New Year

This picture book is meant for those days when the distance from relatives feels heaviest, and its story takes place over Lunar New Year, when households gather around a generous holiday meal. A father would like nothing more than to share that table with his daughter, but she has settled in another country. He pictures how she is spending the celebration and recalls the time they once shared, and the pull between his loss and his sense of being unmoored from her daily life runs through every page. Even so, he understands that she needs to leave home, mature, and discover who she is. The book explores leaving home, becoming independent, and staying close to people who live far away. Because so many families cannot be together this season, its central feeling of longing for people who are out of reach and hoping for a reunion will speak to many readers. It also offers teachers, librarians, and parents a starting point for conversations about the customs and meaning of Lunar New Year, the mixed emotions that come with having family and friends far away, and ways to cope with loneliness and missing those we love.