Happy Chinese New Year! Alex's Good Fortune by Benson Shum

What's better than the first day of a week of special days? Inviting your best friend along for the fun?

It's the first day of the celebration, and Alex gets up early to invite her friend Ethan to join her family in the first day of Chinese New Year. Wearing her red shirt and headband, Alex pulls Ethan along to her house, where they join the parade, making their big paper dragon twist and bounce and dance in the parade to bring good luck to everyone there. Drums boom, cymbals crash, and firecrackers pop! And then the two race back to Alex's house, where their first job is to help Alex's grandmother shape dumplings to steam and fry up for the family feast that night.

FOLD AND PINCH! FOLD AND PINCH!

Everything should be spotless for the New Year's celebration, so Ethan pitches in to help Alex clean her room, and he is rewarded when Alex's Aunt Lin gives them both red envelopes with the traditional Lucky Money inside.

And then it's time for the New Year's feast, with special foods. There are noodles for long life and health, dumplings for wealth, and fish for prosperity, and a big platter of candied fruit and candy to make the new year sweet.

ALEX SERVES THE TEA. ETHAN CARRIES IN THE RICE.

And at last it is the night of the lantern festival with beautiful lanterns hanging from the trees to bring everyone a bright new year.

"THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR HOLIDAY WITH ME," SAID ETHAN. "XIN NIAN KUDI LE!"

This year, the Year of the Ox, begins on February 12--a good day to wear red, wish everyone a happy, healthy and wealthy year, and perhaps dance with a dragon and have some delicious Chinese dumplings for dinner. Benson Shum's new Alex's Good Fortune (Penguin/Random House, 2020) has two lively friends takes young readers through much of the fun and customs of the season. Add a readaloud story, Sam and the Lucky Money along with some fortune cookies for story-time snacks. Find more books about that other February holiday here.