The First Lantern Festival
To help a servant girl see her family again, the famous Dongfang Shuo convinced everyone that the gods were coming to burn down the city! Even the emperor believed him.
Come discover the legend of how the Lantern Festival began over 2,000 years ago. Along the way, you may learn a few Chinese words and meet some interesting historical figures.
Keywords: Lantern Festival; Chinese New Year; Lunar New Year; Spring Festival; Chinese holidays; Chinese history; bilingual picture books; multicultural children's book; Chinese language; Chinese food; English Chinese picture books; Chinese culture; Chinese legend; Asian culture; learn Chinese; tang'yuan; specialty food; yuanxiao jie; Han Dynasty; 元宵节; 汤圆
About the Author :
L Sam Zhang has a BS in Biology from Cornell and a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan. She left academia early on to explore various other career opportunities. She worked for startups, non-profits, and research institutes. Yet through her wanderings, thoughts regarding her childhood goal of being an author became more persistent as the years went by. Finally, she gave in to her urges and started to write in earnest.While taking a break from working on a YA Fantasy novel, she wrote and illustrated "The First Lantern Festival." She fell in love with the process of creating children's books, and hopes to make the enchanting world of Chinese history and mythology more accessible to everyone.Saw was born in Shanghai and grew up in Buffalo, NY. She spent a decade on the West Coast, and now calls Michigan her home. There she lives with her husband, children, a dog rescued from Taiwan, and two Bengal cats. Currently, she is the Executive Director of Kalamazoo Chinese Academy. For more information, visit LSamZhang.com.
Review :
Book reader
5.0 out of 5 stars
Educational, fun and imaginative book; highly recommend!
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
I bought this book for my grandchild and my friend's children.
Absolutely an adorable book! The First Lantern Festival is such a fantastic resource for children to learn about the interesting history and folklore of the Chinese cultures and traditions. The Lantern festival is one of the historical festivals around world; it originated in China. The book is filled with colorful illustrations and some fun activates to keep children engaged in learning simple Chinese characters and it makes easy for children to read the wonderful story and at the same time to learn some Chinese words. I appreciate how the book is able to convey the rich culture of Chinses Lantern Festival in a way that is both education and entertaining.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and informative way to introduce children to other cultures, traditions and activities. This book is great for children and adults alike, it is an alternative source for learning Mandarin Chinese language and also it is a great addition to any children's library if you want to add diversity.
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Nathan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2023
A very cute story with great illustrations. It was interesting to read the story and learn about Chinese culture and language. The only slight downside would be that some of the pronunciations aren't as clear and might be difficult for some kids to try and pronounce, though overall they weren't too difficult to understand. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in Chinese culture!
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The Bearded Crusader
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read!
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2023
Wonderful story about the Lantern Festival! Kids loved it!
