Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

Summary of Book

This simple, young, and satisfying story follows a Chinese American family as they celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.

Each member of the family lends a hand as they prepare a moonlit picnic with mooncakes, pomelos, cups of tea, and colorful lanterns. And everyone sends thanks and a secret wish up to the moon.

Grace Lin’s luminous and gloriously patterned artwork is perfect for this holiday tale. Her story is simple—tailor-made for reading aloud to young children. And she includes an informative author’s note with further details on the customs and traditions of the Moon Festival for parents and teachers. The Moon Festival is one of the most important holidays of the year along with the Lunar New Year, so this book makes an excellent companion to Grace Lin’s Bringing In the New Year, which features the same family.

Author / Illustrator Biography

Grace Lin is an award-winning and bestselling author and illustrator. She has written and illustrated several picture books about life in a Chinese American family (based on her own!): Dim Sum for Everyone!, Kite Flying, Fortune Cookie Fortunes, and Thanking the Moon. And she was awarded a Caldecott Honor for A Big Mooncake for Little Star. Her books for older readers include the Newbery Honor winner Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, When the Sea Turned to Silver, Starry River of the Sky, The Year of the Dog, The Year of the Rat, and Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!. Grace Lin grew up in upstate New York and attended the Rhode Island School of Design. She now lives in Massachusetts. To learn more, visit gracelin.com.