I thought that the book was very simple and cute. There is not a whole lot going on that would distract from the story. It's a great story about the Chinese New Year and how much has to be done before everyone can celebrate. I enjoyed this book very much. It was fun to read about the Chinese New Year and how families get ready for the festivities. I thought the book was interesting and would keep the attention of any child.

Summary: A Visit to China (A Golden Look-Look Book, Friends Everywhere) by Mary Packard (1991) A story of a little girl and her family that are getting ready for the New Year. Su-Lan's father is out to sea and will not be back until after the New Year. She decides to write a diary so that her father will know everything that has happened until he comes back. Su-Lan helps her grandma by going with her to market and cleaning the kitchen. Finally it is time for the lantern festival to welcome the first full moon of the new year. Just before Su-Lan and her family sat down to dinner her father came home and was able to spend the Lantern Festival with them. Su-Lan gave her father the diary of all the events that he had missed and in exchange he gave her a single pearl to wear just like her mom's and grandma's.

Classroom extensions:1) I would ask the students to write their own diary entry of their favorite holiday and what their family does to get ready for that holiday.2) I would set out materials for the students so that they could make their own Chinese dragons or lions. Then have them make up a story of how their dragon scares away the old year to make room for the new year. ( )