A CHINESE NEW YEAR TRADITION from Northwest China: Playing with Lanterns by Wang Yage
ABOUT THE BOOK
Zhao Di wishes the New Year would never end!
Zhao Di and her friends are excited to go out at night with their paper lanterns and celebrate Chinese New Year. Each holding a unique colorful lantern with a lit candle inside, they admire the breathtaking colors while doing their best to avoid the wind and the sneaky boys in the village. Every night, until the fifteenth day of New Year, Zhao Di and her friends take part in this fun tradition, experiencing the thrill of nighttime in their village. And then—it’s time to smash the lanterns!
In this cheerful book first published in China, readers are invited along with Zhao Di and her friends as they experience all the joy and excitement of this folk Chinese custom. Details about the paper lantern tradition are also included in an author’s note at the end of the book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR
Wang Yage was born in Shaanxi, a central and historical province of China, where the custom of playing with lanterns was once a popular Chinese New Year tradition. A doctor of classical Chinese literature, she teaches at the University of Tibet. Playing with Lanterns is her first picture book. First published in China, the book made the prestigious White Ravens international book list.
Zhu Chengliang is an award-winning Chinese illustrator. Born in Shanghai and raised in Suzhou, he studied at the Department of Fine Art, Nanjing University, and has worked as an author, illustrator, editor, and designer. He was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2016, which is the highest international distinction given to authors and illustrators of children's books. His books have been named one of the Ten Best Illustrated Books by the New York Times and to the IBBY Honor List.
Helen Wang is a writer and translator from the UK. In 2017 she was given a Special Contributor of the Year honor as part of the Chen Bochui International Children's Literature Awards for her work in bringing Chinese children’s literature to English-speaking audiences. Wang has translated novels, picture books, and graphic novels, including Cao Wenxuan’s Bronze and Sunflower, which won the Marsh Christian Award for Children’s Literature in Translation.
REVIEW
Playing with Lanterns shares experience of a young girl as she and her friends celebrate the Chinese new year with the paper lanterns given to them by their uncles. Zhao Di joins with her friends in running around their village waving their lanterns. They have to be careful though because each lantern holds a candle that could blow out if they aren't careful. Despite some of the village boys teasing them, the girls enjoy their time outside. Zhao Di and her friends then smash the lanterns at the end of the fifteenth and final day of the New Year celebration to ensure no bad luck follows them into the new year. This book shares the sweetness of shared celebrations and difficulty of moving back into routine life. Chengliang's lovely illustrations highlight the fun nicely making for a picture book that opens reader's eyes to an enjoyable cultural tradition.
IMAGES FROM THE BOOK
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