Two New Years might be my second favorite non-Christian holiday book for 2023. Or even my first as it does mention Lunar New Year. I will start with the afterwards because it talks about the pieces of a simple, but deceptively not simple story. This afterwards describes the two New Year celebrations parts and the culture. Richard Ho talks about why names are used, what the rams horn means, and the foods similarities.
This is because Ho is talking about the two cultures that he is now part of. As a child he had a Chinese upbringing, coming to Judaism as an adult. But he was excited to learn (said in the afterwards) how those two cultures had more similarities than you might imagine. His story is told from the adult point of view but focuses on the fact his/the children were born to two wonderful cultures.The fun thing about Two New Years that while it does deal with two specific holiday and the events surrounding it, anyone can relate if they are of two (possibly more) cultures. This book is a celebration of family and culture but done in a loving and caring manner. The artwork of Lynn Scurfield accents this with lush, rich illustrations.
Scurfield created images that are both realistic and a bit cartoon-like, without going into cartoony imagery. And while they might not be ones I would frame/hang, they are pleasant to view and are a great addition to the text. They support the story/text while also having their own character. The fun thing about Two New Years that while it does deal with two specific holiday and the events surrounding it, anyone can relate if they are of two (possibly more) cultures. This book is a celebration of family and culture but done in a loving and caring manner. The artwork of Scurfield accents this with lush, rich illustrations. They created images that are both realistic and a bit cartoon-like, without going into cartoony imagery. And while they might not be ones I would frame/hang, the yare pleasant to view and are a great addition to the text. They support the story/text while also having their own character.
Perhaps my two favorite images (though I enjoyed them all) are first, the table of food, the two cultures side-by-side with similar, and different foods, and the second was when people are in temple on one side of the page, and releasing lanterns on the other side. Due August 2023 and good for ages four/five and up. As it was an online reader copy, I am assuming a traditional to smaller picture book size/format.