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This Next New Year
A young boy looks forward to the Chinese New Year — also known as the Lunar New Year, the day of the first new moon. It is a time of hope, and you don't have to be Chinese to celebrate it! His best friend, Glenn, who is French and German, and his cousin Evelyn, part Hopi and part Mexican, like the food and envelopes of money, while he celebrates the fresh start the day offers. He cleans the house to make room for luck, and is glad the palms of his hands itch — that means he is coming into money. Most of all, he vows not to say things such as "cant do / don't have / why me because he has dreams he is ready to make come true. Janet Wong's spare, lyrical couplets voice a child's determination to face the new year with courage and optimism. Yangsook Choi captures the spirit of celebration in her vibrant, energetic pictures. |
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| Comments from the Author For me, the Lunar New Year is truly a time of hope. Once I have failed all the crazy new year's resolutions I routinely make on January 1st, here it is—I have a second chance, a fresh start. I hate cleaning house but I love a clean house, and each Lunar New Year's Eve, I madly rush around dusting and mopping and clearing my desk, making room for some good luck to settle. And then, on Lunar New Year's Day, I feel great. I eat well for a few extra weeks. I walk. Why couldn't this happen at any other time of the year? It could—and should! Teachers and librarians might want to read this book at the beginning of the "real" new year for most of us—the beginning of the school year, in September! When children read THIS NEXT NEW YEAR, I want them to think of their own big dreams, and to start seeing the way to make them come true. Awards and Honors
"The concepts of renewal, starting over, and luck, which inform many of the rituals, will resonate with young readers, and the narrator's personal impression of the celebration makes this a refreshing departure from the standard nonfiction holiday-introduction fare."
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