The 25+ Best Chinese New Year Books for Kids & Families
Celebrate the Lunar New Year with these Fun Books
The Chinese New Year is a time for celebrating with family members, eating traditional foods, and participating in cultural traditions like the dragon dance. It's also a great opportunity for kids to learn about Chinese culture and traditions.
The Year of the Tiger comes to an end on 21 Jan 2022 and the Year of the Rabbit begins the official Chinese New Year celebration.
The upcoming Year of the Rabbit is predicted to be a year of hope, largely because the rabbit is associated with peace, prosperity and long life.
Popular Chinese New Year Traditions
Books are a great way to learn about the many different Chinese New Year activities and the traditions that families celebrate at Lunar New Year. This includes Chinese New Year customs like the dragon dance, red envelopes filled with lucky money (especially popular with kids!) and eating traditional foods like dumplings and turnip cakes! Other traditions to bring good luck and a fresh start to the new year, family members all wear new clothes and cannot sweep their floors!
There are so many great Chinese New Year books available today so be sure to visit your local library to check them out! Before you head out, build a book list with the below lunar new year books. From picture books to flap books, and board books, there is a gorgeous selection for young readers to choose from. These children's books feature fun stories, lively illustrations, and simple text that are perfect for kids of all ages.
1. Bringing In the New Year
This celebrated story by Grace Lin follows a Chinese American family as they prepare for the Lunar New Year. Each member of the family lends a hand as they sweep out the dust of the old year, hang decorations, and make dumplings. Then it’s time to put on new clothes and celebrate with family and friends. At the start of the Chinese New Year, fireworks and lion dancers, shining lanterns, and a great, long dragon parade help to bring in the Lunar New Year. And the dragon parade in our book is extra long–on a surprise fold-out page at the end of the story.
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Ages: 2 - 4 years
2. Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas
A favorite fairy tale set in a bustling contemporary Chinatown. It's Chinese New Year, and Goldy Luck’s mother wants her to take a plate of turnip cakes to the neighbors. The Chans aren’t home, but that doesn’t stop Goldy from trying out their rice porridge, their chairs, and their beds—with disastrous results.
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Ages: 2 - 6 years
3. My First Chinese New Year (My First Holiday)
Author-illustrator Karen Katz's My First Chinese New Year presents a warm and lively introduction to a special holiday that will make young readers want to start a Chinese New Year tradition!
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Ages: 2 - 5 years
4. Ruby's Chinese New Year
In this picture book by Vickie Lee celebrating Chinese New Year, the Chinese zodiac animals help a little girl deliver a gift to her grandmother.
Ruby has a special gift to give to her grandmother for Chinese New Year. Ruby meets each of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac signs on her journey. But who will help her get to grandmother’s house to deliver it? Will it be clever Rat, strong Ox, or cautious Rabbit?
Amazon Rating: 4.8 (Teacher’s Pick)
Ages: 4 - 8 years
5. Happy Chinese New Year!: A Festive Counting Story
Count to twelve with the zodiac animals as they get ready to celebrate Chinese New Year! Sweet, colorful illustrations introduce each of the zodiac animals as they bring special items to the celebration.
Amazon Rating: 5.0
Ages: Baby - 3 years
6. The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale
When a boy goes to the market to buy food and comes home with an old wok instead, his parents wonder what they'll eat for dinner. But then the wok rolls out of the poor family's house with a skippity-hoppity-ho! and returns from the rich man's home with a feast in tow!
With spirited text and lively illustrations, this story reminds readers about the importance of generosity.
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Ages: 6 - 8 years
7. Chinese New Year: A Mr. Men Little Miss Book
The Mr. Men and Little Misses are celebrating Chinese New Year! Little Miss Neat is having a Chinese New Year party with traditional decorations, a New Year's Eve feast, and the next day there will even be a dancing dragon. What could possibly go wrong at the lunar new year celebrations?
