I’m the author of children’s books about Asian history and culture. My two kids are the main reason I started writing books. When they were little, I had to delve into my Chinese roots for a family reunion. That’s when I stumbled on the most amazing stories about the emperors, warriors, artists, and inventors that make up the long and colorful culture and history of China. I decided to bring these stories to life so that my kids could learn more about their heritage. No dates, no dry details – just interesting stories that they could enjoy and learn in the process. Luckily, they liked them so much that they encouraged me to share my stories with the world.
Chinese New Year Wishes is about a boy called Hong whose favorite time of year is the Chinese New Year festival. Children aged 2 to 6 will enjoy following him and his family as they prepare for the festivities and celebrate the most important festival in Chinese culture. They will also read the story behind the Chinese New Year traditions, which involves scaring away a monster known as Nian. If they want to know more, additional interesting facts and questions for discussion are included in the back of the book.
Written in both English and Chinese (simplified), Chinese New Year Wishes is great as an early reader or to be read aloud, and suits children who want to learn more about Chinese culture.
This is a lovely story about a boy called Ming whose family is poor and is struggling to get a proper Chinese New Year dinner on the table. When Ming is sent out to the market to get some rice, he comes home with a magic wok instead, which steals food from a wealthy, but stingy family. Think Robin Hood in the form of a Chinese wok with a mind of its own! As far as I know, this is not a traditional Chinese story, but children (6-8 years) will definitely enjoy reading this book with its cute and colorful illustrations. They’ll even be able to sing along with the wok!
When a boy goes to the market to buy food and comes home with an old wok instead, his parents wonder what they'll eat for dinner. But then the wok rolls out of the poor family's house with a skippity-hoppity-ho! and returns from the rich man's home with a feast in tow!
With spirited text and lively illustrations, this story reminds readers about the importance of generosity.
I love all of Grace Lin’s books – we share the same surname after all! Bringing in the New Year is another great one of hers. This board book is meant for the very young (0-3 years), but older kids will learn from it too. It describes how a Chinese family prepares for the Chinese New Year - decorating the house, making dumplings, and wearing new clothes. Celebrations follow with fireworks and lion dancers to scare away the previous year’s bad luck. The fun color illustrations will be a hit with the little ones, especially the fold-out dragon at the end of the book.
This exuberant story follows a Chinese American family as they prepare for the Lunar New Year. Each member of the family lends a hand as they sweep out the dust of the old year, hang decorations, and make dumplings. Then it’s time to put on new clothes and celebrate with family and friends. There will be fireworks and lion dancers, shining lanterns, and a great, long dragon parade to help bring in the Lunar New Year. And the dragon parade in our book is extra long–on a surprise fold-out page at the end of the story. Grace Lin’s artwork is…
This book is a modern retelling of the ancient Nian-monster legend, which explains the traditions of the Chinese New Year. One of the best features of this story is the brave and strong heroine, Mei – here’s to girl power! Each spring, the Nian dragon terrorizes the local village, but this year, Mei receives a magical staff in her dream to defeat him. As she figures out how to use it, she teaches the villagers ways to protect themselves, including wearing red clothes, setting off firecrackers, and making food offerings. This isn’t just an action-packed story, but it teaches children (6-8 years) to be brave and not give up, no matter how scared they are.
2020 EUREKA Excellence in Nonfiction Awards - Gold Winner 2020 Feather Quill Reviewer's Choice Award Mei hates springtime. Why? Because it's only in the spring that Nian, a fierce dragon, is able to leave his mountain prison under the sea to terrorize the local village. When the villagers hear the rumblings of Nian's hungry stomach, they know that winter has ended and spring is coming. But this year on the night before the first day of spring, a magical warrior visits Mei in her dreams. He tells Mei that it is her destiny to face and defeat Nian. But she…
Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas is a clever Chinese twist on the classic story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Set in modern-day Chinatown, the book for 4 to 8-year olds tells the story of Goldy Luck, who takes a plate of turnip cakes to the neighbors, with the three pandas looking on in the background. As in the original, Goldy leaves behind a mess, but what I like in this retelling is that she returns to the neighbors’ house with rice porridge and helps fix their broken furniture. Another great feature is that the back of the book includes more information about Chinese New Year traditions, decorations, and special foods. Word of warning: if you get this book for your little ones, they might want to try the recipe for turnip cakes!
A favorite fairy tale set in a bustling contemporary Chinatown.
It's Chinese New Year, and Goldy Luck’s mother wants her to take a plate of turnip cakes to the neighbors. The Chans aren’t home, but that doesn’t stop Goldy from trying out their rice porridge, their chairs, and their beds—with disastrous results.
In this funny and festive retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Natasha Yim and Grace Zong introduce a plucky heroine who takes responsibility for her actions and makes a new friend (and a whole plate of turnip cakes!), just in time for Chinese New Year.
The traditional origin story of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac is retold in this colorful book for children aged 3 to 6. Long ago, the Jade Emperor announced a swimming race and invited all the animals in the kingdom to participate. The first twelve across the river would have a year of the zodiac named after them. Apart from the lovely illustrations, what I really like about this book is the inclusion of not only the English text but also the Chinese translation and Pinyin to help children pronounce the Chinese characters (either simplified or traditional, depending on the edition). The authors even provide a free audio reading of the book in Mandarin on their website.
Celebrate Chinese New Year and learn how every animal earned its place in the Chinese zodiac by taking part in the Great Race! Discover who will come first to win the ultimate prize, and find out why Cat will never forgive his friend Rat in this ancient folk tale that has been passed from generation to generation.
Praise for Deep in the Woods, the previous title from Christopher Corr: '... the book looks like a delectable candy box... There is a lesson here - about friendship, and sharing - but the book never feels plodding or pedantic... Which may be…
This is a picture book created to help children learn how to determine Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, in countries where the summer sun remains high in the sky.
Tova travels with her mother to Alaska during the summer solstice. In the Land of the Midnight Sun, she is uncertain how to tell time because the sun never rises or sets. Tova wonders how she will know when the Sabbath begins or ends. Eventually, she talks to a wise orca. The whale shares her secret to understanding time with a circular sun and reminds Tova of the magic of Shabbat is more than telling time.
A Whale of a Tale: A Sabbath Summer Solstice Story
A Whale of a Tale: A Sabbath Summer Solstice Story is a picture book created to help children learn how to determine Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, in countries where the summer sun remains high in the sky. Tova travels with her mother to Alaska during the summer solstice. In the Land of the Midnight Sun, she is uncertain how to tell time because the sun never rises or sets. Tova wonders how she will know when Sabbath begins or ends. Eventually, she talks to a wise orca. The whale shares her secret to understanding time with a circular sun and…
