Alex's Good Fortune

by Benson Shum

Chinese New Year is the most important holiday for Alex and her family, so it's even more special when she gets to share her favorite traditions with her best friend, Ethan. Together, they join the Chinese New Year parade and get to help make the dragon dance. Then they prepare for the festivities by tidying up, decorating, and making dumplings. After that, it's time to open red envelopes, eat a great big feast, and enjoy the lantern fesival! Complete with facts about the holiday in the back of the book.

Genres: Picture Books, Holiday, Childrens, Friendship, Food, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published December 29, 2020

About the author

Benson Shum is a children's book Author and Illustrator. The idea that an image or painting can evoke emotions and movement is what brought Benson to the world of picture books and animation.

Benson is also an Animator at the Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he was a part of such films as Frozen, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Moana, Frozen 2, Raya and the Last Dragon, Encanto and Wish. Originally from Vancouver, BC, Benson now lives in sunny southern California.

Reviews

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for my toddler's bedtime. A fantastic story about Chinese New Year. New Year arrives and Alex wanted to invite her friend Ethan to spend it with her and her family. She and Ethan played the dragon dance because it was supposed to bring good luck to everyone. They helped Alex's grandma make dumplings. They received red envelopes filled with money. Before Chinese New Year, Alex disliked most was the tradition to clean up her room to sweep away bad luck. Then their favorite tradition was the New Year dinner. There were many delicious dishes and they all have different meanings like noodles for longevity and dumplings for wealth. Fifteen days after New Year, they got to celebrate the lantern festival. There are some Chinese words and sentences within the story and a glossary at the end of the book as well as the different animals representing the year you were born in and its traits. Loved this book and illustrations!

Thank you Dolly Parton's Imagination Library for the gifted copy!

[Shaye Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this early reader, young Alex is excited to Chinese New Year. She's especially glad to get to share her favorite traditions with her best friend, Ethan, as they clean up, decorate, and make delicious foods. The back matter include an introduction to Chinese Zodiac as well as several Chinese New Year's wishes with pronunciations.

For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!!

[Jami Gigot · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful celebration and/or introduction to the traditions of Chinese New Year. Super cute and colorful illustrations. Another fabulous book by Benson Shum!

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of our Imagination Library books, but somehow, we missed reading this one until now, when my daughter pulled it off of the shelf. A cute story about a Chinese-American girl sharing her family’s new year traditions with her best friend. I also appreciated that there was a pronunciation guide in the back for the Chinese phrases, since it’s a pet peeve of mine when bilingual books assume I know how to pronounce words in languages that I’m not fluent in.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good transitional reader type book for learning about Chinese New Year. Disappointed in the illustrations showing distinctly slanted eyes for the Chinese characters in contrast to the circular eyes of the one white character continuing the perpetuation of that negative stereotype in children's literature and beyond.

[Mike Wu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of our favorite books to celebrate Chinese New Year! It is a great introduction to the traditions of Chinese New Year and some of the Chinese greetings used. The illustrations are super cute and appealing. My daughter used the book for her family tradition assignment and it was perfect! All the kids in the class perked up when she read the book.

[Emery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dolly Parton Imagination Library

[Elizabeth Bedia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightful and engaging early reader is one all children will enjoy! Alex loves celebrating Chinese New Year with her family, but even more she loves to celebrate and share her family’s traditions with her best friend, Ethan. Shum’s accessible, kid-friendly text pairs perfectly with his vibrant, joyful illustrations. Wonderful themes of celebrating cultural traditions and the importance of family and friends are woven throughout the story. The back matter provides the reader with even more information about the importance of Chinese New Year, the Chinese zodiac and favorite Chinese New Year wishes in Chinese and English. Highly recommended for all young readers!

[Stef Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great day for Alex! This accessible text is perfect for young readers to learn the traditions and joys of Chinese New Year. From parades to food to lanterns, Alex's Good Fortune takes the reader through the entire celebration. These sweet illustrations bring the events to life, making all readers ready to join in the fun! I also love the list and pronunciations of Chinese New Year Wishes. All in all, the perfect read for any young readerly being both informative and fun!

