Chinese New Year Colors

by Rich Lo

This bilingual color concept book celebrates a rainbow of traditional objects seen during the Chinese New Year.

Hong is the color of explosive firecrackers! Jīn is the hue of lucky coins. Zŏng is the shade of sweet peanut puffs. Welcome to the festivities of the Chinese New Year, where symbolic gifts, foods, and objects come together in a celebration of beautiful colors.

This vibrant, simple, and highly graphic bilingual book is the perfect introduction to Chinese and English words for colors as it honors one of the biggest holidays around the world. Includes informative back matter.

Genres: Picture Books, Holiday, Childrens, Asian Literature, China, Nonfiction, Cultural

32 pages, Hardcover

First published November 19, 2019

About the author

Born in Canton, China, Rich Lo was always drawing and painting with his six siblings. At the age of seven, he and his family emigrated from Hong Kong to the United States and eventually settled in Chicago’s Chinatown. An accomplished illustrator and fine artist, his work can be found on packaging and ads for national brands and on large installations in public buildings throughout the Midwest. Rich’s first picture book Father’s Chinese Opera, about his relationship with his opera composer father, was published by Sky Pony Press (2014), and named an ALA Asian Pacific American Award for Literature Honor Book. Rich is also the author-illustrator of New Year, published by Sky Pony Press (2016), the illustrator of Mountain Chef: How One Man Lost His Groceries, Changed His Plans, and Helped Cook Up the National Park Service, published by Charlesbridge (2016), winner of the Carter G. Woodson Book Award, and Dim Sum—A Mandarin English Counting Book.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chinese-American picture-book author and illustrator Rich Lo explores the colors of Chinese New Year in this brightly illustrated bilingual concept book. Each two-page spread features a given color, in both English and Chinese - the latter given in simplified character, and in transliterated form - on one page, and an illustration of an object in that color, on the other. These objects, from firecrackers to peanut puffs, all have significance for the celebration of the holiday, something expanded upon in the short afterword at the back of the book...

Although I don't normally read a great many early concept books such as this, I requested Chinese New Year Colors from the library recently because I was seeking Lunar New Year titles, and because the cover looked so lovely. Appropriately, given the subject matter, the use of color here is quite appealing. I appreciated the general layout and design of the book, and Ho's illustrations. I also appreciated that this was a bilingual book, offering children the opportunity to learn some basic Chinese vocabulary, as it concerns colors. Although I can't say this was a memorable title for me, in its own right, I can see it working very well as both a color book and an introduction to the symbols and customs of Chinese New Year, for younger children. It is for that purpose that I would recommend it. For myself, I'm curious to track down some of Lo's more story-driven titles.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chinese New Year Colors by Rich Lo. PICTURE BOOK. Holiday House, 2019. $19. 9780823443710

BUYING ADVISORY: PRE-K, EL (K-3) – ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

This basic-concept book has an appealing elegance that is appealing to both your youngest readers and the adults in their lives. The left side of each spread has the name of the featured color, in English with text in that color on the top, and in Chinese on the bottom, both as a character and its pinyin translation, in white text over a background of the color. The right side of each spread shows a full-bleed watercolor image of an object related to the Chinese New Year printed mostly in the featured color. The fourteen featured colors are the eight colors of a small Crayola crayon box, plus cerulean, turquoise, gold, maroon, gray and pink. The obvious omission is white. The objects include lucky bamboo, a rattle drum, and a lantern, some represented in an obvious color, some taking liberty with the color. The last spread in the book provides a sentence or two of explanation about each included object.

The pleasing and inviting design introduces young readers to some Chinese words and objects in an artistic way. It is an essential purchase for both supporting your school's Chinese language learners, as well as providing a window into an Chinese tradition for your youngest readers.

P.K. Foster, MLS, elementary school teacher-librarian
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Abby Johnson]

Super simple text (just the colors in English and Mandarin? I think it's Mandarin? The text doesn't actually specify) accompanies beautiful, confusing artwork in this Chinese New Year picture book. Each spread is literally just a picture and the color words, no explanation of what the objects are, why they're significant, if the colors are significant to the object, etc. There is a spread at the very end that gives some basic information about the objects included in the book.

Perhaps the best audience for this book would be families with young kids learning color words who are already familiar with the Chinese New Year holiday and the objects contained in the book.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cool guide by #OwnVoices writer and illustrator Richard Lo, as he takes you on a colorful journey through the symbols of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
Learn 14 Colors in Chinese, as well as 14 Traditions of the New Year!

One of the first Bilingual Chinese books I've seen for children;

Also the illustrations are engaging, thought-provoking and of course, a colorful delight;

A really great Story-time Read-Aloud idea for teachers, families and librarians!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Names for colors in Chinese and English are paired with vibrant images related to Chinese New Year celebrations. It won’t mean much to outsiders until the last two pages, where helpful explanations of the objects are located.

