Our Family Dragon: A Lunar New Year Story by Rebecca Lim, illustrated by Cai Tse

Title: Our Family Dragon: A Lunar New Year Story

Author: Rebecca Lim, illustrated by Cai Tse

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 28^th November 2023

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 32

Price: $24.99

Synopsis: A glorious celebration of love, family, and the Lunar New Year.

I can’t wait till the dragon gets here!

It’s New Year’s Eve – the Lunar New Year. We are in Australia, but Bàba says people around the world have celebrated it for thousands of years. It’s my very favourite time. Especially when the dragon is coming.

A gorgeous story that celebrates family, tradition, and the magic of the season.

~*~

2024 is the next Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, and Rebecca Lim has written a lovely new picture book celebrating Chinese New Year, and the end of the Year of the Rabbit (2023) and the start of the Year of the Dragon next year. The story follows a young boy as he prepares for the celebration with his sister, waiting for the dragon of the family to arrive so they can begin.

This delightful story invites readers to learn about a different celebration than we are used to seeing in books, and this time, the focus is on Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year. What I love about books like this is the way they introduce a celebration for readers who haven’t had that celebration in their lives whilst also giving a range of celebrations from all cultures the spotlight in a genuine and evocative way that is representative of those who celebrate it. These books are an act of love for a culture and celebration, and a joyous sharing of these celebrations, highlighting the vast array of beliefs and cultures around the world and in Australia.

These books are often written through the eyes of a child, often the youngest in the family, and their joy of the holiday is lovely. They are always full of life and happy and can’t wait to share the holiday and celebration with those around them. This book also focuses on the upcoming Year of the Dragon rather than a generalised overview, which I think makes it a lot more fun, as it can spark an interest and desire to find out more about Chinese New Year and the Chinese Zodiac of twelve animals and each animal appearing every twelve years. One of these is the Tiger, which is the Chinese Zodiac animal I was born under. The book also celebrates the special bonds of family and how they all come together to mark the coming new year.

Rebecca Lim’s new book is a delightful celebration of Chinese culture, as all her books are. She captures emotions so eloquently across a spectrum and ensures that her characters and these emotions fit the genres and themes of her books, and each one is unique, giving each story exactly what it needs to work and ensures that they all shine in their stories. The fun shines through in this book, and also works to open discussions about celebrations other than the ones we are all very familiar with. I loved this book and hope others enjoy it too.