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun early reader that follows Alex celebrating Chinese New Year with her friend Ethan. Includes a glossary of Chinese phrases and their pronunciations as well as an introduction to the Chinese Zodiac.

[Michelle Andersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does a great job explaining all about the customs and traditions of the Chinese New Year. The text is engaging and accessible, and the illustrations are colorful and fun. At its core, it’s a story of friendship and acceptance. Ethan asks his friend, “What does it all mean?” And Alex explains it so clearly for him and the reader. This book is educational in a very entertaining way. And don’t forget to spend some time with the back matter, where Shum does a great job explaining the zodiac calendar.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever wanted to join in the traditions of Chinese New Year, Alex's Good Fortune is the book for you! Alex shares all the festivities with her friend, Ethan. They join the parade, exchange wishes, paint a banner, clean, make dumplings, feast, and hang lanterns. Benson Shum creates a joyful celebration from beginning to end. He also includes Chinese New Year wishes at the end. My favorite? May all your wishes come true!

[JaNay Brown-Wood]

A charming text that introduces young readers to aspects of Chinese culture. Readers will have the pleasure of learning about foods shared during Chinese New Year and special traditions shared among family members. I especially appreciated the author's note that gave information about the Chinese Zodiac as well pronunciations of Chinese words related to the new year.

[Karla Valenti · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bright and colorful early reader introducing children to the Chinese New Year festivities and traditions. The celebration unfolds through the eyes of Alex as she explains the festival (and cultural underpinnings) to her friend Ethan: from the dragon to the red envelopes with money (for good luck), colorful banners (for peace), and even the dreaded "cleaning up of the room" (to wash away bad luck). Benson does a wonderful job of conveying the meaning behind these important traditions, and transporting readers into a joyful celebration!

[Katelyn Aronson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me wish I could step into Alex's shoes and be invited into a family's Chinese New Year celebrations. Each tradition is explained in a very accessible way, from the dragon parade to the banquet to the hanging of Chinese lanterns. I appreciated the back matter which includes further explanation, the animals of the Chinese zodiac, and even Chinese New Year expressions with a pronunciation guide. A fun and informative book on festivities that I grew up rather ignorant of. Thank you Mr. Shum for this glimpse into such a wonderful holiday.

[Julie Abery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex's Good Fortune is a delightful vignette of Chinese New Years' celebrations and traditions. Simply written, packed full of information, and bright colorful images by author/illustrator, Benson Shum, the book follows Alex, and her friend Ethan, as they share the holiday celebration. A holiday book I would certainly use in class and know it would lead to lots of arts, crafts, and cooking! Recommend.

[Patricia Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A colorful, engaging easy reader about sharing Chinese New Year with a friend. I like the Chinese phases in the text. The back matter is wonderful too, with an explanation of the Chinese zodiac and a pronounciation key for the phrases included in the text. Find someone to share this story with!

[Erin Dealey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out this early reader about Chinese New Year, filled with all of the special traditions and excitement of the celebration--as well as the not so fun tradition: (Cleaning your room! haha). I appreciate the Chinese phrases explained in the back matter, and used accurately in the dialog. Young readers will like Alex and her friend Ethan, and learn as they read!

[Van Hoang · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!

[Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should have a friend like Alex!

Learning about Chinese New Year has never been more understandable or cute. The vibrant and adorable illustrations take readers through the preparations and celebrations to mark the new year. The book’s title refers to Alex’s good fortune, but the truly fortunate one is her best friend who is invited to share in the fun. The author/illustrator shares the brightness and joy of the holiday, but he also includes a taste of the work that makes it all possible. Even adults may learn something here.

[Alisha Sarkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely stunning! A sweet and adorable story about friendship, culture, and family; filled with beautiful illustrations! 10/10 recommend!

