Preparing for Chinese New Year in spring after the depths of winter was a highlight of the year when Di Wu was growing up in the cold climate of northern China.
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So it was easy for the illustrator to channel the experiences into inspiration for New Year Surprise, the latest book from Sydney-based author Christopher Cheng released by the National Library of Australia.
"When the spring festival was coming the cold air looked more interesting, the inside of the room was so warm," Wu said.
"Everyone was happy, especially the kids because we got a small red envelope and all the adults would put money in it, so for kids it was a good time to collect pocket money."
Cheng wrote the story based on his own upbringing in Australia, yearly visits to Hong Kong and the "amazing Asian paper art" in the library's collection on display for Celestial Empire.
The book charts the story of a little boy and his family in the lead up to Chinese New Year, after his father tells him he will have a special job to do on the big day.
"I'm half Chinese so it's a bit of my culture… for me it's sitting around at the family table knowing about dumplings, and how they are made and the hidden coins inside," Cheng said.
"There's structures within the family where everyone has their important role."
The pair met about 100 young fans at the library on Tuesday who heard Cheng read the book and enjoyed colouring with Wu.
The book is the first collaboration between the children's book veterans.
Cheng said it would appeal to families with and without Chinese heritage.
"Hopefully it will bring discussion in families about what they do to celebrate special occasions," he said.
"Even a lot of kids in China today wouldn't know about this northern setting, the city kids would miss out on this.
"One room is the house, it's a functional room where everyone gathers, you eat there, sleep there so it's all part of that whole cultural aspect."
Wu said it was becoming more common to celebrate the festival in Australia, despite it being a little bit warm, and the Chinese Zodiac was particularly popular with 2016 being the year of the monkey.
Unlike his usual watercolour illustrations for other books, Wu chose to take a more tradition approach painting on rice paper.
"I like doing children's books because all the stories are different," he said.
"A lot of artists use the same style for all stories, but I try to use different styles for different stories, I follow the writing."
Although Cheng is used to reading his books to audiences filled with captivated little faces, he admitted to being a bit hesitant on Tuesday.
"It's the first time I've read it aloud so it's really hard because I don't know it off by heart yet," he laughed.
"It's really nice to see the looks on their faces, the anticipation… it's the best job in the world."
Di Wu's paintings are on display at the National Library until May 22 to coincide with the Celestial Empire: Life in China, 1644–1911 exhibition.
