The Chinese New Year Helper

“Hsu’s boldly colored, predominantly red-and-gold illustrations nicely capture the celebratory atmosphere of a Chinese restaurant in a vibrant, multicultural community, especially when the energetic lion dancers arrive and perform for the crowd. Jia’sexpressive body language and facial expressions clearly communicate her justified frustration at not being taken seriously by the adults in her life, and little kids who are tired of being told they’re too small will surely relate. Culturally specific details will be recognizable to families whoc elebrate the Chinese New Year, and Jia’s emotional journey will make this doubly useful for SEL collections. ”—Booklist“Bright red sand yellows dominate Hsu’s warm and festive gouache and digital artwork, which features a diverse community of people. Celebratory and inspiring, especially for youngsters tired of being told they’re too young to contribute.” —Kirkus“Against the backdrop of Hsu’s gouache and digital art, which depicts myriad cultural details, Compestine uses easy, descriptive prose to detail a series of traditions while affirming the power of involving children at any age.” —Publishers Weekly“A fun plot twist in the middle gives the second half of the book a fresher feel. Vibrant, detailed illustrations carry much of the weight in the story and allow readers to experience the Chinese New Year preparations and festivities in a culturally intimate way. A solid Chinese New Year tale with delightful illustrations.” —Publishers Weekly

Ying Chang Compestine grew up in Wuhan, China during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, which she has written about in her acclaimed novel Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party and her picture book memoir, Growing Up Under a Red Flag. She graduated from Central China Normal University with a degree in English, then earned her Master’s in Sociology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is an award-winning author of 25 books (fiction, picture books, and cookbooks), a leading national authority on Asian culture and cuisine, a former food editor for Martha Stewart’s Whole Living magazine, and has taught writing and sociology in both the U.S. and China. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband.

Ginnie Hsu is an illustrator and educator living in Upstate New York. Her work is often inspired by everyday life, nature, and her upbringing in Taiwan with her grandparents. When she is not in her studio, you can find her gardening, working at a local flower farm, or hiking with her husband and their dogs.

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