A lyrical, rhyming story about the origin of the Chinese Zodiac, Twelve in a Race by Catherine Little and Sae Kimura is a book you will want to share with your youngest readers to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

The twelve animals line up to start the Emperor’s Great Race. On your mark! Get set! Go! They are off and running. The story identifies each animal and their place at the finish along with traits associated with each animal according to the Chinese Zodiac.

Catherine Little has created one of the best books I have read for the youngest readers to encapsulate the Chinese Zodiac and the story behind how it came to be. Others have tried but I have always found other stories to be a little long and wordy. In Twelve in a Race, each animal is offered a two page spread and a quick description of their traits as they cross the finish line. This is a book that can easily be shared in early years spaces and will grab little readers attention throughout.

I loved the question posed at the end of the book about the order of the finish. I think it would be very interesting to explore with young readers before reading, who they would expect to win the race and how they feel about the results. It could lead to some very interesting conversations. I appreciated the back matter about the Chinese Zodiac for the grownups who would be sharing this story as well as the image, with the years included of each animal.

Sae Kimura’s illustrations are bold and tactile. The texture of each painting leaps off the page and readers are sure to enjoy big bold illustrations of each animal as they cross the finish line.