Li Qiong Yu

Originally published in China as 团圆 - transliterated as tuán​yuán, it literally means "to have/having a reunion" - this award-winning picture-book features a poignant family tale from author Li Qiong Yu, and beautiful gouache illustrations from artist Zhu Chen Liang, both of whom reside in Nanjing. It is the story of Maomao, a little girl who, together with her mother, awaits the annual return of the father and husband of the family, a migrant construction worker whose job takes him show more far from home, and permits only a brief reunion at (Chinese) New Year's. Startled at first, when her father appears as a strange man, with an unfamiliar and prickly beard, Maomao is gradually won over, enjoying the holiday observances with both her parents, and building a bond of love and trust with the man who, in a few short days, will have to leave again...

There were moments, reading A New Year's Reunion on my train-ride this morning, that I found myself very close to tears. In particular, the scene in which Maomao, bidding her father farewell, offers him her lucky fortune coin, and he becomes very quiet, had a sharp poignancy that was very moving. The brief afterword, in which the author mentions that there are 100 million migrant workers in China - 100 million! - really drives home the fact that, for many families in our world, just being together is a precious (and rare) blessing. The artwork, with its vibrant colors and folk-motif composition, is intensely appealing, by turns adorable - I love Maomao's little white cat! - and sad. It's easy to see why this was chosen as a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2011!

All in all, this was an outstanding picture-book - one with a strong story and gorgeous artwork! I'm glad that it was chosen as one of our May selections, over in The International Children's Book Club to which I belong, where we are trying to read kids' books from around the world. If this is a sample of the children's books being published in China, then we need more to be translated! show less

A charming story about a working father's return to his family every Chinese New Year. There's a loving warmth throughout and a particularly touching illustration shows the mother turned away to wipe her face as she packs for her husband leaving again for work. But it never gets sentimental. Very nice.

I enjoyed the story “A New Year’s Reunion” by Yu Li-Qiong for several reasons that include the colorful illustrations, the plot, and the real issues that the book touches on. Throughout the story the illustrator uses vibrant images to capture the spirit of the Chinese New Year, which greatly enhances the story. There is also a strong presence of the color red in the illustrations, which is a very important color in the Chinese tradition. The plot is centered on a young girl’s show more excitement at her father’s arrival from working in far away places. She is overjoyed that “daddy is coming home”, but during his time home she realizes that his arrival is not permanent and that “daddy is leaving”. Li-Qiong also uses symbolism in the story to convey the conflict. In the story the little girl is given a lucky coin that her father hid in a treat for her. She loses the coin, but then finds it once again. This symbolizes her relationship with her father. He was once home with her and her mother, he leaves for work, but he returns home again. Just as the coin always returns to little girl so does the father. The book pushes readers to think about tough issues such as having a parent who is not always home and the emotions that a young child faces when they are unable to interact with their parent on a regular basis. The overall message of this story is that although family dynamics vary the love that the family has for each other transcends any distance that is between them. show less

I enjoyed, "A New Year's Reunion", the central message of which was that love holds a family together, regardless of the distance that may exist among family members. I liked the book for its engaging plot, which told the story of a Chinese migrant worker who was reunited with his family for Chinese New Year. I also liked the book's well-developed characters, which included a little girl, Maomao, and her mother and father. The characters were involved in a scenario in which many families show more containing migrant workers often find themselves (e.g., being separated for long periods of time, and being reunited briefly for holidays), thereby making the story believable. Finally, I liked that this book pushed readers to think about tough issues, such as family separation, and broadened perspectives on the topic. This book gave a face to the heartache with which many families are faced, but ultimately delivered the uplifting message that love, regardless of distance, holds a family together. show less