The New Year—not Jan. 1, but the Lunar New Year that’s celebrated in many Asian countries—“is not just a number… it’s also an animal. Each year is paired with one of twelve incredible animals.” The animal associated with a person’s birth year provides hints about personality and talents, relationships and preferences, lucky numbers and favorite flowers. Robeson, a Canadian American author of Chinese descent, shares in her author’s note how she and her sister “had a blast” learning about the zodiac as children in Hong Kong. She enables young audiences to enjoy similar discoveries of mixing and matching animals and elements. Just in case a match doesn’t feel quite right, she offers a question-tree “game” for alternative options. The bulk of the book highlights the animals—rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, pig—and the characteristics that each one is considered to share with their yearly cohort, including potential BFFs, possible careers, and even likely favorite snacks. Chinese American artist Zhu brings colorful fun to every spread, imbuing the animals with energy, attitude, and individuality. Since the dozen aren’t the same across Asia, Robeson adds the “cool substitutes” of Vietnam (cats), Thailand (Nagas), and Japan (boars). In a rare publication decision, Zilja Zhuang is credited as authenticity reader.