A New Year's Reunion

Little Maomao’s dad works many miles away …but he is coming home for New Year! Maomao and her mum are very excited. Who will find the coin that brings good fortune? Little Maomao’s father works for away from the family home, so his return for New Year is a cause for celebration. Maomao and her mother welcome him back and together they enjoy the firecrackers and make sticky rice balls – in one of which Maomao finds the lucky fortune coin. But after watching the dragon dance and playing snowballs, Maomao discovers disaster has struck…where is the lucky coin? At first inconsolable to have lost it, Maomao is finally restored to happiness before her father must depart again. It is a heart-stirring portrait of the abiding bond between parent and child. A “New York Times” Best Illustrated Children’s Book of 2011!
“Two things make this Chinese New Year story remarkable – Zhu’s meticulously observed gouaches and the family’s poignant backstory… Yu and Zhu create a memorable portrait of China’s most joyous holiday.” (Publishers Weekly)
“‘Vibrant’ hardly even begins to cover it here. These are colors, compositions and emotions that jump right off the page without wasting any time about it…” “Cheng-Liang’s detailed gouache illustrations are inviting, popping off the page with warmth and energy.” (Kirkus Review)