Happy, Happy Chinese New Year!

Demi. Crown Publishers, $8.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-375-82642-9

The Year of the Monkey begins January 22, 2004, with colorful festivities. Happy, Happy Chinese New Year! by Demi is a reissue of her 1997 book Happy New Year! Kung-His Fa-Ts'ai! She chronicles New Year celebrations against delicate landscapes of Chinese houses and fields, with pictures of children preparing for the holiday, a listing of foods and their special significance (e.g., ""Taffy candy, T'ang-kua, is for the Kitchen God, Tsun Kuan"") as well as the Lantern Festival. A festively hued preprinted cover depicts the Lion Dance (to scare away evil spirits), and a transparent vinyl cover carries the title and author.

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