Library Book: Lion Dancer (Rise and Shine)

A six-year-old boy performs his first Lion Dance in New York City’s Chinatown in this intimate look at a Chinese family celebrating the Chinese New Year!

Six-year-old Ernie Wan is the elder son of a kung fu master. He lives in Chinatown with his mother and father, his big sister Jenny, and his little brother Warren.​​​​​​​This is the story of the most important day of Ernie’s life. He has studied kung fu at his father’s studio since he was three. And this Chinese New Year, he will perform his first Lion Dance on the streets of New York City. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Here is a rare and intimate look at a Chinese household as they embrace their ancient customs, celebrate their most important holiday, and share a proud moment with Ernie.

Author Kate Waters was born on September 4, 1951, in Rochester, NY. She went on to earn a B.A. from Newtown College of the Sacred Heart (Boston College) and a M.L.S. from Simmons' Graduate School of Library and Information Science. She grew up in a big family in which storytelling was very important. She worked as a librarian for ten years at the Boston Public Library. There she became very interested in telling stories to young people and finding out what they enjoyed reading. She moved to New York where she worked on a children's magazine. While working at the magazine, she started to think about new ways to present history and traditions to children. Her books include pictures of actors depicting the stories Kate writes. In addition, her books have been praised for their content and have won many awards. Kate currently lives in New York City.

Madeline Slovenz-Low is a folklorist, specializing in ethnic rituals and celebrations in America. She has an interdisciplinary degree in folklore, anthropology, and American history, and is a doctoral student in performance studies. Her dissertation topic is Chinese-American folk performance.

Martha Cooper is a documentary photographer specializing in the art and folk culture of New York City. She’s the director of photography at City Lore, the New York center for urban folk culture. Her photographs have appeared in numerous magazines, including National Geographic and Smithsonian.