Library exploration assignment.

I really enjoyed reading this book about the Chinese New Year. It held a various amount of information including what, when, and why people celebrate the Chinese New Year. It also describes how to prepare for the holiday, the food that is served, and the gifts and celebrations and what they symbolize. The overall message was to inform readers of the Chinese New Year, and show that it is a time of celebration and a new beginning.
I thought a great aspect of this book was the writing. The author describes the steps of the Chinese New Year from how to prepare to final celebrations. I thought this was a good way for children to learn about the Chinese New Year because they can picture each scene in the sequence it happens. For example, the beginning explains what it is, and then after that it explains the holiday from beginning to end. This helps readers picture how it is celebrated, rather than reading a book with pages of information, they can follow the story line and imagine being there.
I thought the pictures were a good representation of the text. The characters are dressed in Chinese robes and clothing, and the buildings look like it takes place in China. I liked how the characters were small because each page had at least 15 characters doing different activities, and it allowed for there to be more detail. For example, on the pages about cooking, there were multiple characters holding all different plates of food served on Chinese New Year. On the page next to it, it had the pictures of the food each child was holding, along with a description of what it was and what it symbolized. On another page it describes how the Chinese "make a fresh start" for the New Year by cutting their hair, buying clothes, paying debts, etc. The pictures show multiple characters all doing something different, one is washing their hair, another is cutting their friend's hair, others are putting on new clothes,etc. The pictures perfectly depicted the text. The pictures were also very colorful which helped grab my attention. The details of the Chinese dragons and the different Chinese symbols were realistic and would help readers be more familiar with Chinese culture. ( )

This story portrays the facts and traditions for the Chinese New Year. There are cultural relevant pictures with many culture examples. From sweeping the house to lion dances, the Chinese New Year is quite a celebration. The pictures are great support for the culture and theme is catching. ( )

The Chinese New year is celebrated in the Spring for new planting and fresh beginnings. Chinese New Year customs include sweeping and dusting, paying off debts, cooking traditional foods that have meanings, popping fireworks and receiving gifts, and there are lion dances. It is an informational book on the Chinese celebration that could be used to show the differences between the American New Year and the Chinese New Year. It could be used around the New Year or it could be used with an American New Year book when teaching a lesson on comparing and contrasting. ( )

This informative book tells about the Chinese New Year customs. Cleaning, cooking, recieving haircuts, lighting fireworks, and recieving gifts are all part of a happy new year in China. ( )