-2

A New Year's Reunion, 2011 by Yu Li-Qiong with Zhu Cheng-Liang, Illustrator 2011. A girl is overjoyed when her father returns home to celebrate the New Year in China. Like many Chinese American parents, he works far away, and the time he spends is precious because he must return to work. Mandarin Chinese is used and some customs are different from the ones observed by Cantonese speakers. Grades K-2

Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Chinese New Year: With Fireworks, Dragons, and Lanterns by Carolyn Otto 2015. This shows how the holiday is celebrated in China and is a part of a series to show different holidays around the world. K-4

Happy New Year! Kung-Hsi Fa-Ts’ai! By Demi. This mentions customs, the zodiac, immortal gods, and tree and flower symbols using Mandarin terms for all. The pictures are small and delicate, so the book can be used for pleasure reading by individual students rather than with large groups. Grades 4-6