Chinese New Year: A Celebration for Everyone (Orca Origins) - Hardcover

Lee, Jen Sookfong

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1459811267 ISBN 13: 9781459811263

Publisher: Orca Book Pub, 2017

Synopsis

From its beginnings as a farming celebration marking the end of winter to its current role as a global party featuring good food, lots of gifts and public parades, Chinese New Year is a snapshot of Chinese culture. Award-winning author and broadcaster Jen Sookfong Lee recalls her childhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, and weaves family stories into the history, traditions and evolution of Chinese New Year. Lavishly illustrated with color photographs throughout.

About this title

Review

"I highly recommend this very personal, yet informative book full of the enchanting stories and diverse peoples of Chines New Year. A treasure for all generations, around the globe!"--Paul Yee, Governor General's Award-winning author of Ghost Train

"This wide-ranging, informative book describes the multi-faceted roots, history and evolution of Chinese New Year. Jen Sookfong Lee weaves together engaging personal anecdotes about family and food with fascinating facts about Chinese customs, traditions, and history, providing a window into a special event that over 20 percent of the world's population celebrates annually in 119 countries all over the world. Readers will enjoy the stories and photographs as much as the delicious recipes! Here's a book for the whole family to savour!"--Fiona Tinwei Lam, author of The Rainbow Rocket

"With cozy memories of her own childhood celebrations, Chinese-Canadian Lee successfully sets the tone—the text provides information, but it also acknowledges the very personal aspects of holidays and traditions…Lee capably conveys the diverse, dynamic nature of this holiday, from past to present to future. A thoughtful, thorough reference."--Kirkus Reviews

"Chinese New Year: A Celebration for Everyone provides a satisfying, well-rounded account of Chinese New Year…Readers will be attracted to the book as it offers a good balance between factual information about Chinese people's history and more experiential descriptions about Chinese culture and communal life…The book's numerous photos complement and enhance the text by providing a good visual reference which will be particularly useful for readers who have never visited China or who are unfamiliar with Chinese cultural traditions and history…A good resource for a social studies unit about Chinese or Asian culture…As a whole, Sookfong Lee's book is a welcome nonfiction addition to children's literature. Highly Recommended."--CM Magazine

"Chinese and non-Chinese individuals reminisce about how they celebrated the holiday growing up. Their uniquely personal stories make this book stand out…Kids who think they know about this holiday will be surprised at the new things they learn."--Booklist

"Jen Sookfong Lee's Chinese New Year: A Celebration for Everyone comes together as a semi-autobiographical book blending history, family traditions and recipes. Informative accounts of China's political and cultural past are intermixed with stories of the immigration experiences from different family members. Lee not only shares how family traditions were passed on to her but then passes on these same traditions to readers through recipes and childhood memories. The glossy photographs portraying cultural celebrations worldwide act as a colourful and vivid backdrop for the books message which is Chinese New Year is a celebration for everyone."--Resource Links

"[Readers] will find bright photos on every page, engaging personal stories, and informative sidebars."--School Library Journal

About the Author

Jen Sookfong Lee was born and raised in East Vancouver, British Columbia, and she now lives with her son in North Burnaby. Her books include The Conjoined, a finalist for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, The Better Mother, The End of East, Gentlemen of the Shade and, with Orca, Chinese New Year: A Celebration for Everyone and The Animals of Chinese New Year. Jen appears regularly as a contributor on "The Next Chapter" on CBC Radio One and teaches at The Writer's Studio Online with Simon Fraser University. For more information, visit sookfong.com.

About this edition

• Publisher: Orca Book Pub
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1459811267
• ISBN 13: 9781459811263
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 86