| The Horn Book |
| 02/01/2012 |
| The Horn Book |
| The gouache paintings use lots of red and bright colors, with design elements like stripes, squares, and dots in the characters’ clothing and in the backgrounds, tying the pages together harmoniously. This is an excellent introduction to Chinese New Year as it is celebrated in China and also a poignant and thoughtful examination of the joys and sorrows of families living apart. |
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| Wall Street Journal |
| 01/05/2012 |
| Wall Street Journal |
| A story from China that is neither fable nor folk tale but an emotionally resonant contemporary picture of what countless small children must experience, in a society with as many as 100 million migrant workers. |
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| Kirkus Reviews |
| 11/02/2011 |
| Kirkus Reviews |
| Chinese New Year brings a young family joyously but all-too-briefly back together in this poignant import... simple patterns and bright red highlights give the inside and outside settings a particularly inviting look, and the artist captures the emotional backdrop with delicate clarity in her figures' postures and expressions. |
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| San Francisco Chronicle |
| 02/02/2012 |
| San Francisco Chronicle |
| Small pleasures do not hide the sense of sacrifice that grounds this tender and thoroughly realistic tale of family love. |
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| Chicago Tribune |
| 02/02/2012 |
| Chicago Tribune |
| The story recognizes both the sadder and happier moments of this brief visit. |
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| Publishers Weekly (starred review) |
| 11/17/2011 |
| Publishers Weekly (starred review) |
| Two things make this Chinese New Year story remarkable-Zhu's meticulously observed gouaches and the family's poignant backstory...Yu and Zhu create a memorable portrait of China's most joyous holiday and a testimony to the love that holds Maomao's family together. |
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| School Library Journal (starred review) |
| 01/27/2012 |
| School Library Journal (starred review) |
| This bittersweet and poignant story not only tells of a family celebrating a holiday, but also explores the trepidation and joy of a reunion... The story of an absent parent returning only during special occasions is one that speaks to more and more American children. The celebrations and traditions might differ, but the story of missing distant family is universal. |
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| Shelf Awareness |
| 12/02/2011 |
| Shelf Awareness |
| On the surface, this is a picture book about celebrating the Chinese New Year, but at its heart, it is a heartwarming story of homecoming, and about keeping a connection to home even when you're away from it...A love that will last the whole year through. |
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| Booklist Online |
| 03/15/2012 |
| Booklist Online |
| Appropriate for Chinese New Year, this exceptional family story will move readers at any time of the year and will resonate especially with children whose parents must leave their families for long periods of time. |
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| The Boston Globe |
| 12/02/2011 |
| The Boston Globe |
| Illustrations saturated with bright colors depict scenes in which a little girl finds her father's short-lived homecoming a joyous and bittersweet occasion as well as an opportunity to grow up. |
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| The Washington Post |
| 02/29/2012 |
| The Washington Post |
| A beautiful picture book. |
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| Kirkus Reviews Children's Blog |
| 11/17/2011 |
| Kirkus Reviews Children's Blog |
| "Vibrant" hardly even begins to cover it here. These are colors, compositions and emotions that jump right off the page without wasting any time about it...The reds! Oh! The rich, deep reds! Cheng-Liang's detailed gouache illustrations are inviting, popping off the page with warmth and energy. |
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| The Lutheran |
| 02/29/2012 |
| The Lutheran |
| A fascinating glimpse of this way of life. |
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