Old memories die hard. I can still recall my Kindergarten class field trip to New York City’s Chinatown for the Lunar New Year celebration. The sensory overload—fantastic noises, colorful dragon dancers, and pungent firecracker smoke—has stayed with me for over 55 years.
This year’s Asian Lunar New Year celebration began on February 12th. It’s a 12-day event and includes one of the greatest human mass migrations in the world. Millions of people in Asian countries return to their hometowns to enjoy reunion meals with their families and exchange monetary gifts in red envelopes.
This is the Year of the Ox. If you were born in the Year of the Ox, you are…
Honest and hard-working. Oxen generally do not seek attention nor praise; instead, they hope to be recognized for their diligence.
Oxen believe everyone should do their own work and that they should stay within their boundaries. They are kind, rarely get angry, and make inspiring leaders.
For more information about the Chinese zodiac, click here https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/.
The lists below contain some of the titles including the Lunar New Year and Asian-Americans that are available from your local Richmond Public Library. There are many more!
Please visit rvalibrary.org or call your local branch for more titles or to place a hold for curbside pickup.
Picture Books
- Maisy’s Chinese New Year by Lucy Cousins
- Nian, the Chinese New Year Dragon by Virginia Loh-Hagen; illustrated by Timothy Banks
- Chinese New Year Colors by Rich Lo
- Henry’s First Moon Birthday by Lenore Look
- Round Is a Mooncake by Roseanne Thong
- How to Catch a Dragon by Adam Wallace; illustrated by Andy Elkerton
- A New Year’s Reunion by Li-Qiong Yu
Elementary Fiction
- The Year of the Rat by Grace Lin
- Alvin Ho (series) by Lenore Look
- In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Betty Bao Lord
- This is Just a Test by Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wang-Long Shang
- The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wang-Long Shang
- Front Desk by Wendy Yang
- The Dragon Warrior by Katie Zhao
Young Adult
- American Panda by Gloria Chao
- Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim
- Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert
- This is My Brain in Love by I. W. Gregorio
- The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
- Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
- Parachutes by Kelly Yang
YA Graphic Novels
American Born Chinese, Dragon Hoops, The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang
Adult Fiction
- Little Gods by Meng Jin
- Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan
- Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok
- My Year Abroad by Chang-rae Lee
- Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li
- Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim
- Beijing Payback by Daniel Nieh
Adult Non-fiction
- Falling Leaves: the True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah
- Rape of Nanking: the Forgotten Holocaust of WWII by Iris Chang
- Last Boat Out of Shanghai : the Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao’s Revolution by Helen Zia
