Happy New Year! Kung-Hsi Fa-Ts'Ai

"Happy Chinese New Year!" this lovely book exuberantly proclaims. Full of extraordinary, richly colorful illustrations resembling lacquered boxes, this book is as visually delicious as Demi's previous books The Stonecutter and The Empty Pot. Children will love closely examining the flurry of activity associated with this important holiday. They will also appreciate the accompanying minimal, straightforward descriptions of everything from heavenly beings to candied coconut. As they learn the basics of this ancient holiday, they'll also enjoy finding their own animal sign of the Chinese New Year based on the year of their birth: "Each Chinese year is named after an animal, and each animal has certain characteristics. Because the moon's cycle begins again every 12 years, there are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac--one for each year of the lunar cycle." The book proceeds to romp through sections such as "Sweep and Dust," "Make a Fresh Start," "Decorate!," "Paint and Parade!," and "Cook." "Pop! Pop! Pop!" explains the importance of firecrackers in the New Year celebration. This delightful, elaborate picture book is a fine introduction to the Chinese New Year. (Ages 4 to 8)