Chinese New Year is almost here! In 2024, we will be welcoming the Year of the Wood Dragon, which promises positive change and creativity and is meant to offer favourable opportunities for those seeking a shift in their lives.
Whenever this year comes around, there is often a spike in pregnancies and births, due to the desire to have a “Dragon Baby.” Many Chinese see the Dragon as the most auspicious sign in the Chinese zodiac. Dragon children are said to be charismatic, wise leaders who are more imaginative, creative, confident, and persistent. Yet, on the flip side, Dragon Babies will grow up facing more competition from a larger peer group for limited school and university admissions! But many feel it is just a small price to pay to enhance a child’s potential prosperity and prestige.
Dragons throughout literature
Dragons, though ancient creatures, keep clawing back into our contemporary consciousness. Dragons fascinate and intrigue us, especially in stories and popular culture. If you have children, you will probably own at least one children’s book or have seen at least one family movie featuring a dragon.
In our home, we love books like The Paper Bag Princess, Dragons Love Tacos, the Wings of Fire series, the Dragon Girls series, My Father’s Dragon, the Harry Potter series (featuring various dragons and even a book about them), and The Hobbit (featuring Smaug, the last great dragon of Middle Earth that captured the Lonely Mountain full of gold amassed by Dwarves).
Our family has enjoyed movies such as Pete’s Dragon (both the 2016 and 1977 versions), How to Train Your Dragon (the books by Cressida Cowell are very good too), Mulan (the animated version with Mushu, Mulan’s pint-sized, fast-talking, self-appointed guardian), Raya and the Last Dragon, Netflix’s pink Wish Dragon, and Spirited Away (with Haku, a boy who is really a majestic river dragon).
In today’s Asia, a confluence of the East and West where cultural borders are increasingly blurred, we often talk about dragons as if they are all the same. However, I recently discovered that there are notable differences between dragons of Western tales and Eastern legends when I was looking for books on dragons to read to my children and their friends in our book clubs. As one video puts it, it is a great example of how culture shapes the way we think and how learning about other cultures can open new windows to other ways of seeing things.
The difference between Eastern and Western dragons
Resources I found (including a website, information sheet, blog post, and videos (video 1 and video 2)) shared that Eastern dragons are divine symbols of power, wisdom, and beauty in Japan, Korea, and China. Dragons were the symbol of the Emperor in Chinese dynasties. Qing dynasty Emperors wore yellow Imperial Dragon Robes, embroidered with 9 dragons. Dragons are the single most important mythical creatures in Chinese culture. They appear in many celebrations and Chinese idioms (Chengyu). They adorn important buildings and doors as carvings, are weaved into traditional fabrics, are painted in murals, and are used in folk dances. Chinese people consider themselves to be descendants of the dragon (“龙的传人”/ “lóng de chuán rén”).
Eastern dragons are generally seen as kind, benevolent, and friendly (they do not eat humans!) and bring good luck and wealth. They are deities that are loved and worshipped. They can summon (or withhold) rain and control water. They can become angry and use their magical powers to cause terrible floods, if not respected. Eastern Dragons are four-legged, serpentine creatures that have the head of a camel, the antlers of a deer, the eyes of a demon, the ears of an ox, the neck of a snake, the scales of a carp, the belly of an eel, the paws of a tiger, the claws of an eagle, the mane of a lion, and a spiked tail. They are wingless, but can still fly using magic. Eastern Dragons are said to live in watery places, like coastal and underwater caves or around lakes and large rivers.
Conversely, Western dragons are dinosaur-like fire-breathing animals, with magical powers that are the embodiment of evil. As they often hoard gold and guard beautiful women (usually princesses) selfishly in a lair, they are a symbol of greed in Western culture. The Western Dragon has 4 legs with claws, a scaly body, and a spiked tail. They fly by flapping their leathery bat-like wings. Western Dragons are ferocious, bad-tempered, and destructive. Many legends (like Beowulf, or Saint George and the Dragon) speak of dragons burning down villages and battling brave knights who want to slay them. Western Dragons are carnivorous and love sheep, cattle, and human flesh. They live on land, often in caves, mountains, or forests.
