Two New Years

Gr 1-3--Inspired by his own Chinese and Jewish backgrounds, Ho contrasts the different ways New Year is celebrated in the two traditions in order to highlight the commonalities that lie beneath--from special foods to new clothes, from blowing the shofar to sending paper lanterns into the sky, from bidding goodbye to bad luck by sweeping it out the door to dropping pebbles or bread crumbs into a stream (taschlich). Both the Jewish and Asian New Year celebrations, he writes, "bring family home. Children and grandchildren reunite with bubbies and zaydies, rejoice with ma mas and yeh yehs, and remember the ancestors who live in our hearts." In her radiant illustrations, Scurfield depicts a biracial couple and their children enjoying the double set of festivities and rituals, in public and intimate domestic settings. The author concludes with descriptions of the two "lunisolar" calendars and expansive notes on each set of holiday rituals, symbols, and practices. VERDICT An illuminating set of contrasts and parallels likely to leave younger audiences primed to welcome different ways of celebrating every version of the new year and to compare them with those of their own families.--John Edward Peters

Via two new year's celebrations--Rosh Hashanah in the fall and Lunar New Year in the spring--a multicultural family celebrates a "shared year of double blessings" in this thoughtfully crafted picture book. Accessible text by Ho acknowledges differences between the observances ("One follows the Jewish calendar. One follows the Chinese calendar") before delving into their similarities. Both new years "mark the passage of time," "bring families together" (including bubbies, zaydies, ma mas, and yeh yehs), and "inspire delicious dishes" that symbolize shared wishes for the new year. Employing two distinctive backgrounds whose styles join as the pages turn, Scurfield's luminous ink illustrations portray the family, including one pale-skinned Jewish and one Chinese parent, taking part in the celebrations, creating a visual melding of experiences that hint at what an author's note calls "the joy of celebrating many worlds." Back matter includes a detailed visual glossary. Ages 3-5. (Aug.)