Year of the Dragon: Book, Song, Craft

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Here's my Chinese paper lantern tutorial for kids.

And here's a song for storytime, or just because.

Check out these engaging picture books to ring in the Year of the Dragon.

For toddlers:

Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin. Lin has written several books about a Chinese-American family based on her own childhood.

For pre-school:

My First Chinese New Year by Karen Katz. The fun anticipation and celebration of Chinese New Year traditions are shown as a little girl prepares with her family.

For history:

The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac by Dawn Casey, illustrated by Anne Wilson. Better for ages 5 and up, this retells the story of how the Chinese Zodiac calendar was made, thirteen animals racing to for the honor of being first. Friendship and betrayal deepen the meaning behind this exciting tale.

For the beautiful dragon:

The Dancing Dragon by Marcia K. Vaughan, illustrated by Stanley Wong Hoo Foon. These gorgeous illustrations capture the beauty of the new year parade, with an 8-page diorama of the dancing dragon.

We're having a Chinese-ish dinner, and making lanterns and fans tonight. Really, we should've had new year's eve dinner last night, with long noodles and other lucky foods, but clementines and stir-fry rice tonight will have to do.

Here's to a prosperous 2012!

One Love

Continuing the topic of love and solidarity, have you seen the picture book adapted by Bob Marley's youngest daughter, Cedella Marley, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton? It was just published in September 2011.

One Love is a heartfelt tribute, and the illustrations convey a fun sense of community. I know you're singing "One Love". Here's the song. 

The Real Story of Rudolph

As a round-faced (combo of squishy cheeks and serious bangs) five-year-old, I battled stage fright to sing a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer duet with my cousin Amanda. In front of an adoring crowd of sixty people from our church, we wore matching antler headbands.

I know, so cute.

But even then, I thought the story of Rudolph was incomplete. All the reindeer wouldn't play with Rudolph, and then he helped Santa, so they decided to be friends with him? After a couple of decades, or at least the Decembers of those decades, I have over-thought the lyrics enough to produce a fury of questions:

Is this song trying to teach children that in order to be accepted they just have to use a physical feature they feel insecure about to impress the ring leader? Or, is it more that people will like you if you save them from danger? Or save them from inconvenience? Why didn't Santa, or Mrs, Claus, or an elf, intervene if Rudolph was excluded over and over from playtime? And why would Rudolph even want to be friends with the reindeer who were so rude for so long?

I'm not alone in this. Jack Johnson would agree with me, I think. I heard his rendition of Rudolph (on my Pandora She & Him Holiday station--who doesn't have a crush on Zooey Deschanel?) 

So, I found Jack's Rudolph on YouTube just for you:

What do you think? That's the version I'm teaching Baby A, for sure.