[Tara Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a child named Alex who is celebrating the Chinese New Year and invites her friend, Ethan, over to celebrate with her family. Ethan is not Chinese and does not know what everything means. He participates in their traditions and then asks Alex what everything means. The artwork in this book expresses many of the cultural details of the Chinese New Year. Ethan helps Alex carry the dragon through the parade. We see the beautiful dragon puppet, red envelopes for luck, painting red banners for the doors to wish everyone luck year-round, cleaning to wash away bad luck for the year, different foods consumed for different meanings, and the lantern festival. This is a great book about sharing traditions that others might not have experienced themselves because of their culture. Ethan thanks Alex for sharing the holiday with him and Alex is glad to have been able to celebrate with him.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t let the simple text fool you—this book is packed with information about how Alex and her family celebrate the Chinese New Year. It includes popular customs such as the dragon dance, red envelopes, and traditional foods. The book is also a sweet story of friendship as Alex shares the celebration with her friend Ethan, who is not Chinese, so he gets to experience and learn about the customs and meaning behind them along with the reader. The bright illustrations help capture kids’ attention and add to the joy of the celebration. The backmatter provides more details, including some new year’s wishes, and information about the Chinese zodiac. Children will no doubt enjoy learning which personality traits come with their birth year. Perfect for young readers!

[Lindsay Bonilla]

I LOVE books that teach about other cultures, and this book fits the bill!
One of the my favorite parts about the book is how main character Alex is sharing her Chinese New Year traditions with her friend, Ethan, who is experiencing it for the first time.

Benson Shum's accessible text and bright illustrations will captivate kids and pique their interest in this wonderful holiday. I especially enjoyed the section on the foods enjoyed during the holiday and what they represent. Kids will love the dragon dance, red envelopes filled with money, and the lantern festival too!

Don't miss the back matter with more great info, including the animals in the Chinese Zodiac. This book packs in TONS of information in a fun, easy-to-digest way!

[Sue Cottrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joy and pride for cultural traditions (and sharing them) are at the heart of this story. Alex teaches her friend Ethan about Chinese New Year when she invites him to join her family as they celebrate the holiday. The celebrations include a big parade, gifts in red envelopes, cooking lessons, a big banquet and more. I love that the story explains the meanings behind each of the traditions and includes some Chinese New Year’s pronunciations and intro information about Chinese Zodiac in the back of the book. The characters and artwork are super-cute and capture the joyous energy of the holiday. So much fun for a little one to read and learn about—they’ll be excited to celebrate Chinese New Year too.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. It has very cute illustrations and the story is nice. It shows how Alex and her family celebrate Chinese New Year. At the end of the story there is a page that explains more about the holiday and it a page that shows you what the Chinese words mean from the story and how to say them correctly. My only complaint is that I wish the Chinese words in the story showed how to say them while you're reading the story. If you don't know Chinese that would have been very helpful. Still a good story though! You just have to learn how to say those Chinese words before you read this out loud to a group of kids.

[Becky Scharnhorst · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful book about a young girl named Alex inviting her friend Ethan to join her family as they celebrate Chinese New Year. From parades and banners to good luck envelopes and cleaning, we experience each of their family traditions. I loved learning about the meaning behind each tradition, as well as the foods they shared at the grand banquet. The illustrations are bright and colorful, and the text is engaging and accessible. I think this is the perfect book to introduce kids to Chinese New Year!

[Markeology · Rating 5 out of 5]

My family isn't Chinese, but this sweet little book help to teach me and my young daughter about what Chinese New Year is and how it is celebrated. The story involves a little Chinese girl inviting her western friend to celebrate Chinese New Year with her family. It's not heavy-handed or didactic in any way, it just feels like we as readers are joining in on the festivities. The backmatter is helpful in explaining the traditions and the meaning of some of the Chinese phrases that are used in the book. Love this book!

[Teresa Alpizar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informational nonfiction
Kindergarten-1st grade
This book tells the story about a friendship between a kid and another kid who is celebrating the Chinese New Year. I liked the colorful illustrations that allow us to see the food, traditions, and decorations used to celebrate this holiday! I also loved how the author included a few more pages about the Chinese New Year, some of the wishes in the Chinese language, and the Chinese zodiacs. Overall, this book will make young readers engaged with learning new facts about other cultures.

[Annelouise · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALEX'S GOOD FORTUNE by Benson Shum is a wonderful early reader adorably illustrated and thoughtfully made. The story delights as it shares the special meaning behind the celebrated traditions of the Chinese New Year. The illustrations elevate the feeling of friendship, joy, new and shared experiences. I love the friendship between Alex and Ethan and all the charm that fills this book. I highly recommend this book.