Sam and the Lucky Money

by Karen Chinn (Author) Ying-Hwa Hu (Illustrator)

Sam and the Lucky Money
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Sam can hardly wait to go shopping with his mom. It's Chinese New Year's day and his grandparents have given him the traditional gift of lucky money-red envelopes called leisees (lay-sees). This year Sam is finally old enough to spend it any way he chooses. Best of all, he gets to spend his lucky money in his favorite place -- Chinatown!

But when Sam realizes that his grandparents' gift is not enough to get the things he wants, his excitement turns to disappointment. Even though his mother reminds him that he should appreciate the gift, Sam is not convinced -- until a surprise encounter with a stranger.

With vivid watercolor paintings, artists Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu celebrate the sights and sounds of festive Chinatown streets. In her picture book debut, author Karen Chinn tells the affecting story of a child who discovers that sometimes the best gifts come from the heart. 

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Publishers Weekly

A Chinese American boy gives his New Years' gift money to a homeless man. Subtle, sunny watercolors accurately render the boy's emotions and the Chinatown setting. Ages 3-9.(Sept.)

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-Sam receives four bright red envelopes decorated with shiny gold emblems as part of the traditional Chinese New Year celebration, each containing a dollar. As he accompanies his mother through Chinatown, his anticipation of how to spend it diminishes when he realizes that the ""lucky money"" won't buy as much as he had hoped. His mood is further sobered after an encounter with a man he stumbles upon in the street. He nobly, though not surprisingly, concludes that his four dollars would be best spent on the barefoot stranger. Though the traditional message that it is better to give than to receive will be apparent to adults immediately, it is handled in a genuine, thoughtful manner that will be realistic to children. Detailed descriptions of the sights and sounds of the New Year celebration build in contrast to Sam's growing introspection, becoming even more dramatic and adding to the depth of the story. The illustrators masterfully combine Chinatown's exotic setting with the universal emotions of childhood through expressive portraits of the characters.-Starr LaTronica, Four County Library System, Vestal, NY
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781880000533
Lexile Measure
660
Guided Reading Level
P
Publisher
Lee & Low Books
Publication date
October 20, 2013
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039220 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Values & Virtues
Library of Congress categories
Chinese Americans
Chinese New Year

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