New Year

Age range 9 to 12

A moving picture book to read when we're missing family far away, set during Lunar New Year.

It's Lunar New Year, a time when families come together for a wonderful feast, and a father longs to be with his daughter - but she lives in another country. As he imagines how his daughter is spending the festivities, he recalls fond memories of time spent with her, feeling a sense of loss and dislocation. While he misses her deeply, he also recognises her need to move away, grow up, and become herself. New Year's Eve is a beautiful and lovingly portrayed portrait of leaving home, finding independence, and loving those who are many miles away.

At a time when so many families are unable to gather together, readers will relate to the universal message of missing our loved ones and dreaming of being together again.

“"Gentle, heartfelt ... [This book's] universal themes of family and separation are especially resonant as we cope with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic." --Booklist "[A] story about home, independence, and love ... brought to life with stunning watercolor illustrations." --Quill & Quire "Lovely artwork... A sentimental holiday story told by a parent as he learns to let go." --Kirkus Reviews”

“[A] heartfelt, gracefully sketched letter... [with] distinct, delicate ink-and-watercolor illustrations.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Gentle, heartfelt … [This book’s] universal themes of family and separation are especially resonant as we cope with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”
—Booklist

“[A] story about home, independence, and love … brought to life with stunning watercolor illustrations.”
—Quill & Quire

“Lovely artwork… A sentimental holiday story told by a parent as he learns to let go.”
—Kirkus Reviews

Mei Zihan is an author of children's literature and a professor at Shanghai Normal University. His best-known works include Daughter's Story, Dai Xiaoqiao and His Buddies, and the Stories of Lilaer series. He lives in Shanghai, China.

Qin Leng was born in Shanghai and now lives in Toronto where she works as a designer and illustrator. Her numerous picture books have been nominated for several prizes, including a Governor General's Literary Award.

A moving, lovely cri de coeur from a father whose daughter has moved to another country. Set during Chinese New Year, a time when Chinese families come together for a wonderful feast, this delicate picture book tells the story of a father and daughter who live in different countries. The father's sense of loss and dislocation is countered by his acceptance of his child's need to move away, grow up, and become herself. The loss, for both parent and child, that comes from leaving home and finding independence is beautifully and lovingly portrayed. Though this story refers to a specifically Chinese celebration, at this time when so many families have been forced to be apart, even for traditionally essential family festivals, all of us can relate to the universal feelings expressed in New Year. An Aldana Libros Book

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