Children's Literature
Through a young boy's eves we experience the joys and anticipation leading up to the lunar New Year, the Chinese New Year. Lunar New Year is celebrated at a different time each year because it depends on when the new moon occurs. It is a time for hope and a second chance. A time to reach for your dreams. The protagonists best friends, a French and German boy and another who is part Hopi and part Mexican also celebrate the Chinese New Year. Lots of preparation is required. The boy helps his mother clean. He cleans himself and even flosses his teeth in preparation for the big holiday. When it arrives he promises to be brave and not cover his ears and hide his face during the lighting of the firecrackers. He is ready for his second chance, no negative thoughts. It is a new beginning. Yangsook Choi brings the celebration vividly to life with her bright, vibrant pictures. 2000, Frances Foster Books, Ages 3 to 5, $16.00. Reviewer: Leila Toledo
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2-A Chinese-Korean boy relates how he and his friends celebrate the "lunar new year, the day of the first new moon." One child celebrates the holiday with "Thai food to go," while a non-Asian child likes to get "-red envelopes stuffed with money from her neighbor who came from Singapore." The narrator's mother cooks a special Korean soup, and his family observes the traditions of house cleaning, lighting firecrackers, and being extra good to ensure a lucky new year. Wong carefully and clearly presents the reasons behind the rituals in a manner understandable to young children. She explains in an appended note about her own confusion as a child about the timing and meaning of the holiday. Choi's vibrant, somewhat primitive paintings realistically capture the details of and preparations for this hopeful time of year. Youngsters will enjoy the bright colors and the sense of motion and activity conveyed as the boy helps his mother clean, flosses his teeth, and cringes from the noise of the firecrackers. A good choice for anyone getting ready to celebrate Chinese New Year.-Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
The lunar new year doesn't begin on the first of January; it begins on the day of the first new moon. This celebration is commonly called the Chinese New Year but it is one celebrated by many cultures. A young boy (who is "half Korean") explains in a simple way his own family's traditions, which include a big bowl of duk gook, the Korean newyear soup, and then he tells about his friends. There's Glenn, "who is French and German" and "who celebrates . . . by eating Thai food to go." His other best friend Evelyn, "part Hopi and part Mexican," receives red envelopes "stuffed with money from her neighbor who came from Singapore." Going through his preparations, he literally cleans up the house, his clothes, and his own body, getting rid of all the bad luck to make room for the good. Wong's (Night Garden, 1999, etc.) poetic voice creates art from the ordinary: "A river of leaves from the plant that died even thought I meant to water it soon—gone." A new year vow becomes, "I will not say one awful thing, none of that, can't do, don't have, why me, because this is it, a fresh start, my second chance." Choi's (Nim and the War Effort, 1996, etc.) lively, twopage spreads in bright colors, perfectly complement the energetic text, adding visual reinforcement to the scenes described by the narrator. (author's note) (Picture book. 36)
