Cold Tea Reads: Must-read children’s Lunar New Year books

From Chinese New Year to Tết, Seollal, and more, see our list of childrens’ books about the Lunar New Year.
By ● Cold Tea Reads ●

Celebrate the Year of the Snake: Must-Read Lunar New Year Books for 2025 🐍✨

Kick off the Year of the Snake with stories that honor the rich traditions, cultural heritage, and diverse celebrations of Lunar New Year across the globe. 2025 marks the Year of the Snake, a time associated with transformation, creativity, and wisdom.

Whether you’re celebrating with family or learning more about Lunar New Year traditions, this curated book list is perfect for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of this festive season.

From Chinese New Year to Tết, Seollal, and more, these stories bring the magic of the holiday to life while offering a glimpse into the beauty of different cultures to celebrate Lunar New Year 2025.

A Book for Everyone:

Our Lunar New Year by Yobe Qiu (2024)

The book cover for "Our Lunar New Year: Celebrating Lunar New Year in 5 Asian Communities" features vibrant illustrations of diverse children joyfully participating in Lunar New Year celebrations. The title is displayed in bold purple letters on a yellow background, and the subtitle is written in smaller white text below. The children are shown holding traditional items, such as lanterns and a paper fan, with festive decorations surrounding them. The book is part of the "Asian Holiday Series" and credits Yobe Qiu as the author and Cynthia Li as the illustrator.

Join Xiao Mi and friends as they explore Lunar New Year celebrations across Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, and Indian cultures. This colorful journey introduces young readers to diverse traditions, from dragon dances to firecrackers, making it the perfect introduction to this global holiday.

For Chinese New Year Celebrations

Year of the Snake by Zhango Jink Yo (2024)

An illustrated book cover for "Year of the Snake" features a cheerful young boy with black hair wearing a red traditional outfit, running joyfully alongside a playful white cat. The background is a nighttime scene filled with glowing stars and red lanterns hanging from tree branches above. The title, "Year of the Snake," is displayed in bold yellow letters at the top, creating a festive and celebratory atmosphere.

Celebrate the creativity and magic of the Year of the Snake through the story of Sami, a young boy inspired by the Chinese zodiac to create a mesmerizing snake dance. This heartwarming tale teaches kids about Chinese New Year traditions and the importance of embracing challenges.

See also: Eco-friendly ways to celebrate Lunar New Year

Five Little Dumplings: The Lunar New Year Feast by Kelsey Chen (2023)

The book cover for Five Little Dumplings: Get Ready for School features five cheerful dumpling characters with unique accessories, such as glasses, a purple headband, and a bow, each holding colorful backpacks. The title is written in bold blue letters at the top, with the subtitle "Get Ready for School" in a smaller font below, framed in a light beige banner. A red apple, a stack of books, and a pencil are included in the background, symbolizing school themes. The cover displays a "Story Monsters Approved!" award badge on the left side. Written and illustrated by Kelsey Chen, the design is playful and inviting for young readers.

Follow the Five Little Dumplings on a playful counting adventure as they prepare for their Lunar New Year feast, discovering sights, sounds, and delicious treats along the way.

Celebrating Chinese New Year by Lacey Benard & Lulu Cheng (2023)

The book cover for Celebrating Chinese New Year features a vibrant pink background with traditional Chinese lanterns hanging around the edges. In the center, two illustrated stick-figure characters are depicted: one holding a red banner with Chinese characters and another standing on a ladder holding a sign. A yellow background highlights the title in bold white letters, with "过新年" written underneath in Mandarin. The book is described as bilingual (Mandarin-English) at the bottom, authored by Lacey Benard and Lulu Cheng. A badge in the top left corner indicates the inclusion of Mandarin with simplified characters and pinyin. The overall design is festive and family-oriented, emphasizing the Lunar New Year theme.

This bilingual English and Mandarin book introduces little readers to Chinese New Year traditions, complete with adorable paper cut-out illustrations.

See also: The Tiger’s Apprentice: Stars celebrate this timely Lunar New Year animated film for its inclusivity, themes, and cultural richness

For Vietnamese Tết Celebrations

Tết Together by Alice Trinh (2021)

The book cover for Tết Together features a colorful and festive illustration of two children joyfully celebrating Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. A large red and white dragon dances in the background, while the children hold a scroll with the title "Tết Together" written on it. The boy is dressed in a green áo dài with yellow polka dots, and the girl wears a pink áo dài with flowers. Gold coins and a blooming yellow apricot tree are scattered around, symbolizing prosperity and spring. The book is written by Alice Trinh and illustrated by Jade Le, with a cheerful and celebratory atmosphere.

This vibrant story highlights the joy of Vietnamese Tết celebrations, from sweeping out the old year to preparing lavish meals that honor heritage and togetherness.

The Magic of Tết by Windy Pham & Ngan Nguyen (2024)

The book cover for Tết Together features a colorful and festive illustration of two children joyfully celebrating Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. A large red and white dragon dances in the background, while the children hold a scroll with the title "Tết Together" written on it. The boy is dressed in a green áo dài with yellow polka dots, and the girl wears a pink áo dài with flowers. Gold coins and a blooming yellow apricot tree are scattered around, symbolizing prosperity and spring. The book is written by Alice Trinh and illustrated by Jade Le, with a cheerful and celebratory atmosphere.

