A good friend texted me this morning to ask for recommendations of children stories on the Mid-Autumn Festival. We celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival (or more affectionately known as 中秋节 or Lantern Festival here) on the 15th day of eighth month in the Lunar Calendar. It’s the day where the moon is supposedly the roundest and shines the brightest. Apart from enjoy moon cakes and carrying lanterns, it is also traditionally the day when family reunites.
Compiled lovingly by Life’s Tiny Miracles
I’ve found these titles from our National Libraries suitable for emerging readers (5 to 6 years old), perfect for bedtime reads leading up to the Mid-Autumn Festival or as we gather round the table savouring moon-cakes, steamed baby yams and pomelos.
1. Lin Yi’s lantern : A Moon Festival Tale
Written by Brenda Williams; illustrated by Benjamin Lacombe.
Lin Yi is given money to buy items at the market for tonight’s Moon Festival. If he bargains well, he can purchase a red rabbit lantern for himself. But he must purchase everything on his mother’s list first! This heart-warming story will resonate with both children and adults, as they learn about the wonderful Chinese Moon Festival and the rewards that come from putting others first. Lin Yi faces a moral dilemma, and learns that doing the right thing for its own sake is the best course of action, and that luck may shine on those who act morally.
Written by Grace Lin.
Written by Nina Simonds, Leslie Swartz & The Children’s Museum, Boston.
Written by Amy Tan; illustrated by Gretchen Schields.
Written by Adeline Foo; illustrated by Lee Kowling.
Have fun reading and here’s wishing all of us a heartwarming Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节 with our families!