New Year
Written and Illustrated by Rich Lo
Sky Pony Press   11/15/2016
978-1-5107-0723-8
40 pages    Ages 3—6

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“Moving is hard enough—
but to a whole new country?

“A young boy and his family have just come to Los Angeles from Hong Kong. They live below Dodger stadium—so cool. But things at school, not so much. Only one other student in class can speak Chinese, so the young boy can barely understand what’s going on. And these kids are so different.

“One day the teacher decides the class is going to decorate their classroom. The boy loves art, finally something he is good at! Since it is almost Chinese New Year, the boy decides that is going to be his project. Lanterns, paper firecrackers, dragon boats—all the wonderful memories come back, and his artwork is gorgeous. Everyone goes crazy for it.

“And suddenly, the boy sees he’s not so different after all.”  [INSIDE JACKET]

The Story
A young Chinese boy begins school in America with limited English skills. He understands very little and receives no help from the other students. He feels alone and different. At home, the boy tells his family, “I don’t feel good about being Chinese in America.”

In February the class is redecorating their room. The homework assignment is to come up with ideas. At home, the boy asks his mother for help, but she is too busy preparing lotus leaves for the family’s traditional Chinese New Year meal. The boy decides this is his idea and draws all he can remember from past celebrations. At school, the teacher is impressed, as are the kids. Everyone draws dragon boats and paper lanterns.
Review
[WC 236]
Saturday, January 28th will be the Chinese New Year, celebrated on the day of the first new moon between January 21st and February 20th each year. Rich Lo’s New Year is as aesthetically pleasing as his first picture book, Father’s Chinese Opera (review here). Lo’s watercolor illustrations are beautiful, especially when he draws the boy’s Chinese New Year memories. These include colorful dragon boats, Chinese street celebrations with music, and huge-headed, flowing ornamental dragons. Young readers will love these images, just as the boy’s classmates did. As the boy relates the celebrations, he is out of his shell, smiling and dancing, and proud of his Chinese heritage. What a terrific message for other Chinese kids feeling lost in their new American home.
New Year will entertain all children with the excitement of the Chinese New Year celebrations. Any child who was ever experienced being the new kid at school can identify with this aspect of the boy’s story. The teacher’s admission is a nice touch. The boy is never named, making it easy for children to envision themselves in the story. Lo knows how to tell a compelling story for all children, not just Chinese children. The story is about the new kid in school, who finally finds a way to feel a part of his class. The Chinese New Year adds a nice layer of a different culture for young children to learn and enjoy.

NEW YEAR. Text and illustrations copyright © 2016 by Rich Lo. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Sky Pony Press, New York, NY.

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Reprinted with permission from NEW YEAR © 2016 by Rich Lo, Sky Pony Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing. Illustrations © 2016 by Rich Lo.

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Copyright © 2017 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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New Year
Written and Illustrated by Rich Lo
Sky Pony Press 11/15/2016
9781510707238