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Long-Long's New Year: A Story About the Chinese Spring Festival
In this beautifully illustrated multicultural children's book, a little Chinese boy named Long-Long accompanies his grandfather into the city to sell cabbages in order to buy food and decorations for the New Year. Selling cabbages is harder than Long-Long expects, and he encounters many adventures before he finds a way to help his grandfather, and earn New Year's treats for his mother and little cousin.
The stunning, authentic illustrations by a talented Chinese artist capture the look of everyday life in rural China. Combined with the charming story of Long-Long's trip to the city, they offer a unique introduction to Chinese culture. It includes a glossary of Chinese terms.
The stunning, authentic illustrations by a talented Chinese artist capture the look of everyday life in rural China. Combined with the charming story of Long-Long's trip to the city, they offer a unique introduction to Chinese culture. It includes a glossary of Chinese terms.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 15, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 10, 2021
Long Long journeys to market with his grandfather to sell cabbages to ensure his family has a great celebration for the Spring Festival. Twists and turns of fate lend a hand while a capricious young boy cares so much.
#Ownvoices illustrator He Zhihong does a beautiful job.
#Ownvoices illustrator He Zhihong does a beautiful job.
October 30, 2020
A fantastic story to teach children about the culture in China.
September 1, 2025
Children's picture book - beautiful drawings by He Zhihong (born China 1970). The market scenes are busy with details which a child can study. For example, when Long-Long is riding to market, the children in the backdrop are playing a circle game; at the bike shop, a cat and her kittens are in the background, as is Fu good-luck paper on the door upside down. Re-reads can provide lots of opportunity to explore the rich paintings.
The story itself is a basic journey to market, but contains themes of helping, trust, and providing a good product for value (both the cabbages, and Long-Long helping at the bike shop). Long-Long goes on his own side quests to get the bike fixed, get a meal, and buy stuff at the Hundred Good Store. Discussing what a child could do and shouldn't do would be a great addition to a reading.
The final page goes deeper into the "Chinese Spring Festival" and provides translations for some words and cultural items.
This is a great book. I would love to see a follow-up book with the sister, showing her freedom and agency.
The story itself is a basic journey to market, but contains themes of helping, trust, and providing a good product for value (both the cabbages, and Long-Long helping at the bike shop). Long-Long goes on his own side quests to get the bike fixed, get a meal, and buy stuff at the Hundred Good Store. Discussing what a child could do and shouldn't do would be a great addition to a reading.
The final page goes deeper into the "Chinese Spring Festival" and provides translations for some words and cultural items.
This is a great book. I would love to see a follow-up book with the sister, showing her freedom and agency.
September 25, 2023
Dust off your time-and-space travel machine, Goodreaders. Prepare to travel to China, and learn how the Chinese New Year is celebrated now... according to ancient tradition.
Our young hero, Long-Long, helps his grandfather to sell cabbages for the Spring Festival. Illustrations are superb, rendered in gentle colors and full of realistic details.
Especially refreshing to me is inclusion of an antagonist, an unscrupulous rival seller of cabbages. It's so rare to encounter a picture book where all the main characters are human, and there's a very naughty human villain. When she's vanquished, for this Goodreader, joy abounds.
In general, I'd say the happy ending is WELL EARNED. (Though no spoilers from me, no no!)
FIVE STARS of appreciation to author Cathrine Gower and artist He Zhihong.
Our young hero, Long-Long, helps his grandfather to sell cabbages for the Spring Festival. Illustrations are superb, rendered in gentle colors and full of realistic details.
Especially refreshing to me is inclusion of an antagonist, an unscrupulous rival seller of cabbages. It's so rare to encounter a picture book where all the main characters are human, and there's a very naughty human villain. When she's vanquished, for this Goodreader, joy abounds.
In general, I'd say the happy ending is WELL EARNED. (Though no spoilers from me, no no!)
FIVE STARS of appreciation to author Cathrine Gower and artist He Zhihong.
March 3, 2017
Good discussion of a variety of cultural practice around the Chinese New Year. Would be important to review the fact that not EVERY person celebrating the Chinese New Year will do ALL of these things.
February 5, 2023
Beautiful artwork in traditional Chinese style illustrated the story of Long-Long and his grandfather going to town to sell cabbages in order to get money for the supplies needed for the new year festival.
August 15, 2024
The title of this picture book is somewhat misleading, as it is only about the preparation for New Year, not the actual celebration itself. There is an afterword that discusses the history of the festival, which was helpful to contextualize different parts of the story.
February 18, 2026
This quaint story is more about a trip to the market than about the Spring Festival. The beautiful pastel detailed watercolor illustrations would appeal to adults rather than children. But my preschooler still asked for it a second time.
