Thursday, February 12 marked the Lunar New Year, a holiday celebrated by Asians throughout the world every year as the start of the lunar calendar. February 12 also marked the beginning of the weeks-long festival celebrating the Chinese New Year, so this week is the perfect time to check out some fun and educational books about the holiday! The titles below teach kids about Lunar New Year traditions and history through picture, chapter, and nonfiction books.
School Age Program Coordinator Jennifer Johnson highlights some of her favorites in the video below. And you can find even more Lunar New Year books in the following list. These books are mostly intended for kids ages 8-12, but they can be enjoyed by all ages.
Click the titles in the list to browse and put them on hold for curbside pickup. If you don’t know where to start, request a Book Bundle about the Lunar New Year and we’ll pick some books for you! You can also call (423) 434-4458 for more information on any of these titles. For more on what we offer for kids and families, click here.
Picture Books
The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale by Ying Chang Compestine
Maisy’s Chinese New Year by Lucy Cousins
Dragon’s Hometown by Hongyou Dong
Lunar New Year by Hannah Eliot
Long-Long’s New Year: A Story about the Chinese Spring Festival by Catherine Gower
My First Chinese New Year by Karen Katz
Ruby’s Chinese New Year by Vickie Lee
Chinese New Year Colors by Rich Lo
New Year by Rich Lo
Happy Chinese New Year, Kai-Lan! by Lauryn Silverhardt
The Nian Monster by Andrea Wang
The Race for the Chinese Zodiac by Gabrielle Wang
This Next New Year by Janet Wong
A New Year’s Reunion by Li-Qiong Yu
Chapter Books
Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade by Lyla Lee
The Year of the Dog: A Novel by Grace Lin
Happy New Year, Julie by Megan McDonald
The New Year Dragon Dilemma by Ron Roy
The Star Maker by Laurence Yep
When the Circus Came to Town by Laurence Yep
The Dragon Warrior by Katie Zhao
Nonfiction
Chinese New Year by Tricia Brown
D Is for Dragon Dance by Ying Chang Compestine
Chinese New Year by Alice Flanagan
Lunar New Year by Susan Hamen
Chinese New Year: A Celebration for Everyone by Jen Sookfong Lee
Celebrate Chinese New Year by Carolyn Otto
Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats by Nina Simonds
Lion Dancer: Ernie Wan’s Chinese New Year by Kate Waters