Whether you are looking for a quick Chinese New Year read aloud to share with your students on Chinese New Year or are doing a holidays around the world unit and need a collection of Chinese New Year books for kids, this list of books about Chinese culture has you covered! Each book shares facts and information about this holiday in an interesting way. This keeps elementary students engaged and learning, so they can learn about and appreciate this special holiday and the traditions surrounding it. Check out the list of Chinese New Year books below!
This post highlights the following read aloud books:
12 Chinese New Year Books
Below are some of my favorite Chinese New Year books to share with elementary students! They are fantastic winter read alouds!
1. Ruby’s Chinese New Year by Vickie Lee
Chinese New Year was a special celebration for Ruby. Her grandmother always came, but this year, she was not well enough to travel. Ruby made her a beautiful card and put it in a red envelope for good luck.
As she went to deliver the letter, she passed a variety of animals who all contributed and helped in some way during the journey. Along the way, she swam and ruined the letter. The animals reminded her of all the other goodies they have, and that seeing family was more important regardless. Ruby and her grandmother had a wonderful celebration together in the end!
Check out these Ruby’s Chinese New Year activities!
2. Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim
Chinese New Year has quickly arrived, and young Goldy is awoken to her mom asking for errands. Goldy is to go to her neighbor’s house with turnip cakes and wish the Chen family a Happy New Year.
When she goes over, no one answers the door. Walking in, she trips and drops all of the cakes! Goldy then goes looking for a broom, but she comes upon congee. Being so hungry, she just had to eat some! With a full belly, Goldy needs to rest, but she breaks the rocking chair. Feeling even more exhausted, Goldy goes and lays on a perfectly sized futon.
When the Chen family walk in, they find their home in disarray! Goldy runs out of the house and quickly returns to help clean up the mess.
Check out these Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas activities!
3. How to Catch a Dragon by Adam Wallace
Adam Wallace’s book How to Catch a Dragon takes place just before the New Year. The main character is getting ready with his mother and grandmother. The boy’s mother mentions that a dragon would bring them good health and fortune in the New Year, so the boy decides to try and catch one!
Throughout the book the boy and his friends run about the town trying to catch a dragon. They try to lure the dragon with sticky rice, noodles and even gold coins. The children try and trap the dragon by providing a cozy spot for him to nap but have no luck. They decide to make their own dragon but end up making a big mess.
The young boy returns home and is disappointed he wasn’t able to bring his mother a dragon. She explains that she loves him most of all and the family enjoys watching fireworks together.
Check out these How to Catch a Dragon activities!
4. Ruby’s Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges
The story Ruby’s Wish takes place in China a long time ago. Ruby lived in a big house with her wealthy grandfather. He had many wives and therefore had many grandchildren. Unlike other girls in China, Ruby was able to take classes because her grandfather had hired a teacher to come to the house. Ruby was always an impressive student, and even continued with her classes when the other girls stopped going. It was not easy for her to keep up with the boys because she had household duties after school, while the boys were able to play.
One day, Ruby wrote a poem about how the boys in the house are treated differently. Ruby’s grandfather was concerned and asked her to explain the poem to him. He learned that Ruby wanted to go to university just like the boys. Later, on Chinese New Year, Ruby’s grandfather handed her a large envelope. Inside was an invitation from a university inviting Ruby to be their first female student. Ruby’s dream of attending university finally came true!
Check out these Ruby’s Wish activities!
5. Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang
Amy loves bao. She and her family gather together to make this special meal, but she has never been able to make the perfect bao. Amy’s dad, mom and grandma make perfect bao that is so delicious. Whenever Amy makes bao, it is too big, too small, or not the right amount of filling. This time, Amy is determined to make the perfect bao.
Everyone works together to make the meal. She helps her dad make the dough, knead it and cut it into pieces. Amy’s mom makes the filling for the bao and then it is time to assemble. It’s hard for Amy to know how much filling to put inside. She struggles to pin the dough closed. Everyone tries to help Amy but she is getting frustrated and fears she will never be able to make perfect bao!
Then Amy realizes the dough is cut for grown-up sized hands. She asks her grandmother to cut smaller pieces. Amy adds the filling and pinches the sides closed. It’s perfect! She does it again and again then it is time to put the bao in the steamer to cook.
When they are done cooking, it is time to eat. Amy’s bao is delicious and perfect. She realizes that the imperfect bao tastes just as good too!
Check out these Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao activities!
6. Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn
In Sam and the Lucky Money, Sam loves Chinese New Year because his grandparents always give him liesees, red envelopes with money inside. The best part about this year is that he can choose what he gets to spend the money on!
He goes to Chinatown with his mom to see what he can buy with the money he received. To his disappointment, Sam discovers that the four dollars he got from his grandparents is not enough to buy the cookies or toys that he wanted. His mother reminds Sam that, regardless of the cost of a gift, it is important to be grateful, but when Sam can’t buy anything he hoped for, it is difficult for him to believe that.
