Children's Book Review: The Day the Dragon Danced by Kay Haugaard

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Synopsis:

Sugar and her Grandma are going to the Chinese New Year's Day parade, but Grandma is skeptical about New Year's in February and scary dragons. Sugar has learned all about what to expect from her teacher Miss Peng, though, and is more than ready to try dragon beard's candy and watch her daddy dance in the New Year's dragon. Finally, after all the other floats drive by, the huge red and gold dragon pokes his head around the corner and dances down the street. Sugar tries to remember which shoes are her daddy's, and realizes the dragon isn't dancing so well. Sugar's quick thinking saves the day and the dragon's dance, and everyone in the community is ready to celebrate the new lunar year. As the dragon dancers emerge from beneath the dragon, Sugar recognizes her neighbors, including shopkeeper Mr. Chu, barber Mr. Johnson, teacher Mr. Gonzalez, and her own African-American daddy. Kay Haugaard's exuberant storytelling and Carolyn Reed Barritt's equally colorful and lively paintings perfectly embody truly multicultural celebration of our American melting pot.

Review:

This book is aimed at grades 2–4, but Miss Grace enjoyed reading it with me. It is an excellent book about the traditions of Chinese New Year, and about how even if you aren't Chinese, it is a day to celebrate with those who are. The book is meant to help bridge a gap between culture, and it does so in an easy, understandable manner. The illustrations are bright and eye catching, bringing the parade to life.The book also does a great job showing respect for different cultures and how attitudes in this country have changed, by using the viewpoints of Sugar and her grandmother, as contrasts. The book let to lots of discussion (like why the Chinese calendar is different than ours), and it would be a great book to read to a class today, to help them understand the traditions behind Chinese New Year!

This book is available in hardback, and also on ebook, and only $1.99 today on Amazon!

About the Author:

Kay Haugaard studied Art History at the University of Oregon, then moved to Pasadena, California with her husband. There, she acquired her Master's degree in Comparative Literature at Occidental College while raising her three sons who are now grown. Kay still lives in Pasadena where, over the years, she has written three other books: Myeko's Gift, China Boy, and No Place. The Day the Dragon Danced was inspired by a Chinese New Year parade that she attended in Monterey Park, California. Carolyn Reed Barritt received an art degree from Macalester College and worked for 15 years as a graphic designer and art director in Michigan and Washington State before returning to her roots in painting and fine art. Carolyn painted the illustrations for The Day the Dragon Danced while living with her husband as the caretakers and sole winter inhabitants of a small island at the edge of the North Atlantic.


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