LION DANCER: Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year

Young Ernie celebrates the New Year by carrying a Lion's Head and dancing in the streets of New York's Chinatown. He introduces his family and gives readers a glimpse of his daily life, then describes a festive dinner and his careful preparation for the Lion Dance. As the fireworks die down, Ernie rides the drum cart home, weary but satisfied; the authors close with a Chinese calendar and horoscope. Aside from the personal angle (and being shot on different coasts), there isn't much reason to choose between this and Behrens' Gung Hay Fat Choy (1982); each features a brief text, bright color photographs, and glances at a Chinatown's unique blend of the familiar and the exotic.