Book Description
for Two New Years by Richard Ho and Lynn Scurfield
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
What’s better than one New Year celebration? Two New Year celebrations! For one multicultural family, both Lunar New Year and Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) are times to celebrate with family and to enjoy traditional foods and activities. The two holidays may follow different calendars and have different cultural roots, but at their hearts lie similar sentiments. Both offer a chance to “sweep past troubles out the door” and “try on new beginnings.” Both inspire “good wishes” for the year ahead. And both are marked by distinctive sights and sounds: the peal of the shofar and special melodies of Rosh Hashanah, and the noisy fanfare of firecrackers and bright lanterns of Lunar New Year. “Together, we watch, / listen, / and celebrate. / One family. / Two New Years. / A shared year of double blessings.” A sparse, straightforward text and sunny, digitally collaged ink illustrations convey an abundance of joy and love in this Chinese American and white Jewish family. (Ages 4-8)
CCBC Choices 2024. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2024. Used with permission.