In this captivating and tender Lunar New Year picture book, a magical, midnight meeting with a mysterious troupe of lion dancers inspires one homesick little boy to celebrate beloved traditions and open his heart to creating new ones.
In the cold, gray winter of a new country, Leo misses the familiar sights and sounds of Lunar New Year back in Taiwan. He wishes he was there instead, making dumplings with his amā or setting off firecrackers with his family. He feels grumpy, like a bad spirit has possessed him!
On the eve of Lunar New Year, just when Leo feels that nothing will ever be the same, he hears the distant sound of drums in the night. Something magical is on the way . . .
From Larissa Fan, author of Ten Little Dumplings, and award-winning illustrator Myo Yim comes an enchanting story that blends the magical atmosphere of Lunar New Year's eve with a sensitive portrayal of a child's experience of immigration and finding their own way in a new place.
Hardcover
Ages 3 to 7
LARISSA FAN is an author and media artist whose short films have screened at festivals worldwide. Her first picture book, Ten Little Dumplings, garnered starred reviews from School Library Journal and Kirkus, and was named one of Kirkus’s Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far). Larissa lives in Toronto, Ontario.
MYO YIM is an author-illustrator from Seoul, South Korea, who has illustrated fifteen picture books over the last decade, including White Sunday and Filo’s Butterflies by Litea Fuata, both of which were named Pasifika Picture Book Honor titles by the Asian Pacific American Awards for Literature at the 2026 ALA Youth Media Awards. Myo now makes her home in Brisbane, Queensland, with her husband and two boys.
