Collection Spotlight: January 2022

 

Collection Highlights: Winter Holiday

Contributed by Jordan Wohlfort, Collection Development Librarian

January 2022

The Chinese New Year, otherwise known as the Lunar New Year, will fall on February 1st this year, beginning a year of the tiger. Check out the books below that are set around the Chinese New Year or Chinese culture.

Lunar New Year

Children’s

Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade : Mindy Kim, Book 2, by Lyla Lee

BR 23229 ; BR 23231 (uncontracted) ; DB 99227

Mindy Kim is excited to go to the Lunar New Year parade with her father and her best friend, Sally. She decides to make traditional Korean New Year food, a rice-cake soup that's her favorite, but things don't go as planned.

The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale, by Ying Chang Compestine and Sebastià Serra

BR 20017

On Chinese New Year's Eve, Ming trades eggs for a rusted wok that sings to him. His mother is unhappy until she realizes the singing wok is magic--and brings more than enough food, toys, and coins to share with other poor families.

Happy New Year, Julie: American Girl, 1974, Book 3, by Megan McDonald

BR 17628 ; DB 66160

San Francisco, 1974. Shuttling between their mother's and father's houses to celebrate Christmas is no fun for Julie and her sister Tracy. But Julie finds comfort in sharing the Chinese New Year traditions of her best friend, Ivy Ling, and in thinking about new beginnings.

The Year of the Dog : Pacy Lin, Book 1, by Grace Lin

BR 16624

While Pacy's Taiwanese American family prepares the Chinese New Year feast, Pacy hopes the Year of the Dog will be lucky for her. She does make a new best friend at school but "finding herself"--discovering her own talent--takes longer. 

This Next New Year, by Janet S. Wong

BR 16033

A young boy talks about the rituals his family and friends observe as they anticipate the Chinese New Year. They hope that their preparations will ensure a good new year.

Gung Hay Fat Choy = Happy New Year, by June Behrens

DB 42638

Gung Hay Fat Choy is the Chinese New Year, a festival that may last for many days with family reunions, ceremonies honoring ancestors, and rituals thanking the gods for their blessings. It is also a grand birthday party, for the Chinese add a year to their age on Gung Hay Fat Choy, no matter the day of their birth. This book explains the Chinese New Year and describes its celebration by Chinese Americans.

When the Circus Came to Town, by Laurence Yep

DB 60844

Montana stagecoach station, about 1900. Ten-year-old Ursula catches smallpox that leaves her face so badly scarred she hides away. Ah Sam, the cook, and a Chinese New Year celebration help Ursula to regain her confidence.

Celebrate Chinese New Year, by Carolyn Otto

DB 69711

Explains the significance of Chinese New Year traditions--the food, fireworks, dragons, lanterns, and family activities. Includes instructions for making a paper lantern, playing the drum and flower game, and baking fortune cookies.

Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats : A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes, by Nina Simonds and Leslie Swartz

DB 57026

Presents background, related stories, traditional foods, and activities for five Chinese celebrations--Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival, Qing Ming (honoring ancestors), the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.

Young Adult

Donald Duk, by Frank Chin

DB 34553

Twelve-year-old Donald Duk hates his cartoon name and his Chinese-American heritage, preferring to envision himself as the tap-dancing Fred Astaire. As Chinese New Year approaches, with constant reminders of his culture, Donald dreams about his ancestors working on the railroads. The truths he learns from the dreams and his father's lectures give Donald a history very different from the one taught in his private school.

Outrun the Moon, by Stacey Lee

DB 85851

San Francisco, California; 1906. Fifteen-year-old Mercy Wong--daughter of Chinese immigrants--struggles to hold her own among the spoiled heiresses at prestigious St. Clare's School for Girls. When tragedy strikes, everyone must put aside their differences and band together to survive.

Adult

City of Dragons : Miranda Corbie, Book 1, by Kelli Stanley

DB 97283

February, 1940. San Francisco's Chinatown celebrates Chinese New Year with a three-day-and-night carnival designed to raise money and support for China war relief. After thirty-three-year-old PI Miranda Corbie stumbles upon the fatally shot body of Eddie Takahashi, she learns that the Chamber of Commerce wants it covered up. Strong language, some descriptions of sex, and some violence.

The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck

BR 09400 ; DB 37294 ; DB 12516 (Spanish language) ; DB 31922 (Vietnamese language)

Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by a winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Describes the rise of Wang Lung, a poor Chinese peasant. The story begins with his wedding day, as he ponders his good fortune that now he will have a woman to take over the chore of lighting a fire to heat the water for his bath. With the help and patience of his new wife, O-lan, Wang Lung becomes a rich landowner.