It's once again Nonfiction Monday, and today I'm kicking off a series about Chinese New Year!
Here at Moms Inspire Learning, we love to celebrate and learn about other cultures through picture books. Since the Chinese New Year starts on February 14th this year, now's the time to start thinking about how you can interest your child in this topic.
If your child loves to learn about animals, this subject will be sure to fascinate her or him! 2010 is the year of the tiger, and it's fun to figure out which animal represents the year you were born in. If you weren't born in the year of the tiger, maybe you're an ox, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a horse, a ram, a monkey, a rooster, a dog, a pig, or a rat...Interesting, isn't it?
Art, music, dance, kung fu, cooking, the study of the lunar calendar and Chinese tradition, are just a few of the tie-ins which will truly bring this subject to life for your child (hee, hee...connect the dots). So, here are just a few of the wonderful nonfiction picture books that are available to get you started:
- Lion Dancer: Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year (Reading Rainbow Books)
, by Kate Waters and Madeline Slovenz-Low is perfect for children between the ages of 4 and 7. This photographic picture book shows us what it means for 6 year old Ernie Wan to perform his very first Lion Dance on the streets of New York City. You don't have to be in China to celebrate this festival, after all!
- Celebrating Chinese New Year
, by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith, is a more detailed photographic book, which is most appropriate for children between the ages of 6 and 10. This time, a 10 year old boy celebrates with his family in Chinatown, San Francisco.
- Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Chinese New Year: With Fireworks, Dragons, and Lanterns
, by Carolyn Otto. I find books by National Geographic books to consistently be of the highest quality, and this one is no exception. With stunning photos from celebrations around the world, this picture book truly brings the Chinese New Year to life. Here are just a few of the supplementary materials which you'll find at the end of this book: a full explanation of the Chinese calendar, the origins of this celebration, a glossary, a complete listing of recommended books and web sites, instructions for making a Chinese lantern, a recipe for fortune cookies, and a world map showing where the photos were taken. There's really something in this book for children of all ages. Younger children may not want you to read all the words aloud, but would surely be interested in talking about the photographs. I would definitely have a large world map or globe handy for this one!
- Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes
, by Nina Simonds, Leslie Swartz, & The Children's Museum of Boston. Parents and teachers can really help children connect the dots with this one! Facts, folktales, crafts, recipes, and even riddles bring the Chinese New Year, and 4 other Chinese festivals, to life for people of all ages.
I'll share some other resources over the next week or so. In the meantime, since this holiday starts on Valentine's Day, wouldn't it be nice to create some artwork relating to both? Red is considered to be a lucky color during Chinese New Year, and it's also a color that most of us think of for Valentine's Day too. It would be interesting to see how children might compare the two holidays (in words or pictures), wouldn't it?
Nonfiction Monday is being hosted over at Wild About Nature blog today.
Have a wonderful week! By the way, if you're written, or are planning to write, a related post during the next two weeks, please feel free to tell us about it in the comments section of any of the posts in this series.
