Emma's American Chinese New Year

My daughter loves this book. Great for very young kids who are international adoptees.

This book is only for when you adopt a child from China and if you go to a local Chinese cultural center to celebrate New Years. There is no real story line here and no way to really emotionally connect with others. I would read something else on Chinese New Years like A New Year's Reunion to understand migrant working families, Sam and the Lucky Money about the homeless, and D is for Dragon Dance for some basic Chinese culture.

This was a perfect book for my 5 year old adopted daughter. It was the only one I've seen that combined Chinese New Year, adoption, and celebrating in America. Her pre-school teacher let us send it and read it to the kids as part of the class Chinese New Year celebration we made. My daughter is the only Chinese child in the class and she felt very special when the book was read. It was also a great way to teach the others about the China culture and introduce them to adoption as just another way families are made. I highly recommend this book as long as your child knows they were adopted.

Realistic interpretation of Chinese lunar new year and a quick read. My 4yo daughter enjoyed reading about CNY customs and the fact that her name is Emma too, really sold her on this book.

Wife and daughter love this book.

Springtime had arrived and it was time for Emma and her family to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Mommy and Daddy had adopted her from China, but the whole family agreed that is was a special holiday and everyone would celebrate and learn right along with her. When January and February arrived, Mommy and Emma would start preparing for their celebration. On went the matching lavender aprons and into the kitchen they would go. Mommy rolled out the dough and Emma shaped the moon cakes so they could bake in the oven. Yum!Snip, snip went the scissors as Emma made the lanterns for Mommy to string along the fireplace. Red, yellow, pink, and purple! Everyone decorated and then there were special treats. "We also like to eat oranges / because the New Year will surely be sweet. / They are so juicy and delicious -- / their taste just can't be beat." Of course there was a red envelope with dollar bills just for Emma. The whole family would get together to head to the cultural center to meet with other families and celebrate the Lunar New Year. Even cousin Max was coming. Wonder what kind of exciting things would happen at the center?This is a charming story about Emma, a little girl who was learning about her cultural heritage. It was very important to Emma's parents, as it is to many people, for their child to become acquainted with the customs of their native countries. Emma and her parents were able to share and learn about many customs at home, but with the availability of the cultural center they became acquainted with many more. We get to see such things as the quipao dresses, Chinese drummers, dancers, we learn about the songs, watch the Kung Fu artists, and chuckle as the children get to see the lion and the dragon as they dance. The artwork is colorfully animated and brings the Chinese-American New Year to life. If you want your child or classroom to learn more about Chinese culture, Emma will gladly take you into her world!This book courtesy of the publisher.

What a sweet and heart warming little book this one is. Emma is a little girl from China who has been adopted by American parents. This is becoming a very common practice in my part of the country and we have many, many children here going to our schools, not only from China, but from just about every country you can think of. All of these children that I know of are adapting and doing quite well, primarily due to the efforts of their adoptive parents and the school and community around them. I just spent the last two years working with one of these children - a special needs child, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in a long working career.In this book, Emma and her family celebrate the traditional Chinese New Year. This is a family and friend project and is actually a learning process for quite a number of people.The book is very well illustrated with bright and clear illustrations. The text is written in verse form; excellent verse, I might add, and goes perfectly with the bright and active illustrations. The author, Amy Meadows knows what she is doing as does the artist, Soon Kwong Teo. These two make an impressive team.This little book is most certainly one that should be in all school libraries and beyond a doubt should be in the library of any small child in Emma's situation.To be honest, there is not much in this book not to like.Don BlankenshipThe Ozarks

Emma is a cute litte girl from China who has been adopted by Caucasian parents in the United States. Every year, the family makes preparations to celebrate the Chinese New Year and Emma's parents help make Emma feel connected to her birth heritage. Emma's mother helps Emma bake moon cakes and decorate the house with wall hangings and decorations for the fireplace. The family goes to the Cultural Center where Emma's family is joined by their extended family as well as other families who have also adopted children from China.It is evident that Emma gets much enjoyment from the festivities and the wonderfully vivid color illustrations clearly depict her happiness, especially during the Lion and Dragon dance and later when the family assembles for the New Year dinner, which is a tradition in Chinese families (usually called the Reunion Dinner where families gather to ring in the New Year). I liked the mention of the red packet (a little red envelope filled with money) which is traditionally given out to children (and unmarried persons) during the Chinese New Year, though I wish the author would have mentioned the Chinese name associated with it, i.e. "hongbao". This is a cute story that helps children learn about the Chinese New Year as celebrated by a little girl adopted into an American family.