Lion Dancer: Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year - Hardcover

Author Kate Waters was born on September 4, 1951, in Rochester, NY. She went on to earn a B.A. from Newtown College of the Sacred Heart (Boston College) and a M.L.S. from Simmons’ Graduate School of Library and Information Science. She grew up in a big family in which storytelling was very important. She worked as a librarian for ten years at the Boston Public Library. There she became very interested in telling stories to young people and finding out what they enjoyed reading. She moved to New York where she worked on a children’s magazine. While working at the magazine, she started to think about new ways to present history and traditions to children. Her books include pictures of actors depicting the stories Kate writes. In addition, her books have been praised for their content and have won many awards. Kate currently lives in New York City.

PreSchool-Grade 3-- In brief, simple sentences, Ernie Wan describes his Chinese -American family's celebration of the lunar New Year. Ernie lives in New York City's Chinatown, where traditions are rooted in the culture of southern China. Ernie's father, a kung fu master, choreographs The Lion Dance, the center of the community celebration and a major tourist attraction. This year, Ernie dances in the place of honor under the lion's head. Color photographs depict private and public festivities. Brown's Chinese New Year (Holt, 1987), reported in third person, gives more general information about Chinese traditions. Set in San Francisco's Chinatown and portraying the same regional customs in black-and-white photographs, Brown's book explains how the date for New Year is determined (something Lion Dancer never mentions) and emphasizes the variety of ways in which Chinese people celebrate this all-important holiday. Both books include a chart of the 12-year Chinese zodiac; Lion Dancer adds a horoscope for each of the animal signs. Hou-Tien Cheng's The Chinese New Year (Holt, 1976) tells how the holiday is celebrated in China. Brown's book remains the best overall introduction to the Chinese-American celebration, with Lion Dancer a strong supplement for its immediacy, its vibrant color, and its sympathetic look at a Chinese family. --Margaret A. Chang, Buxton School, Williamstown, MA
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