Welcoming the Lunar New Year: Festivals of the World

Get ready to celebrate Lunar New Year with Ren and his family.

Ren and his family are preparing for the joyous New Year celebrations--cooking a feast and getting their home spick and span. When Ren accidentally ruins the dragon costume his mother was going to wear in the New Year parade, he turns to his neighbors for help. As they lend their assistance, Ren also learns about Lunar New Year traditions from around the world. Soon they are all celebrating and feasting together in this community-centered story from chef and food writer Lara Lee and richly illustrated by Natelle Quek.

Lara Lee is an Australian chef and food writer of Chinese-Indonesian heritage. She is a regular contributor to The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Food & Wine, and Bon Appetit. Her first book, Coconut & Sambal, was named one of the best cookbooks of 2020 by The New York Times, Eater, National Geographic, and others. This is her first book for children.

Natelle Quek has been drawing for as long as she could hold a pencil, but her creative career began in 2016 when she started a small business producing lifestyle products based on her illustrations. Her work is influenced by popular culture, her heritage, and the natural world. She is the illustrator of Dancing Dumplings for My One and Only by Eva Wong Nava. Natelle Quek lives in London with her husband.