Chloe's Lunar New Year

PreS-Gr 3--Chloe, her smaller brother, and her parents prepare for the annual Lunar New Year celebration. There're cleaning, new shoes, and an emphasis on blending Taiwanese classics like good-luck fish, turnip cake, and sticky fortune cakes with American apple pie. Red envelopes and a family reunion--including an uncle with red hair and beard--are also key parts of the festival. Virtues of helping, sharing, and respecting tradition subtly appear. There are many references to a beloved grandmother (A-má), prominent in the endpaper family photos, for whom the hot pot is made and who is expected at the reunion. In a poignant surprise, A-má is present, but only in cherished family memories and the photo honored on the family altar. The soft, simple but realistic watercolors show some settings, but often focus on the characters, who have sweet expressions and Western dress. Dispensing with the external drama of the dragon, parade, or noisy firecrackers, this warm book depicts family as central. Back matter includes an author's note and a recipe for fortune cake. VERDICT LaMotte's success with Measuring Up looks likely to extend to younger readers here.--Patricia D. Lothrop