Playing with Lanterns by Wang Yage (review)

New Year celebrations last fifteen days in Zhou Di’s northwestern Chinese province of Shaanxi, and her favorite part is marching around with friends after dark, illuminated by the paper lanterns given to them by their uncles. Yes, some rowdy boys occasionally show up to disrupt their evening walk, but that doesn’t impede the fun of taking to the village street, tending the flames so they don’t go out, and making plans to start earlier each night so there’s more fun to pack in before bedtime. The final night is met with zeal as a communal lantern smashing sends their precious gifts up in flames, putting an end to their nightly revels but assuring the beneficent uncles won’t be afflicted with pinkeye during the upcoming year. Zhu’s illustrations feature Zhou Di and her friends bundled into soft, candy-colored shapes that glow as brightly as their lanterns against the silvery snow and chocolate night sky, while details of other New Year rituals and hints of rural village life background the girls’ activities. An author’s note expands briefly on setting and customs, making this an enticing addition to turn-of-the-year story times.