Mid-autumn Festival or Moon Festival is a very special holiday in some Asian countries. Mid-Autumn Festival is so-named as it is held on the 15th of the 8th lunar month in the Chinese calendar around the autumn equinox. Families and friends usually get together, enjoy a spectacular feast, and look to the moon on the holiday. It is believed that the moon on the night of the Mid-autumn Festival will be the biggest and brightest of the whole year. Making and sharing mooncakes is one of the hallmark traditions of this festival. Children usually carry lanterns for the festival as well. Both mooncakes and lanterns are to symbolize family reunion and prosperity. Today we are going to share some books about the Mid-autumn Festival.
This is a book about simple shapes: circle, square and rectangles. The author smartly incorporates traditional Chinese items and Mid-autumn festival related items to shapes. It proves to young children that math is everywhere in our life. After reading the book, parents can do some shape scavenger hunt with children. Tour around the house with your children, and ask your children to find items that are circle, square, and rectangle. Take a neighborhood walk with your children, and ask children to look around, and find things that are circle, square and rectangle in the neighborhood. Parents can also expand to other shapes if children are ready to be challenged. In addition to shape scavenger hunt, parents can cut different shapes for children, and ask children to create some new patterns or shapes based on the shapes parents cut.
Just as Grace Lin said on her website, “ A gorgeous picture book that tells a whimsical origin story of the phases of the moon.” The matching dress Mama and Little Star wear remind people of the dark night. The shimmery crumbles of the mooncake remind people of the milky way. What happens when Little Star eats the mooncake which she’s not supposed to eat? This is a nice book to introduce children to the phases of the moon/ moon cycle (Click the image to read details from Nasa).
If children show deep interest in the space or solar system topic, parents can expand the learning into the Sun and the Earth-Moon system or even the entire solar system (Check out Nasa’s Solar System Exploration).
This book contains a lot of Chinese folktales regards to Mid-autumn Festival, such as Chang’e over the moon(嫦娥奔月), Wu Gang the Woodcutter(吴刚伐桂), and the story of Jade rabbit (玉兔的由来). It’s a nice way to learn some traditional Chinese folktales from this book. After reading, parents can explore the differences among folktale, tall tale, fairy tale and fable.
According to Georgia Southern University’s online university library guides:
Definition of fable - A short allegorical narrative making a moral point, traditionally by means of animal characters who speak and act like human beings.
Examples: Aesop's Fables,
Definition of folktale - A traditional narrative, usually anonymous, handed down orally - e.g., fables,fairy tales, legends, etc.
A tall tale is a special kind of hero story because the heroes of tall tales are 'larger than life'. An exaggerated, unreliable story: “My uncle claims that he was raised in a drainage ditch, but it's just another of his tall tales.” Examples: Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill.
Fairy tale: One definition is a children's story about magical and imaginary beings and lands.
How are Fairy Tales different from Folk Tales?
Fairy tales are a subgenre of folk tales and almost always involve some element of magic and good triumphing over evil. A good rule of thumb: if there's a fairy or other mystical/magical creature in the story, it's a fairy tale.
(Source: Oklahoma State University Library)
This is a nice story to prove that your kindness will alway get rewarded. Lin Yi, a young boy resisted the temptation at the market, and chose families’ interest over his personal interest in the story.At the end, Lin Yi got what he always wanted, in a better version. From this book, readers will have the chance to learn about traditional Chinese markets, some Mid-autumn Festival customs, and some Chinese folktales. If children are interested in lanterns, parents can get a mason jar, some tissue paper, an electronic candle, glue and some wire to make a lantern. In addition, parents can role play bargain games with children to practice math and negotiation skills.
Picture source from internet
There are several reasons I like this book. First, the food illustrations in the book are so vivid and accurate. When I look at the food in the book, I literally pictured my Mid-autumn Festival feast when I was young. Second, this book contains the famous Chinese folktale, ‘The Story of Chang’e and Houyi(后羿射日)’. Last but not least, children will learn traditional Mid-autumn Festival activities such as carrying paper lanterns at night from the book. Look at the moon tonight, and check if you can see a shadow on the moon.
Mooncake/Happy Birthday, Moon/ Moondance by Frank Asch
These books are not related to the Mid-autumn Festival. However, the stories between the bear and the moon are just so cute that kids can’t take their eyes off of the stories. In the book ‘Mooncake’, children can learn about hibernation and migration. In the book ‘Happy Birthday, Moon’ is a nice book for children to learn about friendship. In addition, children can go to different places to do an echo test. In the book ‘Moondance’, children can learn about different types of weather and the weather formation. Also, children can explore reflections inspired by the book.
There are a lot of holidays related to the moon around the world. Do you celebrate any holidays related to the moon?
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