Are you ready for Chinese New Year? It’s one week from today! 2012 will be the year of the dragon.

For spring 2012, we have a new set of books in the Cloverleaf Books brand, our nonfiction picture book brand for grades K-2. The new set is all about Holidays and Special Days. Chelsea’s Chinese New Year is one of six new titles. Each book features a young protagonist who has something related to the holiday that he or she wants to accomplish. In the case of Chelsea, she’s trying to stay awake for all the fun! In the course of the story, readers learn about preparation for the big day as well as common ways to celebrate.

Here’s one especially interesting tidbit I learned from Chelsea’s Chinese New Year: People tell different stories about how Chinese New Year Started. One story tells of a monster named Nian. Nian showed up at New Year’s time. But people learned how to scare Nian away. The monster was afraid of loud noises and the color red.

So remember to wear something red next Monday!