Amazon Rating: 4.6
Ages: 3 - 5 years
8. Lunar New Year (Celebrate the World)
After the winter solstice each year, it’s time for a celebration with many names: Chinese New Year, Spring Festival, and Lunar New Year! With beautiful artwork by Chinese illustrator Alina Chau, this wonderful book reminds readers that Lunar New Year invites us to spend time with family and friends, to light lanterns, and set off fireworks, dance with dragons, and to live the new year in harmony and happiness.
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Ages: 1 - 5 years
9. Sam and the Lucky Money
During Chinese New Year, a young boy encounters a homeless person and discovers that no gift is too small when it comes from the heart.
In her picture book debut, author Karen Chinn tells the affecting story of a child who discovers that sometimes the best gifts come from the heart. Vivid watercolor paintings in this great book celebrate the sights and sounds of festive Chinatown streets.
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Ages: 4 - 7 years
10. The Nian Monster
The legendary Nian monster in Chinese story has returned at Chinese New Year. With horns, scales, and wide, wicked jaws, Nian is intent on devouring Shanghai, starting with Xingling! The old tricks to keep him away don't work on Nian anymore, but Xingling is clever. Will her quick thinking be enough to save the city from the Nian Monster?
Amazon Rating: 4.9
Ages: 4 - 8 years
11. Baby Loves Lunar Phases on Chinese New Year!
While celebrating Chinese New Year, Baby discovers the science behind lunar phases! Beautiful, visually stimulating illustrations complement age-appropriate language to encourage baby's sense of wonder. Parents and caregivers may learn a thing or two as well!
Amazon Rating: 4.9
Ages: Baby - 3 years
12. Baby's First Chinese New Year
Learn all about the amazing new year holiday with your little one! Baby's First Chinese New Yearperfectly captures the joy of this special celebration and is an ideal preschool learning introduction to the traditions of the festival! The bright and colorful images in this book are the perfect way to discover the new year holiday traditions together.
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Ages: Baby - 2 years
13. 12 Lucky Animals: A Bilingual Baby Book
The adventure loving Dragon, the carefree Horse, and the artistic Goat are just three of the 12 Lucky Animals to be found in the Chinese zodiac, rendered here in bright illustrations. Use the wheel on the back cover to help little readers discover who their lucky animal is and how to pronounce its name in Chinese and English.
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Ages: 1 - 4 years
14. A Chinese New Year Lift-the-Flap Book
This interactive lift-the-flap book is perfect for parents and young children to enjoy together! It’s Lunar New Year and there are so many fun things to do! Shopping at the outdoor market for fresh flowers, eating New Year’s dinner with the whole family, receiving red envelopes from Grandma and Grandpa, and best of all-watching the spectacular Lunar New Year’s parade!
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Ages: 2 - 4 years
15. How to Catch a Dragon
From the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling How to Catch series comes an all-new dragon story, a great Chinese New Year book for kids! Set in China during the Spring Festival, otherwise known as Chinese New Year, the wily dragon will have to avoid trap after trap as the kids run through paper lanterns, red lunar envelopes, fireworks, and more!
Bonus educational content and Mandarin translations are in the back of the book to enhance your reading experience.
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Ages: 3 - 5 years
16. Alex's Good Fortune
In this story designed to engage early readers, charming characters combine with simple text and lively illustrations. Laugh-out-loud humor helps to boost kids' confidence and create lifelong readers! Complete with fun facts about the holiday in the back of the book, young readers will want to revisit this story again and again.
Exciting, easy-to-read books are the stepping stone a young reader needs to bridge the gap between being a beginner and being fluent.
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Ages: 5 - 7 years
17. Peppa’s Chinese New Year
It's the year of the Pig--Peppa Pig, that is! When Madame Gazelle tells the children it's time to celebrate Chinese New Year, they couldn't be more excited. Peppa and her best friend hang lanterns, eat fortune cookies, and put on a dragon dance!This beautiful There's also a sheet of fun facts in the back about Lunar New Year traditions.