Explore the traditions of Tết through bilingual storytelling, vibrant illustrations, and family customs that make this holiday magical for all ages.

Mai’s Áo Dài by Thai Nguyen, Monique Truong & Dung Ho (2025)

The book cover for Mai’s Áo Dài features a cheerful young girl wearing a blue áo dài and yellow pants, smiling as she holds a string of red and gold Tết decorations. Her hair is tied in pigtails with flower-shaped hair ties, and she wears green round glasses. The background is a soft pink with scattered yellow and white flowers, symbolizing spring and celebration. The title is prominently displayed in bold white text, with the authors' names, Thái Nguyễn and Monique Truong, in red at the top, and the illustrator, Dung Ho, credited in smaller red text at the bottom right. The design is vibrant and joyful, reflecting Vietnamese cultural pride.

Join Mai as she learns the significance of wearing an áo dài for Tết, inspired by her grandmother’s resilience and artistry. A story about embracing heritage and family traditions.

See also: Celebrating the Lunar New Year as a Vietnamese Canadian

For Korean Seollal Traditions

Tomorrow Is New Year’s Day by Aram Kim (2022)

The book cover for Tomorrow Is New Year's Day: Seollal, a Korean Celebration of the Lunar New Year by Aram Kim features two cheerful children dressed in traditional Korean hanbok. The child on the left wears a colorful striped hanbok and green round glasses while holding a white envelope with the Korean flag symbol. The child on the right is dressed in a navy and gold hanbok and lovingly holds a smiling calico cat wearing a small hanbok. Above them, the title is written in bold red and blue text, with a string of moon phases adorning the top of the light cream background. The illustration is vibrant and celebratory, emphasizing the joy of the Korean Lunar New Year.

Mina shares her favorite Seollal customs with her classmates, from wearing hanbok to making tteokguk, in this joyful story about sharing cultural traditions.

Let’s Celebrate Korean New Year! by Michelle W. Park & Hyewon Yum (2024)

The book cover for Tomorrow Is New Year's Day: Seollal, a Korean Celebration of the Lunar New Year by Aram Kim features two cheerful children dressed in traditional Korean hanbok. The child on the left wears a colorful striped hanbok and green round glasses while holding a white envelope with the Korean flag symbol. The child on the right is dressed in a navy and gold hanbok and lovingly holds a smiling calico cat wearing a small hanbok. Above them, the title is written in bold red and blue text, with a string of moon phases adorning the top of the light cream background. The illustration is vibrant and celebratory, emphasizing the joy of the Korean Lunar New Year.

Two sisters prepare for their family’s Seollal party, exploring traditions like making dumplings and playing board games. Includes a recipe and craft activity!

For Multicultural Lunar New Year Celebrations

Two New Years by Richard Ho & Lynn Scurfield (2023)

The book cover for Two New Years features an illustration of a family celebrating two distinct New Year traditions. On the left, a father in a red jacket hangs a traditional Chinese knot decoration, with a young girl in a lavender hanbok-style outfit smiling beside him. On the right, a mother wearing a headscarf supports a young boy dressed in red and gold as he blows a shofar. The background features a vibrant blend of symbols, including pomegranates, oranges, a Star of David, musical notes, and lanterns, symbolizing both Lunar New Year and Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah). The title, Two New Years, is written in elegant script in the center. The book, written by Richard Ho and illustrated by Lynn Scurfield, displays a gold "Sydney Taylor Winner" seal at the bottom right, celebrating its award for excellence.
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Inspired by the author’s multicultural family, this story blends Lunar New Year and Rosh Hashanah traditions, celebrating family, abundance, and hope.

Why do Lunar New Year stories matter in 2025?

Lunar New Year is a time of reflection, renewal, and celebration. These books not only showcase the diversity of traditions across different communities but also emphasize the universal values of family, hope, and resilience. As we step into the Year of the Snake, these stories remind us of the importance of honoring our heritage and sharing it with the world.

Start your Lunar New Year with stories that bring cultures together and celebrate the beauty of our traditions.

See also: Best books about food and identity by Asian authors

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Author

Dennis Tran is a social impact storyteller, DEIA speaker, and consultant committed to fostering a neuroinclusive and accessible world. As a queer, partially blind, late-identified autistic-ADHDer (AuDHD) Vietnamese American with C-PTSD and glaucoma, Dennis channels his lived experiences to support others navigating similar challenges. Holding a degree in Public Health Policy with a Business Management minor from UC Irvine, Dennis has successfully built a multi-faceted career across sectors, including digital media, technology, healthcare, entertainment, and philanthropy.

Through storytelling, cultural and disability inclusion consultation, and accessibility advising, Dennis empowers neurodivergent and disabled individuals to live fulfilling lives. His advocacy work emphasizes the transformative power of representation and the importance of creating inclusive spaces where individuals don’t have to hide or “overcome” who they are. Dennis is passionate about uplifting the AANHPI community, addressing cultural stigma, and bridging intergenerational gaps.

Dennis has spoken at UCSF, CSUF, Autodesk, Steelcase, and Heap, sharing insights on neurodiversity, anti-ableism, and DEIA best practices. His work is driven by the belief that disability and neurodiversity are not a limitation but a source of resilience and creativity.

 

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