2026 Spring Sprout Pack - Issue No. 1

A good Lunar New Year book does more than fill a quiet afternoon. It changes the room.

It brings the smell of dinner closer. It makes red paper feel warmer. It gives children a reason to ask one more question about home, even if home is now across an ocean. That is the spirit behind 2026 Spring Sprout Pack, Issue No. 1, centered on 灶王爷, the Kitchen God, and the festive mood created by a book from Chinese author and illustrator 熊亮, known in English as Xiong Liang.

For families spending Lunar New Year overseas, small things matter. A picture book on the table can become part of the celebration. A familiar myth can help a child understand why the kitchen is busy, why sweets appear near the stove, and why adults light up when an old story comes back into the house.

This first issue of the Spring Sprout Pack feels like a gentle invitation: bring the Kitchen God back into the holiday, not as a distant figure from the past, but as a warm, funny, meaningful presence in the middle of family life.