Chinese New Year

As many communities celebrate Chinese New Year and experience parades this coming weekend, I highly recommend sharing books about the amazing dragon dance. 

I am a big fan of many books that bring together Carole Lexa Schaefer and Pierr Morgan. The stories are simple, whimsical, and have joyful illustrations. Dragon Dancing is a great book to share with students ages 4-7 (preschool and kindergarten).

For students in grades 1st, 2nd, and 3rd I recommend The Day the Dragon Danced by Kay Haugaard, illustrated by Carolyn Reed Barritt. This is a beautiful story of an African American family and their involvement in a Chinese New Year celebration, including the father being a part of the dragon dance.