Today/this weekend is Mid-autumn festival/Moon festival/Mooncake festival/Harvest festival/Chuseok (it has a lot of names in different areas) so I thought I would share some books that feature mid-autumn festival celebrations.
A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin
Little Star and her mother make a great, big mooncake. Mother says to let it cool. And Little Star does for a while. But can Little Star resist some midnight snacking?
A picture book that creates a myth for why the moon changes shape and incorporates elemets of the Harvest Festival celebration. There’s a recipe for mooncakes in the back of the book, which are a traditional treat in many areas for this festival.
Target Readers:Mooncake Fans, Stages of the Moon Myth Fans, Humorous Fiction Fans, Mother/Daughter Story Fans, Asian Lit Fans, Picture Book Readers
The Dreamweavers by G.Z. Schmidt
When the emperor's son arrives to sample Grandfather's legendary mooncakes at the village's Autumn Moon Festival, Mei and Yun find themselves in the middle of a disaster. Grandfather's mooncakes taste awful and he is carted off to the Imperial City to be tried for attempted poisoning. Mei and Yun know something is in the air, literally. They can see the multi-colored clouds that are dreams of people. And the ones hovering over their city now are nightmares and are making everyone grumpy and mean. They must set off on a quest to free their Grandfather, because he has no one else. With the help of a friendly rabbit, the twins find themselves trying to break a curse with roots decades in the past.
Target Readers:Fantasy Fans, Quest Adventure Fans, Mythology Fans, Mythical Historical China Setting Fans, Brother/Sister Story Fans, Grandfather/Grandchildren Story Fans, Jade Rabbit Story Fans, Imaginative Readers, Upper Middle Grade Readers
Watch a modern Chinese family celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. The back of the book explains the traditions and symbolism of the food.
If you have questions about the abundance of mooncakes at this time of year, this book answers that question and more!
Target Readers:Cultural Festival Story Fans, Curious Readers, Chinese Story Fans, Foodies, Picture Book Readers
This Was Our Pact by Ryan Andrews
Every year at the Autumn Equinox the town releases lanterns into the river. This year, some boys from the town have made a pact to follow the lanterns and see where they go even if it means going past the point their parents have told them is their exploration barrier. Ben is very committed to the pact, but not many of his friends are. Only Nathaniel, a boy Ben’s friends ostracize, is willing to go past the bridge barrier with him. The two boys’ fathers work together in the observatory but Ben has tried to keep his distance from Nathaniel since the others don’t think he is cool. Their adventure together to follow the lanterns proves much harder than they thought. Is it even possible? It will take them to unexpected places, teach them things about themselves, friendship, astronomy, and stretch their strength and imaginations.
This is a fantasy autumnal festival and incorporates things from a variety of cultures and also makes up its own things.
Target Readers:Graphic Novel Fans, Fantasy Fans, Adventure Fans, Art Lovers, Middle Grade Readers
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