Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--3--Chinese American twins Ling and Ting warmly introduce readers to the traditions and meanings behind the Lunar New Year. The book is divided into six short chapters, each with a title that hints at a specific aspect of the celebration. Through their preparations, readers learn why there are two New Year celebrations, the symbolism of two doors and two banners, and the double meanings of words like orange. The theme of "two" runs throughout the story, reinforcing both the twins' bond and the cultural significance of duality. This idea culminates in a joyful exploration of lions and luck in the final chapters. Vibrant gouache illustrations on watercolor paper bring each tradition to life, enhancing the storytelling with color and warmth. Small vignettes at the beginning and end of the book frame the story, showing Ling and Ting dressed in their festive New Year outfits--bookending the celebration with adorable illustrations. In addition to cultural insights, the book offers lessons in calendar skills, chores/cleaning, puns, poems, and Chinese American heritage. With its charm, humor, and cultural context, this book is both entertaining and educational. Lin (The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon) crafts a story that invites readers to learn, celebrate, and appreciate the richness of tradition. VERDICT This joyful, culturally rich introduction to Lunar New Year is a fantastic addition to any collection.--Katie Loomis
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Review by Horn Book Review
It's been a long wait for this fifth book in the early-reader series (the most recent was Ling & Ting: Together in All Weather, rev. 1/16), but this entry arrives just in time for Lunar New Year -- a subject author-illustrator Lin has previously covered in picture-book and novel form. Indeed, twins Ling and Ting can be seen consulting Lin's book Bringing In the New Year -- a fun-to-spot meta-moment for fans. Like the newly independent readers of this book, the young sisters are on their own, with no adult help required: Lin's vibrantly colored illustrations show them as they clean the house, co-write a two-line poem, fill a bowl with oranges, make lion costumes, and perform a lion dance. As always in this series, humor is the big draw, with punny jokes ("What do dragons like to eat during Lunar New Year?" "Fire-CRACKERS!") and silly situations well engineered to tickle the target audience. Each sister's unique personality adds to the comedy: practical Ling begins the poem on a serious note ("The old crane steps outside my window, so near") while goofy Ting reliably lightens things up ("Hey, New Year, come inside this door right here"). Readers encountering these twins for the first (or fifth) time are most definitely "two times lucky." Jennifer M. BrabanderJanuary/February 2026 p.76 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Prolific Lin's fifth volume in her popular early-reader series showcases Lunar New Year traditions. Chinese American twins Ling and Ting "celebrate the new year two times." The calendar New Year is over, and Lunar New Year is next. Ting grouses about cleaning, but Ling "likes to prepare" by washing dishes, cleaning windows, and finishing laundry while Ting sweeps. When Ting throws the accumulated dust out the front door, Ling worries: "That dust is our bad luck!" She explains, "The New Year will come through the front door…Now it will go through our bad luck! It will bring our bad luck back to us. We will not have a lucky year!" But Ting cleverly remembers that their home has two doors: "The side door has no bad luck." And so the twins commence their plans to "make our side door look like our front door," with double banners, lucky oranges, and lion costumes to welcome the New Year. Lin's resplendent illustrations adorn every page, particularly bestowing the twins with vibrant personalities--not to mention quite the admirable wardrobe, from polka-dotted red aprons to distinctive red-and-gold qi pao. The twins delightfully rely on Lin's own picture bookBringing in the New Year(2008) as a preparatory guide. Chapter title pages are sure to elicit laughter. Working together, Ling and Ting gleefully prove they're "two times lucky." Readers will be charmed as this beloved pair ingeniously ring in the Lunar New Year. (artist's note)(Early reader. 5-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
