The Paper Crane

A man owned a restaurant on a busy road, and business was good until a new highway was built close by. Because travelers no longer stopped at the restaurant, the man became poor. One day a stranger with a gentle manner came into the restaurant. He did not have money to pay for his meal. Instead, he folded a napkin into the shape of a crane. "You have only to clap your hands," he said, "and this bird will come to life and dance for you." The stranger's gift was worth more than the cost of his meal, and it brought great happiness to the restaurant owner. Can you guess why?

The Paper Crane is Molly Bang's adaptation of an ancient Japanese folktale. The detailed three-dimensional illustrations are photographs of her paper cutouts. They are a wonderful accompaniment to the story.

A Pair of Red Clogs

Mako, a little Japanese girl, is delighted with her new clogs. They are red lacquered and shine beautifully. When Mako walks and runs, her clogs sing: KORO KORO, KARA KARA. Mako chose these when her mother took her shopping. They are her school shoes.

But one day as Mako is playing the weather-telling game with her friends, one of her shiny new clogs cracks. No longer do her clogs sing when she walks. Mako is sad. So sad that she devises a plan that in the end just makes her sadder.

When Mako grows up and buys a pair of red clogs for her granddaughter, she remembers her own red clogs, and the important lesson she learned from them.

A Pair of Red Clogs by Masako Matsuno, illustrated by Kazue Mizumura, is a book that links well to Lunar New Year themes and Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month in May. The lesson learned by a little Japanese girl is one that children of all cultures will understand.

New Clothes for New Year's Day

Happy [Lunar] New Year! Today is the first day of the Year of the Rabbit. Hyun-Joo Bae has written and illustrated a lovely picture book called New Clothes for New Year's Day. "It's a new year, it's a new day, and it's a new morning. It's the first day for the beginning of everything," says a young Korean girl. She is excited to dress in her new clothes for making New Year's calls.

My favorite parts of this picture book are the beautiful illustrations and the end pages providing details about Lunar New Year traditions.

This translated edition was published in 2007 by Kane/Miller Book Publishers, Inc.

"I wish you good luck."

Dragon Dancing

The Chinese or Lunar New Year is one of the most important annual celebrations in Asian countries and communities. It was first recognized in 2600 BC, when Emperor Huang Ti introduced the Chinese zodiac. Whereas the calendar that begins with January and ends with December is solar -- based on the Earth’s rotation around the sun -- the Chinese calendar is lunar, based on the rotation of the moon around the Earth. Thus the Chinese or Lunar New Year falls on a different day each year, sometime between late January and mid February. It begins on the first new moon of the year and lasts until the full moon 15 days later. (A new moon is not visible from the earth.)

Dragon Dancing by Carole Lexa Schaefer, illustrated by Pierr Morgan, is a good picture book to read for the Chinese New Year. At school, the children listen to a story about dragons, and then make a dragon in art class. The colorful illustrations of the children dragon dancing are beautiful.