November 11, 2019
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade: Kindergarten-3
Review: Long Longs new year was fun to read about. It’s a lot different than what I was expecting to read but in a good way. I thought it would be a step by step of what he does to prepare what he does for the new year. But it has a story with it. Long Longs family is in the story a lot. At the end there are some word in Chinese with meanings and I think it’s a fun way to learn Chinese.
Grade: Kindergarten-3
Review: Long Longs new year was fun to read about. It’s a lot different than what I was expecting to read but in a good way. I thought it would be a step by step of what he does to prepare what he does for the new year. But it has a story with it. Long Longs family is in the story a lot. At the end there are some word in Chinese with meanings and I think it’s a fun way to learn Chinese.
December 6, 2022
Beautiful artwork and lots of information - Little Man brought it home from school and loved it.
March 31, 2013
APA: Gower, C., & He, Z. (2005). Long-Long's New Year: a story about the Chinese spring festival. Boston: Tuttle Pub..
Subgroup: Chinese Spring Festival
Genre: Fiction
Language: English
Relate: The story allows the children to connect wit the main character, Long-Long as he experiences his first Spring Festival with his grandfather.
Synopsis: This is a story about Long-Long’s first Spring Festival. The day begins with Long-Long helping his grandfather sell cabbages in the town square in order to make enough money for the celebration. But before they reach the market, one of the tires to their cart pops. As the grandfather is busy selling the cabbages Long-Long is out to looking for a bike repair shop. Through his journey in the market he meets several people that give him symbolic foods to celebrate the Spring Festival. Finally, Long-Long finds a bicycle shop and the repairmen fixes the broken tire. While Long-Long is waiting for the repairman to finish up he decides to help out around the shop, the repairman thanks him with a silver coin. On the way back to his grandfather Long-Long smells some delicious food but decides that he should not spend the money on himself but instead save it for helping his family fund the Spring Festival. A cook see’s Long-Long and asks him if he came to town often and who he was with. Long-Long replied that he was here in the market selling cabbages with his grandfather. The cook asks if Long-Long’s grandfather will sell him some cabbages for his restaurant and off they go to buy some cabbages from Long-Long’s grandfather. As the cook and Long-Long return to his grandfather, Long-Long notices that his grandfather had not sold any cabbages at all. Standing nearby was an old lady selling dirty, wilted, caterpillar eaten cabbages. When the cook saw the old lady he shouted at her and telling her not to sell her dirty cabbages to the people, she left in a hurry. People rushed to buy the grandfather’s cabbage instead. At the end of the day, all the cabbages were sold. Long –Long and his grandfather went home with plenty of money to celebrate for the Spring Festival.
Subgroup: Chinese Spring Festival
Genre: Fiction
Language: English
Relate: The story allows the children to connect wit the main character, Long-Long as he experiences his first Spring Festival with his grandfather.
Synopsis: This is a story about Long-Long’s first Spring Festival. The day begins with Long-Long helping his grandfather sell cabbages in the town square in order to make enough money for the celebration. But before they reach the market, one of the tires to their cart pops. As the grandfather is busy selling the cabbages Long-Long is out to looking for a bike repair shop. Through his journey in the market he meets several people that give him symbolic foods to celebrate the Spring Festival. Finally, Long-Long finds a bicycle shop and the repairmen fixes the broken tire. While Long-Long is waiting for the repairman to finish up he decides to help out around the shop, the repairman thanks him with a silver coin. On the way back to his grandfather Long-Long smells some delicious food but decides that he should not spend the money on himself but instead save it for helping his family fund the Spring Festival. A cook see’s Long-Long and asks him if he came to town often and who he was with. Long-Long replied that he was here in the market selling cabbages with his grandfather. The cook asks if Long-Long’s grandfather will sell him some cabbages for his restaurant and off they go to buy some cabbages from Long-Long’s grandfather. As the cook and Long-Long return to his grandfather, Long-Long notices that his grandfather had not sold any cabbages at all. Standing nearby was an old lady selling dirty, wilted, caterpillar eaten cabbages. When the cook saw the old lady he shouted at her and telling her not to sell her dirty cabbages to the people, she left in a hurry. People rushed to buy the grandfather’s cabbage instead. At the end of the day, all the cabbages were sold. Long –Long and his grandfather went home with plenty of money to celebrate for the Spring Festival.
November 9, 2011
"Long-Long’s New Year" Is a book about a boy and his grandfather that are going to sell cabbage on the market, so they can earn money to make food and get stuff for the Chinese spring festival. The book stars with them riding a bike into town, when one of the bike wheels puncture. This is the beginning of something that will help Long-Long and his grandfather in the end. The thing I really liked about this book is that it has Chinese words in it, and in the end it has explanations and a dictionary.
