September 15, 2016
Preschool-K In this installment of the Bumba Books: It's a Holiday series, the spotlight is on Chinese New Year. On each two-page spread, a full-color, full-bleed photo shows a feature of the festivities, while straightforward sentences describe that feature in terms ideal for preschooler comprehension. A photo of a team of dancers wielding a frilled dragon in a parade is paired with People dance to celebrate. Some people dress as dragons. A photo of tiled rooftops lined with glowing red paper lanterns appears alongside People decorate with red. This color means good luck. Though the information is slight, it covers the major elements kids in the target audience would recognize, like decorations, food, presents, and time of year. Occasional critical-thinking questions offer opportunities for deeper consideration. Though an image of a Chinese lunar calendar, which has little explanation and no comparison to the Gregorian calendar, could be confusing for some readers, this is a useful introduction to the basics of a holiday that will likely be unfamiliar for many young ones.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)