Mooncakes

by Loretta Seto, Renné Benoit (Illustrator)

Overview

The lyrical story of a young girl who shares the special celebration of the Chinese Moon Festival with her parents.

As they eat mooncakes, drink tea and watch the night sky together, Mama and Baba tell ancient tales of a magical tree that can never be cut down, the Jade Rabbit who came to live on the moon and one brave woman's journey to eternal life. With a gentle focus on the importance of family, Mooncakes is both a perfect book for parent and child to read together and an ideal choice for schools and libraries.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459814318
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	01/17/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.50(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Loretta Seto is a fiction writer, screenwriter and playwright. She has been published in Ricepaper magazine and the anthology Strike the Wok. Loretta completed her MFA in creative writing at UBC. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Renné Benoit is an award-winning illustrator of many books for children. In 2012, Big City Bees (Greystone) was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award in the Children's Literature Illustration category. Renné currently works out of her home studio in St. Thomas, Ontario.

Read an Excerpt

Tonight the moon shines like a polished pearl, round and fat. It glows bigger and brighter than I have ever seen.

Tonight is a special night.

Tonight I am allowed to stay up late. Soon there will be mooncakes to eat, sweet and chewy. They are round like the moon. They make a circle for me and Mama and Baba. They make a circle for my family.

Outside we light paper lanterns. I made one all by myself using my favorite colors. The lanterns and stars light up the sky. The moon makes everything shine like silver and water.

Editorial Reviews

"This quiet gem will make an effective read-aloud to introduce the Moon Festival and Chinese culture."

School Library Journal

"A cozy family story rooted in tradition."

Booklist

"A charming picturebook about a family spending time together...Silvery moonlight seems to touch the soft watercolor illustrations that accompany the flowing text."

Library Media Connection

"A lovely story told with all the gentleness that family times evoke...The paintings that accompany are just right. They are equally quiet, using soft colors and moonlit images of the family sharing the spirit of the festival. The feeling changes as the story switches from the traditional tales to the food being shared. It is magical and touching, and very exciting for our young narrator. A cozy chair, a cup of tea and a mooncake to share with a loving family!"

Sal's Fiction Addiction blog

"For the 2nd grade social studies curriculum and studies of other cultures, this is perfect."

Tucson Unified School District

"This simple story features evocative language...[and] the illustrations are filled with scenes of quiet celebration and soft colors."

Reading Today Online

"A cozy family story rooted in tradition...Told from the child’s point of view, the narrative is simply written and nicely cadenced. The folktales offer an imaginative addition to the narrative as well as a window into Chinese legend. Created with colored pencils, watercolors, and gouache, the double-page illustrations create a series of warm family scenes and tableaux from folklore, all suffused with pale golden light. The many rounded shapes reinforce the sense of harmony that pervades the story."

Booklist

"A lovely, touching story that functions well as both entertainment and an introduction to a snippet of Chinese culture...Seto seamlessly blends the contemporary storyline with the traditional narratives...Benoit's moody palette of muted greys, blues, greens, and oranges evokes the nighttime setting, giving way to unexpected pops of brighter colour when the narrative switches to folktales...A treat as sweet as the titular pastry."

Quill & Quire

"The ancient stories feature rich vocabulary and intriguing images. Decorated with a scroll design and appearing in italics, the three tales also look ornate on the pages of the book. The young girl’s responses to the stories are reflective and full of wonder...Benoit's watercolour, coloured pencil and gouache illustrations present a warm, loving family sharing traditions...This is a wonderful book to introduce cultures and holidays. Highly Recommended."

CM Magazine