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Ages: 1 -4 years
18. Chinese New Year Wishes: Chinese Spring and Lantern Festival Celebration
In this beautifully illustrated book, children aged 2 to 6 will follow Hong as he and his family prepare for and celebrate the Chinese New Year Festival. They will also enjoy reading the story behind the most important celebration in Chinese culture and for Chinese people. More interesting facts and questions for discussion are included at the back of the book.
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Ages: 2 -6 years
19. Our Lunar New Year
It's almost Lunar New Year! Xiao Mi, Hang, Kwan, Malai and Charu all celebrate the New Year in their own special way. Learn how other Asian cultures such as Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Indian children and their families honor Lunar New Year, from dragon dances in China to firecrackers in India!
Amazon Rating: 4.6
Ages: 4 - 8 years
20. Chelsea's Chinese New Year
helsea's family is celebrating Chinese New Year! Chelsea gets to stay up late. She watches fireworks and a parade with a dragon! She and her family have a big feast. Find out the different ways people celebrate this special day in this fun book!
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Ages: 3 - 9 years
21. PoPo's Lucky Chinese New Year
When her Chinese grandmother comes to visit, a young girl learns of and participates in the customs and beliefs and ancient times to celebrate an authentic Chinese New Year.
Amazon Rating: 4.9
Ages: 6 - 9 years
22. Celebrate Chinese New Year: With Fireworks, Dragons, and Lanterns
Celebrate Chinese New Year is the latest and timely addition to National Geographic’s popular Holidays Around the World series. With 25 colorful images and a simple, educational text, the book is a lively invitation to revel in this child-friendly, national and international holiday.
Amazon Ratings: 4.7
Ages: 3 - 8 years
23. Mulan's Lunar New Year
There is a lot to do to prepare for this important celebration, and for the first time, Mulan is old enough to help out. But everything Mulan does seems to turn out wrong. . . . Follow along with Mulan in this special Lunar New Year story that captures the unique sense of magic, imagination, and possibility that surrounds the holiday!
Amazon Rating: 4.8 (Teacher’s Pick)
Ages: 6 - 8 years
24. The Great Race
Race with the animals of the Zodiac as they compete to have the years of the lunar calendar named after them. The excitement-filled story is followed by notes on the Chinese calendar, important Chinese holidays, and a chart outlining the animal signs based on birth years.
Amazon Ratings: 4.6
Ages: 4 - 10 years
25. The Race for the Chinese Zodiac
With gorgeous illustrations based on Chinese painting techniques, a lively retelling of the legendary animals’ race that led to the twelve signs on the Chinese Zodiac. Thirteen animals are racing for only twelve places on the Zodiac. Who will be honest, and who devious? Who will help friends along the way? Who will come first — and who will miss out?
Amazon Rating: 4.8 (Goodreads Choice)
Ages: 5 - 9 years
26. BoBo's Colorful Chinese New Year
BoBo, our red panda, is so excited to celebrate Chinese New Year! BoBo’s Colorful Chinese New Year is a bilingual book written in Mandarin and English.
This book is ideal for babies and children in their first years of learning Chinese and starting to recognize Chinese characters. May readers enjoy this book as much as BoBo enjoys celebrating Chinese New Year!
Amazon Rating: 4.9
Ages Baby - 2 years
27. The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac
The Story of the Chinese Zodiac. As the new year approaches, each animal wants it to be named after them, but no one can agree. The Jade Emperor decides there should be a race to decide the winner, but who will win?
Amazon Rating: 4.4
Ages: 5 - 6 years
28. The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac
Celebrate Chinese New Year and learn how every animal earned its place in the Chinese zodiac by taking part in the Great Race! Discover who will come first to win the ultimate prize, and find out why Cat will never forgive his friend Rat in this ancient folk tale that has been passed from generation to generation.
Amazon Ratings: 4.6
Ages: 3 - 6 years
There are so many great Chinese New Year books available to read and enjoy with your child. Be sure to explore these cultural events for the Chinese New Year in your community too!