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Playing with Lanterns
CCBC Review:
On the third day of Chinese New Year, in a snow-blanketed village in Shaanxi province, uncles give their nieces and nephews colorful paper lanterns. Zhao Di’s uncle presents her with two. Careful to keep its candle burning, she carries one out into the cold darkness, where she joins friends with bright lanterns of their own. The girls parade around, enjoying their lanterns, relighting extinguished candles, and squealing at the antics of a pack of unruly boys before Zhao Di’s mother calls her inside. The New Year runs its course, and soon firecrackers light up the sky on the 15th day, seeming to sadly herald the end of the holiday. On the last evening, everyone in the village is outside celebrating. When the moon appears, glowing brightly in the sky, Zhao Di hears a cry: “Smash the lanterns! Smash the lanterns!” As tradition requires, she and her friends smash their lanterns, setting them ablaze before the candles go out, as failing to do so would bring bad luck. In the quiet days after the merriment of the holiday, Zhao Di feels empty until she reminds herself that New Year always comes around again. Illustrations and text work marvelously together to create a sense of time, place, and festivity: Brilliant lanterns and jackets pop against snowy backdrops, while sensory details abound in a translated narrative focused on a child’s experience of a joyful holiday, and the letdown that can sometimes follow. ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by
Chengliang Zhu
Translated by
Helen Wang.
Translated from the Chinese. Originally published in China.
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-7
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Celebrations, Holidays, and Observances
Chinese and Chinese Americans
Seasons
Translated Books
Diversity subject:
Asian
On CCBC Booklist:
Global Reading: Selected Books for Children and Teens Set in Other Countries
Publisher:
Amazon Crossing Kids
Publish Year: 2021
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9781542029841
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Wang