This book is about a family preparing to celebrate the Chinese New Year. This book's main strength is that it does a really good job highlighting Chinese culture and a unique New Year's celebration. This book would be appropriate for early to intermediate elementary readers. ( )

A loving family celebrates Chinese (or Lunar) New Year in this brightly-illustrated picture-book from author/artist Grace Lin. As Jie-jie sweeps the doorstep and Ba-ba hangs up spring-happiness poems, the entire family gets into the spirit, welcoming in the new year with joy and festivity...

Pairing a simple text - no more than a sentence or two per page - with colorful gouache illustrations, Bringing in the New Year is a pleasing picture-book celebration of this important moment in the Chinese year. Like Lin's Dim Sum for Everyone!, which I have also read, it seems aimed at younger, preschool children, perhaps ages two through five, and introduces many customs and objects associated with Chinese New Year. I do feel, much as I did with Dim Sum for Everyone!, that it would have been nice to specify what words like Jie-jie (older sister) and Mei-mei (younger sister) mean, but leaving that aside, this is one I would recommend to picture-book readers seeking simple but appealing Chinese/Lunar New Year titles. ( )

A Chinese family is preparing to welcome the Lunar New Year by partaking in various traditions that seem to give a feeling of a fresh start. The illustrations effortlessly aid in informing the reader of beautiful customs such as "opening the eyes of the dragon" and waking the dragon as the New Year arrives. This book is a great introduction for new readers to a widely celebrated holiday. ( )

Genre: Fiction
Grade: PreK- Second grade

Bringing in the New Year is about a Chinese American family who is preparing to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Throughout the book, the author and illustrator shows various activities like cooking, cleaning, decorating, cutting their hair, and many more. Throughout the book, the author includes accurate key details of Chinese New Year’s festivities, which is important when portraying real life events and customs. After reading this book, I have decided to give it 5/5 stars because of the accuracy of the customs and portrayal of Chinese American families. Throughout this book, the author provides a way for readers to interact with the text and count down to the “Chinese New Year” or the end of the book. Throughout the book, I have found that I liked looking at the illustrations provided because it got readers excited about finishing the book and learning about the Chinese culture. This book works well for young readers because the text is written in a simple way, which is easy for early comprehension.

Join this Chinese American families as they prepare for the New Year: everyone lends a hand to sweep out the dust of the old year, hang decorations, and make dumplings. Then it's time to put on new clothes and celebrate with family and friends There will be fireworks and lion dancers, shining lanterns and a great, long dragon parade. What better way to bring in the New Year?