A New Year's Reunion

This touching and warm picture book is on the list of the 10 Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2011 from the New York Times Book Review.

The picture book is meant for left-behind children, telling a story through the lens of a four-year-old little girl from a village in East China's Anhui province, but puts it in a warm and beloved setting — Chinese Lunar New Year, a time for family gatherings and reunions.

The father-daughter bond is closely connected with a lucky coin through the whole book. The little girl happens to get a coin in a rice dumpling which was wrapped by her father on the eve of the Chinese New Year. The one who gets the coin in the dumpling, according to Chinese tradition, will have a prosperous year. The little girl carefully keeps it through the holiday and hands it to her daddy before his departure. The man says nothing and hugs her tightly.

Zhu Cheng-Liang's Chinese New Year painting style matches well with the story's theme. He uses orange colors, creating a sense of warmth and a caring atmosphere despite the low temperature outside the door, and Zhu also makes full use of Chinese cultural elements such as red lanterns and Chinese knots to add to the festive mood.