Make a Chinese paper lantern, typically used to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year.
Preschool and Picture Books
Theme: New Year, New Opportunities
Bringing in the New Year - (ISBN: 978-0375866050)
by Grace Lin
Follow this Chinese-American family as they go through all the preparations for the Chinese New Year. A big surprise awaits you as they all go to the Dragon Festival at the end of the book! What do you think will happen?
Long-Long's New Year - (ISBN: 978-0804836661)
by Catherine Gower
Long-Long makes many preparations for the Spring Festival, also known as New Year in the Chinese culture. After he helps sell his grandfather’s cabbages, he has enough money to buy small gifts for his family members. You get to hear the legend of the Chinese New Year as they watch Long-Long celebrate in the streets of China.
New Year’s Day - (ISBN: 978-0516271569)
by David F. Marx
This non-fiction book leads you around the world to see how different people welcome the New Year. With plenty of photographs, the book makes the holiday come alive. Do you see evidence of any of your family’s traditions in other cultures?
Squirrel’s New Year’s Resolution - (ISBN: 978-0807575918)
by Pat Miller
Squirrel is puzzled at first about what a New Year’s resolution is, so she ambles through the woods to find out what her friends think. She cannot decide what to aim for, but each place she stops, she helps her friends out. They let her know that she has already achieved her unstated New Year’s resolution: being kind and helpful to friends. What have you done lately to help out your friends?
The Night before New Year’s - (ISBN: 978-0448452128)
by Natasha Wing
This family has all the right food, decorations, and party hats to bring in the New Year, but some younger members are struggling to stay awake. Read this book to see if everyone manages to keep his or her eyes open until the stroke of midnight! Did you stay awake until midnight on New Year’s Eve? What did your family do to celebrate?
This Next New Year - (ISBN: 978-0374355036)
by Janet Wong
This book’s descriptions of the Chinese lunar New Year truly goes across cultures as the narrator describes how different Asians and even non-Asians enjoy the special foods, red money envelopes, house-cleanings, and festive atmosphere in this Chinese-Korean take on the traditional celebration. Do you or anyone you know celebrate the Chinese New Year?