20 Picture Books to Celebrate Lunar New Year

Today I’m sharing 20 picture books to celebrate Lunar New Year. Lunar New Year is a wonderful time to introduce children to the vibrant traditions, stories, and cultural significance of this festive celebration.

Picture books are a fantastic way to make learning engaging and accessible for our young readers. In this blog post, I’ve compiled a list of 20 amazing books that celebrate and teach about Lunar New Year—perfect for classrooms, libraries, or even cozy story time at home.

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Books About Lunar New Year Traditions

1. Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin
   A beautifully illustrated book that introduces key traditions of Lunar New Year, from cleaning the house to the dragon dance.
   Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.
2. Ruby’s Chinese New Year by Vickie Lee.
   Follow Ruby as she journeys to deliver a special card to her grandmother, encountering the animals of the Chinese zodiac along the way.
   Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.
3. My First Chinese New Year by Karen Katz
   A sweet and simple introduction to Lunar New Year traditions, perfect for young readers.
   Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.
4. Happy Chinese New Year, Kai-lan! by Christine Ricci
   Based on the popular Nickelodeon character, this book makes learning about Lunar New Year fun and relatable for kids.
   Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.
5. D is for Dragon Dance by Ying Chang Compestine.
   An alphabet book that teaches children about Lunar New Year traditions, from A to Z.
   Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.

Featuring Chinese Zodiac Animals

6. The Great Race: Story of the Chinese Zodiac by Dawn Casey.
   Learn how the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac earned their spots in this classic folk tale.
   Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.
7. The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale by Ying Chang Compestine.
   A magical wok brings fortune to a poor family in this humorous and heartwarming story.
   Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.
8. The Year of the Rat by Oliver Chin.
   Part of a series that introduces the Chinese zodiac animals, this story follows a young rat learning to embrace her unique traits.
   Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.
9. The Year of the Tiger by Oliver Chin.
   Celebrate the Year of the Tiger with this adventurous tale of a courageous young tiger.
   Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.
10. Long-Long’s New Year: A Story About the Chinese Spring Festival by Catherine Gower.
    A beautifully illustrated story about a young boy preparing for the festival with his grandfather.
    Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.

Featuring Family and Culture

11. A New Year’s Reunion: A Chinese Story by Yu Li-Qiong.
    A touching story about a father who returns home for Lunar New Year, capturing the importance of family.
    Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.
12. Lanterns and Firecrackers: A Chinese New Year Story by Jonny Zucker.
    A sweet introduction to the customs and joy of Lunar New Year celebrations.
    Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.
13. Dragon Dance: A Chinese New Year Lift-the-Flap Book by Joan Holub.
    An interactive lift-the-flap book that engages children in learning about the holiday.
    Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.
14. Chinese New Year Wishes by Jillian Lin.
    A delightful story about a young girl learning the importance of family traditions during Lunar New Year.
    Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.
15. Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim.
    A clever retelling of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” with a festive Lunar New Year twist.
    Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.

Books About Food and Festivities

16. Celebrate Chinese New Year: With Fireworks, Dragons, and Lanterns by Carolyn Otto
    A nonfiction exploration of the foods, decorations, and traditions of Lunar New Year.
    Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.
17. Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn.
    A heartwarming story about kindness, gratitude, and the spirit of giving during Lunar New Year.
    Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.
18. Nian, The Chinese New Year Dragon by Virginia Loh-Hagan.
    A thrilling tale of the mythical Nian and how traditions keep him at bay.
    Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.
19. Peppa’s Chinese New Year by Mandy Archer
    Join Peppa Pig as she learns about Lunar New Year traditions in this delightful story for little fans.
    Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.
20. Lucky New Year! by Mary Man-Kong.
    A colorful story about a family preparing for and celebrating Lunar New Year together.
    Find it on: Amazon USA. Amazon UK.

Lunar New Year is a time for family, reflection, and celebration. These picture books have been the perfect addition to our classroom library for extending the teaching around this subject. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or librarian, these stories will help bring the magic of Lunar New Year into your classroom or home.

Click on the links above to find these books on Amazon, and start celebrating today! 🧧

Have a favorite Lunar New Year picture book? Let me know in the comments below—I’d love to hear your recommendations!

Happy Lunar New Year! 🎉

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Helpful Links

You may find the following links helpful;

• 4 Lunar New Year Crafts
• Lunar New Year Activities and Resources

P.S. Have you signed up for a 3 day free trial of my VIP membership yet? If not, click here to do it now and go and get access to a huge range of resources, templates, crafts and more for free.

Nikki

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