[KC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple text-color names in both English and Chinese.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe 2.5 Stars?
Would give a higher rating if they add pronunciation to the Chinese colors instead of listing them.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A colorful, sweet way of learning the Chinese translation of different colors and of the items frequently used during Chinese New Year, and their meanings. Happy New Year to all!

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This works well as a colors book, a bilingual picture book, and an introduction to common Lunar New Year symbols. The art is very attractive.

[Abbigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simple but beautiful bilingual picture book of colors

[Elizabeth]

I hadn't realized this also came in board book form, and I wonder if it might work better that way? [Edit: I got a copy of the board book from the library, and it doesn't have the backmatter, so that is a drawback -- though I guess the board book set is probably less interested in the exact details of what the images are of.]

Each 2-page spread has the name of the color on the left (in English and in Chinese) and a single item on the righthand page, suffused in the color.

So there's really not much to say as you're reading the book.

Backmatter includes a sentence or two about each item, so if you're not already familiar with Chinese culture (I think this book would work best with readers who are), I recommend reading the backmatter first so that you're familiar with what image is (since some, like Peanut Puff, are not necessarily intuitive) and possibly also with why it's in this book.

This will also help you avoid errors like identifying the Orange fruit as an orange when actually it's a tangerine ("In Chinese culture, the tangerine represents wealth and happiness. During the Chinese New Year, tangerines are used as housewarming gifts."). Though Googling suggests the orange color is generally associated with good fortune, and orange-the-fruit is also common?

Tangerine in the Chinese language sound similar to the word "luck" and orange sounds like the Chinese word for "wealth". Through the play of words, the Chinese are associating the gift of tangerine and orange as the abundance of happiness and prosperity.

The fruit's bright orange color also symbolizes 'gold'. This is an auspicious symbol of good luck and wealth, an important factor for the Chinese new year celebration.

-https://discover.hubpages.com/holiday...

Specifically it’s its shorter, squatter cousin—the mandarin orange—that gets all the special treatment. That’s because the Chinese word for mandarin—kam—sounds similar to the word for “gold.” So, having mandarin oranges around the home at New Year is said to bring riches into your life.

-https://www.myrecipes.com/extracrispy...

I was surprised that Lucky Money Envelopes were yellow, since I feel like those are really traditionally red (in this book, Red is for Firecracker -- which I feel like could have been most any color). (A Google search for "lucky money envelopes" solidly gets me red, and adding "yellow" to the search term gets me few results. The Wiki for red envelope mentions variations in non-Chinese Asian countries, including some different colors, but the only mention of yellow is, "Yellow coloured envelopes for Deepavali have also been available at times in the past." Though the Wiki on Chinese New Year does mention yellow as a lucky color, alongside red -- asserting, "In general, except those in lucky colour like red and yellow, chrysanthemum should not be put at home during the new year, because it is normally used for ancestral veneration." This is in contrast to the backmatter of this book, which states, of its pink chrysanthemum, "During the new year, the chrysanthemum flower is brought home for its vibrant colors, which represent happiness and prosperity." I am truly shocked that practices vary. /sarcasm Googling "chinese new year chrysanthemum" gets me a lot of mentions of yellow -- e.g., "The ones with bright yellow flowers signify longevity, while the darker gold types represent wealth and prosperity." [cite])

The colors in this book are (in order):
* Red [Firecrackers]
* Blue [Teapot]
* Orange [Tangerine]
* Yellow [Lucky Money Envelopes]
* Green [Lucky Bamboo]
* Pink [Chrysanthemum]
* Cerulean [Lion Dance]
* Purple [Dragon Dance]
* Gray [Paper Fan]
* Gold [Lucky Gold Coin]
* Turquoise [Rattle Drum]
* Brown [Peanut Puff]
* Black [Lucky Fish Symbol]
* Maroon [Lantern]

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bilingual color book by Lo, a Chinese-American author and illustrator. Not a story-driven book - it's really just colors. Colors are given in both English and Chinese (both as a simplified character, and in transliterated form) and illustrated by an object incorporated in Chinese New Year celebrations. In the back, there is a little more description about each object and what makes it special as part of CNY celebrations.

What I liked? Absolutely gorgeous illustrations. And I love the bit of culture each description adds.

What I didn't like as much? I wish there had been a little more of the pronunciation of each word, so that readers (myself included) who don't have much Chinese language exposure could feel more confident in how these different diacritical marks were pronounced.