This book is good to use with Chinese English learner students, and it is possible to use it with kindergarten children, even though it is a longer book, you could divide it into different parts, and use it over a longer time. It is good to use with all the students to learn more about culture and about the one of the Chinese celebrations.
This book is good to use with Chinese English learner students, and it is possible to use it with kindergarten children, even though it is a longer book, you could divide it into different parts, and use it over a longer time. It is good to use with all the students to learn more about culture and about the one of the Chinese celebrations.
October 30, 2012
When I read this book, I was intrigued by its historical setting in China, as I believe it is a time period and region that could be eyeopening to new American learners. For classroom instruction I would use the text to demonstrate to the class bartering as opposed to the money and credit cards of today, along with getting students of today to empathize with the hard work and risk the main character had to deal with all those centuries ago. This is a good book for teachers because it demonstrates what initiative can accomplish, as the main character helps his family with his can-do attitude and drive to do more than what is asked of him.
February 22, 2016
Long Long and his grandfather are on the way to to the city sell their cabbages to get money for their Spring Festival celebrations, when the bicycle carrying them gets a flat tire. Long Long tells his grandfather he will get the tire fixed while grandpa sells the cabbages. But when Long Long gets back and sees that no one is buying their cabbages, he decides to take matters in hand himself. This is a gentle story with outstanding illustrations that give a wide view of what life was like in small Chinese village. Includes information on the very first Spring Festival and a glossary of Chinese words used in the story.
October 14, 2016
Set within a rural village in contemporary China, Long-Long joins his grandpa on a journey to the market. In order to make some money so that they can buy food for the New Year festival, Grandpa's bike gets a puncture and it is only through Long-Long's perseverance and diligence that they manage to get all they need. Zhihong's illustrations are beautiful and do much to support the story which doesn't do too well to find that balance between exploring culture and trying to have a genuine story to tell. On saying this, the language is good and I enjoying the short piece regarding the first Chinese Spring festival and the extended glossary at the back.
September 5, 2015
A previous reviewer wrote that the author never explained who Hong Hong is and found out later it was a sister. She also referred to the main character, Long Long, as a girl. She gave this book 1 star bc of that. However, the author did explain who Hong Hong is - actually a cousin - on at least two separate pages. The main character is also a boy.
I loved the true to age and period illustrations. This book is rich with stories if you can see it. The story is simple and may only resonate with some. I happen to be of Chinese descent so it made a lot of sense.
I loved the true to age and period illustrations. This book is rich with stories if you can see it. The story is simple and may only resonate with some. I happen to be of Chinese descent so it made a lot of sense.
January 30, 2014
A story about a young boy (Long Long) who helps his grandfather (a cabbage seller) earn enough money to buy food and supplies for his family’s Spring Festival. The story captures the hustle and bustle of small village life in the days leading up to New Years. The illustrations, which look like they were painted on antique rice paper, are replete with details of village life and will appeal to adults and children who will enjoy looking for hidden details.
September 18, 2012
This was a delightful story about a young Chinese boy and his experience as he and his grandfather readied for the Spring festival. This book would be great to use to talk about the Chinese culture and the way different cultures celebrate. It also is a great to discuss how helping others is so important.
January 23, 2015
I love books like this, that explain a cultural tradition, and tell a story of a relatively normal day in the life of a child from a different culture. They are endlessly fascinating. And if simply told and beautifully illustrated like this one, both showing and telling of the little details that are unfamiliar to us, familiar to someone else, then they are just perfect.
November 10, 2019
It isn't long before we realize she must be Long-Long's sister, but is there any reason the book doesn't introduce her? Similarly, the narrative is choppy; we have to infer what has happened between jumps. It's not as if the story bewildered me, but I find it frustrating when a story could be smooth and probably should be smooth, as it's written for children, but just isn't.
December 19, 2013
This book is a good introduction to Chinese New Year; there is even a glossary in the back for new words and concepts. The only problem is that the pictures are muted and possibly hard to make out. It is too long for storytime.
August 6, 2010
Long-Long and Grandpa during Spring Festival. Beautiful illustrations.
August 10, 2016
Absorbing illustrations to look. Festival time.
October 11, 2014
Love the illustrations.
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March 8, 2019This was such a well written story. Some pages were wordy but if you were to use this book in during a read-aloud the pictures would gain the students attention while the words supported. I loved how the illustrations covered the book from cover to the back. The pictures really helped enhance and provide a nice visual to go along with the story. It is definitely age appropriate for children. The story allows children the opportunity to follow along an adventure with long long. There was not a wide variety of cultural groups represented in the book. I can only assume the setting is taken place in China, because it was never directly stated. The book's topic on Chinese culture may have an impact on why the author chose not to represent multiple cultures.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews