Firecrackers, family, a Lion dancer, and loud drums are all parts of Grace's Chinese New Year celebrations in this Step 2 Reader! Sweep away the bad luck; sweep in the good luck—it's Chinese New Year! Grace and her family are getting ready for the festivities. They're hanging red lanterns, and, yum....what's that smell? Grace's grandmother is making dumplings! Grace's whole family comes together to celebrate their traditions and she is so excited! Step 2 Readers use basic vocabulary and short sentences to tell simple stories, for children who recognize familiar words and can sound out new words with help. Rhyme and rhythmic text paired with picture clues help children decode the story.

Celebrate the joys of fresh perspectives and unexpected beauty in this touching lift-the-flap picture book from paper engineer Jackie Huang Persnickety Mr. Panda likes his world to be just so. His decisions are always easy: yes or no; good or bad; right or wrong; black or white . . . until one day when the gift of a red flower changes everything. Touching, clever, and with a great message about remaining flexible and open to the beauty in the world, this lift-the-flap picture book is an innovative and heartwarming story sure to resonate with readers. Author-illustrator Jackie Huang brings her utterly unique layered and cut-paper art style to this project, making Picky Panda even more of a standout on bookshelves.