Neither here nor there? It is just a simple color book, no story involved. As a way to share the idea of CNY with a multicultural/international library, the lack of story makes it a little more limiting compared to other picture books out there. Still, it's absolutely beautiful and one I'd pull out for displays each year.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a 3.5 for me, and I appreciated its uniqueness. I've read plenty of children's books about Chinese New Year that mention dragons and fruit gifts, but never one that introduces various objects and symbols alongside colors and text. The stylish illustrations cover each page, and then thumbnail sketches in the back matter explain each of those objects and their cultural significance. Now I know more about those money envelopes, gold coins, and the gift of tangerines offered to me by my students from China. Not only does the book introduce the concept of colors in a beautiful, visually-appealing way, but the bilingual text offers many uses and reassurance for a recent transplant from China that familiar traditions and objects can still be found in this strange new world.

[Musiclib · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo's "Chinese New Year Colors" is a great early elementary introduction to colors. Each page features very large text and illustrations. On the left page is the name of the color in English, Chinese Han characters, and Chinese. On the right page, is an illustration of something associated with Chinese New Year that fills the entire page. The last page layout of the book names what the objects are and what their function is during Chinese New Year. This is a great book for learning colors, but also for introducing young learners to the Chinese culture.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very simple board book that showcases an illustration of something related to Chinese New Year with the color name in English & Chinese (both the Chinese character and the transliteration in roman characters).

A fantastic colors board book for bilingual families. And a great way for those not so familiar with Chinese language or traditions to learn a little Chinese and also be exposed to traditional elements of Chinese New Year. I'll be interested in looking out for the full picture book (non-board book) edition of this as I heard it has more information.

[Jenn Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this one. The actual color pages are very, very simple. At the back there is more detail about each of the images, for adults or older children. I only wish there was a least a one word description (English/Mandarin) for the picture that is paired with the color. Otherwise, if you're reading allowed you just have to make it up as you go along, which gets complicated with some of the pictures.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very simple color book. Each page gives you the English name of a color, as well as the Chinese name of that same color both in English and in character. There’s also an item associated with that color that’s also associated with celebrating Chinese New Year. These items are described with their history at the end. This book will help kids learn Chinese colors and match them with items they see during these celebrations.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for someone trying to learn a little Mandarin and pin yin. This is simple and straight forward non-fiction book. Anyone can use it.

It tells us the color in English with a picture. It also gives us the Chinese Character and pin yin for each color. Turquoise is simply the characters for blue and green combined. Kinda cool.

This will not overwhelm any learner. I will study this one.

[Chanda Scobee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this book for a Family Culture Night, where I hosted a table for the library, featuring different diverse books through culture, race, family, practices and beliefs, and so much more, even including neurodivergence, mixed identities, refugees, immigrants, and more. I love that the Vox books have the recording included as well, so the readers can hear the correct pronunciation, which could help from Chinese to English or English to Chinese.

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent storytime book to introduce colors in English and Chinese. Each illustration has an important item, symbol, or tradition from the Chinese New Year. I really like how non-traditional colors were included like turquoise and gold. I would highly recommend this book for preschool children.

[Rich Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I'd usually give four stars to a book about colors, but this one is absolutely beautiful. The text is simple with English side-by-side Written Chinese on the left and gorgeous watercolor images paired on the right. In the back of the book, there is a short text on each symbol, which helps to share meaning.

[Kendra DeZee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very interesting and I enjoyed the colors that were in the book. I also enjoyed the board book, but I feel like it would be hard to use while trying to teach a class, so I'm not sure I would use it, but overall it was a great learning book and I enjoyed it and I believe children would as well.

[Justine Ridder · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the concept of this book. My problem with the book is that at the end it explains why each item was chosen for that color, and I wish they had these short explanations on the actual page of the color.

[Amy]

Colorful easy read for low primary learning how to red colors. It is a great way of connecting the cultural traditions within the Chinese New Year to new readers. The book shows beautiful artistry of items popular during the holiday and provides the names of the colors in both English and Mandarin.

[Iva Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book with 14 different colors shown with objects from Chinese New Year. At back of the book, each object is described in more detail. Chinese bilingual book that is very simple to read. Very colorful and a good study for Art classes, too.

[Corinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad there was a brief explanation as to how each object relates to Chinese New Year at the very end. I wouldn't have known what a few of them were. Nice big illustrations and color names in English and Chinese.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated book of colors in English and Mandarin. Each item represented is significant of a Chinese New Year tradition. I love that the colors are complex and the pictures beautiful even though the book has very simple words. Great for language learning in either direction!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a small, easy to hold, board book of 14 colors. Each page has the English, Chinese, and Pinyin (Romanized transliteration of chinese) of each color with illustrations of items related to Chinese New Year.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brightly colored concept book that shares color names in English and Chinese. Lo shows readers pieces of Chinese New Year on each two-page spread. At the end, readers see further information about each object.

[Katelyn Tedrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chinese New Year Colors, written by Rich Lo has great use of a variety of colors on each page. With each color, the reader also learns a Chinese New Years' tradition. It is also bilingual and has super simple text accompanied by artwork. This is beneficial for English Language Learners.