Books that shine a spotlight on Eastern dragons
Most families have evergreen Chinese New Year children’s books they revisit annually, so we thought looking into books featuring Eastern Dragons would be a nice change for this year.
Red is a Dragon (written by Rosanne Thong and illustrated by Grace Lin – for 2 to 4-year-olds) is another evergreen favourite in our family. Find the read-aloud here. Older kids can try the dragon paper cut-out by Grace Lin by downloading her template and instructions.
Everyone loves to watch a Chinese Lion Dance. Liondoncefreak has the most complete schedules of performances around town. This year, we may see more dragon dances, which are not always as common. So, our family has been revisiting this old book, Dragon Dance: A Chinese New Year Lift-The-Flap Book by Joan Holub. Find the read-aloud and learn some new Chinese words here. Suitable for 2 to 5-year-olds.
Long Goes to Dragon School (written by Helen H. Wu and illustrated by Mae Besom) is a cute picture book for kids aged 4 to 8. It highlights the key difference between Eastern and Western dragons, but as its publisher notes, it also “celebrates perseverance, cultural inclusion, and self-discovery.” On the first day of Dragon School, all the young students are taught how to harness their fire breath to cook some food. Long, who is from the East, feels out of place as he can only spurt out water. No matter how hard he tries, he cannot match his classmates’ fire-breathing abilities. Eventually, Long finds his own unique path to cooking and fitting in. You can also watch the read-aloud video here.
Another fun book for the younger ones (5 to 8-year-olds) featuring a Chinese dragon (that never shows his face!) is How to Catch a Dragon by Adam Wallace. The read-aloud can be found here. A little boy is getting ready for the Chinese New Year when his mother mentions how a dragon would bring them good health and fortune for the year. So, the boy and his friends decide to try to catch one! If you are looking for something else to occupy your kids over the festive break, the Teachers Pay Teachers site also has a great activity pack that complements this story.
Source: The Sisters Lim
Support local talent by checking out Xin & the Blue Dragon of Spring, featuring the beautiful illustrations of Malaysian author-illustrator Lim Lay Koon. Worried villagers who are cold and hungry become anxious as Winter refuses to leave, and the Blue Dragon of Spring is still fast asleep. No one is brave enough to wake the Dragon up so that he can bring the blessings of Spring. Courageous little Xin decides to take matters into her own hands and sets off on an adventure to save her village. The Dragon in the book is full of character and will draw you into its large, pool-like eyes as you flip through the book. Suitable for 5 to 8-year-olds.
The gorgeous illustrations in Nian, The Chinese New Year Dragon by Virginia Loh-Hagan and Timothy Banks reimagine the Nian monster as a dragon who lives under the sea, giving the festive legend an original twist. Find the read-aloud here. Suitable for 6 to 8-year-olds.
Fans of Nancy Drew growing up might like to revisit the vintage series with your kids, starting with The Chinese New Year Mystery (Nancy Drew Notebooks #39) by Carolyn Keene. The young detective and her friends get into the Chinese New Year spirit by looking for a dragon costume (made by their class for the festive parade) that suddenly goes missing. Suitable for 6 to 9-year-olds.
7 to 11-year-olds may like looking for the hidden messages inside the A to Z Mysteries® Super Editions. The classic children’s series (author Ron Roy has been writing them since 1974) has over 8 million copies in print and is back with a bright new look. With the Super Editions, readers have to keep collecting clues and solving mysteries with Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose. These books have lively illustrations and are helpful for new independent readers still transitioning to books with only text.
This Chinese New Year-themed mystery, A to Z Mysteries Super Edition #5: The New Year Dragon Dilemma by Ron Roy, features fireworks, dragons, and a missing girl. The sleuths are in San Francisco, home to the biggest Chinatown outside Asia. During the famous Chinese New Year parade, Miss Chinatown, who is supposed to ride by in a giant float, disappears – crown and all! Can the kids crack this case?
Happy Lunar New Year, everyone – and happy reading!
