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Children's Fiction Asia

New Year (A Lunar New Year Book for Kids)

by (author) Mei Zihan

illustrated by Qin Leng

Publisher
Greystone Books Ltd
Initial publish date
Nov 2021
Category
Asia, Emigration & Immigration, Diversity & Multicultural, Other, Non-Religious, Alternative Family
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781771647311
    Publish Date
    Nov 2021
    List Price
    $24.95

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Where to buy it

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 9 to 18
  • Grade: 4 to 12

Description

A moving picture book to read when we’re missing family far away, set during Lunar New Year.

It’s Lunar New Year, a time when families come together for a wonderful feast, and a father longs to be with his daughter—but she lives in another country. As he imagines how his daughter is spending the festivities, he recalls fond memories of time spent with her, feeling a sense of loss and dislocation. While he misses her deeply, he also recognizes her need to move away, grow up, and become herself. New Year is a stunning portrait of leaving home, finding independence, and loving those who are many miles away.

With so many families living far apart, readers will relate to the universal message of missing our loved ones and dreaming of being together again.

An excellent resource for teachers, librarians, and parents for starting conversations about:

  • The traditions and importance of Lunar New Year
  • Understanding the complex feelings that come from family and friends living far away
  • How to cope with feelings of loneliness and missing loved ones

An Aldana Libros Book, Greystone Kids

About the authors

Mei Zihan's profile page

Qin Leng was born in Shanghai, China. At the age of five, she moved with her family to Bordeaux, France, where she spent the next four years. Soon after, she moved to Montreal, where she spent the rest of her childhood. Having been born in Asia but raised in the West, she uses both cultures as her source of inspiration. Looking at her illustrations, one can see the presence of both East and West.Qin Leng comes from a family of artists, where the visual senses have always been of the utmost importance. She grew up watching her father work with acrylics, pastel, and ink. Father and daughter often spent their days drawing side by side. Drawing first started as a hobby, but soon became a way of expression.Despite her many years of study to become a biologist, Qin decided at the age of 20 to follow the same path as her father and enrolled in the School of Cinema to study Film Animation at Concordia University. She has produced animated shorts, which were nominated in various nationa

Qin Leng's profile page

Editorial Reviews

“[A] heartfelt, gracefully sketched letter... [with] distinct, delicate ink-and-watercolor illustrations.”
Publishers Weekly

“Gentle, heartfelt … [This book’s] universal themes of family and separation are especially resonant as we cope with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”
Booklist

“[A] story about home, independence, and love … brought to life with stunning watercolor illustrations.”
Quill & Quire

“Lovely artwork… A sentimental holiday story told by a parent as he learns to let go.”
Kirkus Reviews

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