Having Lunar New Year books in your home helps get kids excited for the holiday.
Not only that, it’s a great way for the whole family to learn about and the biggest Asian holiday together.
I’ve included many different types of Lunar New Year books to help you choose the best ones that are suitable for your kids! So keep reading for my list!
Our Favorite Lunar New Year Chinese books for Kids
The Lunar New Year books I’m sharing below are organized by text format to help you decide what would be most suitable for your needs.
In my list below, I’ve included English options which are a good resource for families more focused on exposing your child to the culture or finding a good option for doing class presentations on the Lunar New Year.
I also share bilingual options with pinyin for parent wanting to learn Chinese alongside their kids.
There’s something for everyone below!
How to choose the best Lunar New Year books for your child
Before we get into the large selection I share below, here are some tips on choosing the best ones for your child.
You don’t need every single book I share below. In fact, just starting out with 3 would be sufficient.
I would recommend choosing one book that covers the entire holiday (traditions and festivities), one that talks about the zodiac animals (because kids love animals) and one that talks about the holiday from a child’s perspective.
Starting with these would help you begin to build a wonderful Chinese home library to immerse your child and encourage your family to use your target language.
Start by clicking on the button that displays types of Lunar New Year books you’re looking for.
Traditional Chinese Lunar New Year books
This is a wonderful first words board book on Lunar New Year, great for babies and younger toddlers. This is also available in English.
Fun pop up book that leads kids through the customs and celebrations surrounding LNY. Great for all ages.
Here’s another fun board book with seek and find, plus other activities to engage toddlers.
One of our favorite pop-up interactive books that takes kids through all the festivities and traditions surrounding LNY. Great for all ages. (with zhuyin & QR code audio)
From the popular Taiwanese author & illustrator Laima comes this fun rendition on the legend of how the Chinese zodiac animals came about. Comes with audio CD. (with zhuyin)
Another fun pop-up interactive books that takes kids through all the festivities and traditions surrounding LNY plus LNY related magic tricks. Great for all ages. (with zhuyin & QR code audio)
An adorable book that covers Lunar New Year celebrations and focuses on red envelope money kids get during the holiday. This book has less text so good for toddlers with short attention span or beginning readers. (with zhuyin)
Learn about the traditions and festivities surrounding LNY from a little boy’s perspective. (with zhuyin and online bilingual audio, also available in simplified)
A sweet book about what it’s like to celebrate Lunar New Year in China. Told through the eyes of a little girl. (with zhuyin, also available in English & simplified)
I love this book series on Chinese holidays! The illustrations are stunning, capturing the essence of traditional Eastern art. Each story is thoughtfully told, bringing the rich cultural traditions to life. (with zhuyin)
Simplified Chinese Lunar New Year Books for Kids
Interactive push and pull board book that will grab your toddler’s attention.
Traditional Chinese or Simplified, bilingual
A sweet story of a sleepy bear that tries to stay awake and celebrate Lunar New Year for the first time.
Simplified Chinese
A story of missing home and celebrating Lunar New Year overseas, far away from family.
Simplified Chinese
A delightful story on the tradition of lighting lanterns during Lunar New Year told through the eyes of Zhao Di and her friends.
Audio available via QR code on book.
A hearwarming story of a Chinese American child connecting to his roots through wearing his dad’s tiger hat.
A fun pop-up book that takes readers through the traditions surrounding Lunar New Year.
Fun pop up book that leads kids through the customs and celebrations surrounding LNY. Great for all ages.
A fun book series that explores and celebrates the foods of Singaporean Chinese culture through adventures with two kids. (with pinyin)
Beautifully illustrated heartwarming book series that introduces Chinese foods to kids.
Bilingual Lunar New Year Books for Kids
Interactive push and pull board book that will grab your toddler’s attention.
Traditional/Simplified, with English
An interactive engaging board book for toddlers on Lunar New Year. Lots of pages with push pull interaction.
Traditional+English
A sweet realistic look at what celebrating Chinese New Year entails for a little boy in China. I found this at our local library. Would be a good one to check out and have easy access to!
Taiwanese folklore of the mouse bride which takes place during Lunar New Year.
Traditional + English
A fun book for babies and toddlers to learn about Lunar New Year and related terms in Mandarin Chinese. Books are bilingual and includes pinyin to help with reading.
Simplified/Traditional with pinyin
Learn a traditional Lunar New Year song through this adorable book. Sheet music for piano players included. (traditional with pinyin and English translation)
English Lunar New Year Books for Kids
Below are some great English options to share the culture and holiday with your kids or for a classroom presentations.
Most of the books listed below are written by Chinese or Taiwanese American authors to help readers get the most authentic perspective on the holiday.
Board book perfect for introducing LNY related words to your baby and young toddler.
Join curious George and his friend Mei in their LNY adventures. (board book)
A book that covers Lunar New Year celebrations and also other countries that celebrate the holiday as well.
Have to include Grace Lin’s book, one of the first Asian American children’s authors to represent our stories and faces in the genre. Learn about the holiday through the eyes of a little girl.
Interactive push pull board book perfect for sharing Lunar New Year with toddlers.
Join Ren in the exciting celebration surrounding Lunar New Year! Plus a pineapple cake recipe in the end.
A great book for introducing Lunar New Year to your child’s class. I read this to my daughter’s second grade class. It also covers other cultures that celebrate LNY. It helped her classmate who is part Vietnamese feel included.
Based on the author’s own experience of celebrating Lunar New Year in China then sharing the holiday with her new friend after she moved to America. A truly sweet story of friendship that crosses cultures.
A beautiful lift the flap book to introduce the holiday to kids in an engaging way.
An early reader on the holiday to help developing readers grow confident in reading and learn about the holiday.
Did You Find a New Book to Add to Your Home Library?
I hope you and your family find some great titles to add to your home library or bring in to your child’s classroom to share with their peers.
Wishing you all a very blessed Lunar New year! 新年快樂！
If there are titles I didn’t include but you love, please share below! I’m always on the lookout for books to add to the list!
More Great Resources for Lunar New Year for Your Family
Below are additional resources to make Lunar New Year fun and engaging for your family:
Celebrate Lunar New Year 2025 with MaiStoryBook: Books, Crafts, Read Aloud Videos from Mai’s Storybook
Best Lunar New Year Fun Crafts & Activities for Kids from Spot of Sunshine
Chinese New Year Banner Free Printables/春聯DIY from Spot of Sunshine
- Chinese New Year Videos for Kids from Spot of Sunshine
- Lunar New Year traditions new and old from Mama Baby Mandarin
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