The Chinese New Year Helper

Author Ying Chang Compestine On Tour
Illustrated by Ginnie Hsu
A young girl finds an exciting role for herself at the Chinese New Year celebration in her family’s restaurant. At last, she isn’t being told that she’s too young to help!

Jia’s family is busy preparing for the Chinese New Year feast at their restaurant in Chinatown, and Jia wants to take part. But each time she tries to help she’s told that she’s too young: too young to be in the kitchen, too young to light the lanterns, too young to carry the plates. And then the feast begins, and something wonderful happens. When Jia is scolded for getting too close to the exciting lion dance, one of the dancers swoops her up and into the costume, and suddenly she’s a part of the performance—a crucial part that saves the show. Never again does her family tell her that she’s too young to help!
Ying Chang Compestine grew up in China. She is the author of cookbooks for adults and of children's books that introduce Chinese culture and food, including The Real Story of Stone Soup. She lives with her family in California. View titles by Ying Chang Compestine
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo

About

A young girl finds an exciting role for herself at the Chinese New Year celebration in her family’s restaurant. At last, she isn’t being told that she’s too young to help!

Jia’s family is busy preparing for the Chinese New Year feast at their restaurant in Chinatown, and Jia wants to take part. But each time she tries to help she’s told that she’s too young: too young to be in the kitchen, too young to light the lanterns, too young to carry the plates. And then the feast begins, and something wonderful happens. When Jia is scolded for getting too close to the exciting lion dance, one of the dancers swoops her up and into the costume, and suddenly she’s a part of the performance—a crucial part that saves the show. Never again does her family tell her that she’s too young to help!

Author

Ying Chang Compestine grew up in China. She is the author of cookbooks for adults and of children's books that introduce Chinese culture and food, including The Real Story of Stone Soup. She lives with her family in California. View titles by Ying Chang Compestine

Photos

additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo

2024 Elementary School Collection

The Penguin Random House Education Elementary School Collection features outstanding fiction, nonfiction, and picture books from Penguin Young Reader’s, Random House Children’s, DK, and Grupo Editorial, as well as children’s publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Explore online or download this valuable resource to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: Leveled Readers,

Read more

DK Learning Phonic Books Sampler Request

Thank you for your interest in DK Learning | Phonic Books. To download the DK Learning | Phonic Books sampler with four complete readers, please click here and complete the form. Once your information is successfully submitted, a link to download the sampler will be provided on the confirmation screen.   Click here to learn

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more

PRH Education Classroom Libraries

“Books are a students’ passport to entering and actively participating in a global society with the empathy, compassion, and knowledge it takes to become the problem solvers the world needs.” –Laura Robb   Research shows that reading and literacy directly impacts students’ academic success and personal growth. To help promote the importance of daily independent

Read more