Then, Sam remembers an old homeless man he encountered earlier that day. He knows what to do with his money, and, ultimately, he learns what it means to be grateful.
Check out these reading comprehension activities that you can use with this book!
7. Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin
Bringing in the New Year describes everything a little girl and her family does to prepare for Chinese New Year. Jie-Jie sweeps out the house, Ba-Ba hangs the spring happiness poems on the walls and Mei-Mei gets a haircut. The girl puts on a new qi pao dress for the New Year feast. The little girl watches everyone prepare for the celebrations, and knows that the big day must be just around the corner. Her aunt paints the dragon’s eyes and the girl and her friends carry lanterns to light the New Year’s way. Finally, the New Year arrives!
Check out these reading comprehension activities that you can use with this book!
8. The Runaway Rice Cake by Ying Chang Compenstine
In The Runaway Rice Cake, it’s the Chinese New Year, and the Chang family, Ming, Cong, Da, and their parents want to make nián-gão, a special type of New Year’s rice cake, but they only have enough rice flour to make one. When the rice cake jumps up and escapes the house, the whole family chases it through the village. Finally, the rice cake and its pursuers run into a hungry old woman. Although little Da wants the treat for his own family, he decides to share the rice cake with the woman because she needs it more than him.
With nothing to eat for their own New Year’s celebration, the Chang family returns home. They find that the Kitchen God has left a surprise for them in return for their generosity!
Check out these reading comprehension activities that you can use with this book!
9. The Runaway Wok by Ying Chang Compestine
In this Chinese New Year tale, The Runaway Wok, Ming and his family do not have a lot of money. When Ming returns from the market with a rusted wok instead of food, his family wonders what they will eat for dinner. After Ming’s mom washes the wok, it rolls right out the door and to the richest family’s kitchen. When it returns, it is full of food! Again, it leaves the house and returns with toys from the rich man’s house. After the third trip it returns full of gold coins. Finally, after the Zhangs have these new riches, they share it with their friends and neighbors, and they can all have a grand Chinese New Year feast!
Check out these reading comprehension activities that you can use with this book!
10. Dumpling Soup by Jama Kim Rattigan
The book Dumpling Soup is about a girl’s first time participating in one of her family’s holiday traditions. Every year on New Year’s Eve, a young girl named Marisa and her family always go to her grandma’s house for dumpling soup. This year, Marisa is excited to help her grandma make dumplings, and, the night before the big day, she can hardly sleep. However, Marisa soon finds that her dumplings don’t look as perfect as her grandma’s or her aunties’ do, and she becomes worried that nobody will want to eat them.
Soon, the rest of Marisa’s family arrives and they stay up past midnight playing games. Finally, after they have set off fireworks, it is time to eat the dumpling soup. At first, Marisa’s family makes fun of her strangely-shaped dumplings, but soon they notice that they taste delicious, and Marisa realizes that she had nothing to worry about!
Check out these reading comprehension activities that you can use with this book!
11. The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack
This book is about a family of ducks that live on a boat. Every day, the owner of the boat puts a ramp on the boat to let the ducks out. In the evenings, the ducks all walk up the ramp to return to the boat. However, the last duck always gets a spank on the way up. This terrifies Ping, so, one day, when he is late and knows he will be last, he hides in the reeds and the boat sails away. The next morning, Ping sets out on the Yangtze River to find his family. After encountering many dangerous obstacles and nearly being eaten, Ping is glad to find the boat and return to his family!
Check out these reading comprehension activities that you can use with this book!
12. The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop
Once upon a time, there were five Chinese brothers who all had special abilities. The first brother could swallow the sea. The second brother had an iron neck. The third brother could stretch out his legs. The fourth could not be burned. The fifth could hold his breath forever.
The first brother was a great fisherman and, one day, a little boy asked if he could join him. The first brother agreed, but only if the boy was to obey him promptly. The boy agreed, but after seeing the treasure uncovered after the first brother swallowed the sea, ignored the brother’s gestures to return to shore. Unable to hold the sea any longer, the brother spits it out and the boy disappears into the ocean. He is set to go to prison and is condemned to be executed. The brothers must all work together, using their unique abilities, so that the first brother can avoid punishment.
Check out these reading comprehension activities that you can use with this book!
Chinese New Year Activities
These Chinese New Year books are a great way to teach elementary students about the festive holiday and another culture. Your students will enjoy listening to the stories and learning about the cultural traditions surrounding Chinese New Year. Check out the Chinese New Year book companions below! They include reading comprehension questions, writing prompts, SEL lesson ideas, and much more!
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You can use these Chinese New Year Reading Comprehension Activities with any book related to Chinese culture or based on this annual holiday.
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