Disclosure: I received this complimentary product Two New Years through Raincoast Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog. It costs you nothing to do so, and is a huge encouragement to me. As such it is deeply appreciated.
Have you ever wondered what it might be like to grow up in a household with two distinctly different cultures? How would parents decide to raise their children? Would one culture be emphasized over another or would they share equally? In Two New Years we get the privilege of seeing how one family lives out their decisions.
Basic Details for Two New Years
Title: Two New Years
Author: Richard Ho
Illustrator: Lynn Scurfield
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Pages: 44
Intended Audience: 3-5 years
Genre: Picture Book, Jewish Fiction, Asian, Asian-American, Children’s Holidays, New Years
Available formats: Hardcover, Kindle
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books
Received: Hardcover with Fly
Author and Book Synopsis
Richard Ho is a member of the Jedi Order and I think he lives in New York. He, like many other children, had several aspirations when he grew up. Eventually though, he became a scriptwriter and editor for an educational website. Later on he became a children’s book writer.
Two New Years brings us into the world of a multi-cultural family. Chinese and Jewish roots, two cultures that have their own distinctive holidays and ways of celebrating them. Can they find common threads that weave them together? As the multicultural family welcomes in each new year, they savor the shared values and familiar themes that bridge two calendars and two cultures.
Looking More Closely
You will love the vibrant colours throughout, bringing to life, the illustrations of Lynn Scurfield. Bright happy faces. The striking colours draw us into the excitement of the New Years holiday. It is so interesting to see how different cultures celebrate the same holiday.
The font is easy to read, this would be easy to read with a group of children gathered round, or with a single child sitting in close. Read the words, hear the tale, one family, taking the time to teach and experience two ways to enjoy the same holiday.
The fun is in the colours and imagined smells. It would be so easy to create art and craft add-ons to help children solidify what they are learning. Can you see yourself making some Jewish dishes, or standing by a river releasing the years mistakes to the currents?
My Thoughts
Such a neat way of showing deliberateness in sharing your cultural norms. Of parents not fighting over how to celebrate the holidays, but instead finding ways to share the best of both.
Two New Years with it’s bright colours, ease of reading, and delightful way of sharing the fun and excitement of the New Year. Celebrate the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah in the fall, and then in the spring celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. One holiday, two celebrations, two cultures delighted in. Check it out, you’ll learn a thing or two and smile about it in the process. 🙂
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