On the third day of Chinese New Year, in a snow-blanketed village in Shaanxi province, uncles give their nieces and nephews colorful paper lanterns. Zhao Di’s uncle presents her with two. Careful to keep its candle burning, she carries one out into the cold darkness, where she joins friends with bright lanterns of their own. The girls parade around, enjoying their lanterns, relighting extinguished candles, and squealing at the antics of a pack of unruly boys before Zhao Di’s mother calls her inside. The New Year runs its course, and soon firecrackers light up the sky on the 15th day, seeming to sadly herald the end of the holiday. On the last evening, everyone in the village is outside celebrating. When the moon appears, glowing brightly in the sky, Zhao Di hears a cry: “Smash the lanterns! Smash the lanterns!” As tradition requires, she and her friends smash their lanterns, setting them ablaze before the candles go out, as failing to do so would bring bad luck. In the quiet days after the merriment of the holiday, Zhao Di feels empty until she reminds herself that New Year always comes around again. Illustrations and text work marvelously together to create a sense of time, place, and festivity: Brilliant lanterns and jackets pop against snowy backdrops, while sensory details abound in a translated narrative focused on a child’s experience of a joyful holiday, and the letdown that can sometimes follow. (Ages 4-7)

Zhao Di wishes the New Year would never end!

Zhao Di and her friends are excited to go out at night with their paper lanterns and celebrate Chinese New Year. Each holding a unique colorful lantern with a lit candle inside, they admire the breathtaking colors while doing their best to avoid the wind and the sneaky boys in the village. Every night, until the fifteenth day of New Year, Zhao Di and her friends take part in this fun tradition, experiencing the thrill of nighttime in their village. And then--it's time to smash the lanterns!

In this cheerful book first published in China, readers are invited along with Zhao Di and her friends as they experience all the joy and excitement of this folk Chinese custom. Details about the paper lantern tradition are also included in an author's note at the end of the book.