It's Chinese New Year, Curious George

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Happy New Year!! With the start of January, we all begin our thoughts for the new year. Whether you make resolutions, choose a word for the year, or just reflect, we all have our own traditions. As we get into January perhaps you start to celebrate or learn about the lunar new year. Over the years we have shared various things from fun facts, crafts and books about the lunar new year, Chinese New Year and Chinese zodiac. By the way the lunar new year begins January 22, 2023 and it is the year of the rabbit. Today I am going to share a wonderful new book that helps young children learn about the Chinese New Year and it does it with a well-loved character--Curious George. The book is It's Chinese New Year, Curious George by H.A. Rey and Maria Wen Adcock. It is a tabbed board book and is recommended for baby through 4 year-olds. 

From the Publisher:

Everyone’s favorite curious little monkey celebrates Chinese New Year with his friend Mei in this playful rhyming tabbed board book.

Curious George joins his friend Mei and her family as they prepare for and celebrate Chinese New Year!

From cleaning house and finding red clothes to wear, to hanging decorations and enjoying a family feast, to fireworks and a dragon dance, George and readers will enjoy learning about many Chinese New Year traditions.

With a rhyming text, colorful illustrations, and sturdy tabbed pages for the littlest hands, this playful board book makes a great read for all fans of Curious George—those who celebrate Chinese New Year, and those who are learning about it for the first time!

About the Author:

Maria Wen Adcock is the author of It’s Chinese New Year, Curious George published by Clarion Books/Harper Collins. Maria is a first-generation Chinese-American writer and founder of the award-winning multicultural parenting blog www.BiculturalMama.com. She has appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, Bloomberg News, Newsday, and Huffington Post. Maria is a board member of Multicultural Kid Blogs, an organization supporting diverse parenting bloggers, and co-host of the annual publishing event Multicultural Children’s Book Day. She resides on Long Island with her husband and two children.

From Me:

First, we will start by congratulating fellow blogger, Maria Wen Adcock on this book!! We have been participating in blog hops and blog series together through Multicultural Kid Blogs for years. It is an honor to share her book with you. Second, let's also comment on how it is about Curious George. Who doesn't love Curious George. I remember reading Curious George as a child and reading and watching Curious George with Hazel when she was young. Curious George seems like a perfect character to introduce young children to Chinese New Year. After all he always is doing something new with a friend. 

I love how this book shares so many customs and information about Chinese New Year. It talks about it being the lunar new year and not just celebrated in China. It shares the customs of cleaning the house, cutting one's hair, getting new clothes and hanging the signs upside down and the importance of the color red. It also shares the importance of family gathering, the extra-long noodles and not wanting to break them. There are also the red envelopes with eight bills--and eight being a good number as well as fireworks. Then there is the parade and dragon dance. The book ends with the Lantern Festival when begins as Chinese New Year ends. The book even shares a few of the customs of the Lantern Festival as well. 

Basically, this book is all encompassing of the holiday and shares with young children in a fun and easy manner all about it. It is written in verse and rhymes. It is a sweet Curious George story that kids will love. Whether you celebrate the Chinese New Year or want to explore another culture with your kids, this book is one to check out. It goes on sale January 3, 2023.