What is the best way to engage children in exploring world culture? Stories and books! 10 books for celebrating the Mid Autumn Festival!
This selection of books for celebrating the Mid Autumn Festival includes books that tell the story of the Mid Autumn Festival and Chinese culture books. Many people ask about what is the difference between the Mid Autumn Festival and the Moon festival? Mid-Autumn Festival, zhōng qiū jié 中秋節 | 中秋节 is the direct English translation. It is the formal name of the Mid Autumn Festival and it is used in Chinese communities.
The Moon Festival is referring to the Mid Autumn Festival, a full moon day on the 15th day of the eighth month on the lunar calendar. It is a cultural festival that is celebrated in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam. There is also a similar celebration in Korea as Chuseok and in Japan as Tsukimi. Exploring cultural festivity with kids helps them connect world culture.
The Mid Autumn Festival A Poem in Chinese with pinyin, English and audio support
Without further ado, here are 9 books for celebrating the Mid Autumn Festival.
A Moon Festival Poet:
I wrote this book for my children and my students. I use this for Readers’ Theater. Acting roles are one narrator, one rabbit, one Moon Fairy, and a family. You can expand the roles and add more festival food to your Chinese Readers’ Theater. Young kids are creative and fun. They can be spontaneous and add surprising effects to the performance. Print out the pages of the poem and post it on your Word Wall throughout the rehearsal. Kids can write and draw on the poem pages and even add their own creative ideas.
A Big Mooncake for Little Star
This is such a joyful, loving, and curious read that touched on one of the most important Chinese festivals, the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is not a typical book about the festival but it reveals this festival’s must-have food. It is revealed slowly and lovely. Ages: Preschool – Gr.3 What is Little Star looking forward to? Why does Little Star tiptoe to the Big Mooncake in the sky? What is the change of the moon? A delightful read with stunning illustrations by Grace Lin.
Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival:
We love author Grace Lin’s illustrations and stories. This book is no exception. Ages: Preschool-Grade 3. This is a book your children will enjoy at home or in class. There are word pages at the beginning and culture information pages at the end. This book can generate some good discussions with young children.
Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival: This book follows a little girl, Mei, and unfolds the Mid-Autumn Festival story with her family. Ages: Preschool – Grad 3. Children will learn about the amazing archer who shot down the nine suns in the sky and his wife, the moon fairy. There is also a moon cake making recipe in the book. It will make a hands-on read and make session.
Lin Yi’s Lantern: Children will enjoy shopping in the market with Lin Yi, who is shopping for his mother. Ages: Preschool-Grade 3. Guess what items are on Lin Yi’s shopping list? How is he going to be able to save money and buy a red rabbit lantern? How about bargaining in the market? Children will have fun reciting the shopping list and learning about the ingredients. Furthermore, they will enjoy the legend of the moon fairy and a hands-on activity, how to make a Chinese lantern. A story that can inspires culture comparison about markets around the world.
Chinese Festival 6: Mid-Autumn Festival: This book is in English, traditional Chinese, and simplified Chinese. It is one of the ebooks in a series. Ages: Grade 3 and above. It has a brief overview of the history, story, and tradition of the Mid-Autumn Festival. It also includes a few lantern riddles at the end.
Grandma Panda’s China Story Book: Mingmei Yip, author and illustrator grew up in Hong Kong, studied in Paris, and lives in New York City. Her stories for children are engaging with an in-depth look at Chinese culture. Ages: Preschool – Gr. 5. Grandma Panda is a great teacher. She introduces Chinese culture for children. Grandma Panda teaches little pandas Chinese writing. She tells the story of Mulan, the Brave Woman Warrior. Granny also shares the story of Chinese food and the story of dotting the Dragon’s eyes. If you are into martial arts there is The Little Kung Fu Warriors. Have you ever wonder about Chinese opera? The painted Faces of Chinese Opera will show you the meaning of the colors. A great book to add to your home or class library.
All About China Stories, Songs, Crafts, and More for Kids: This is an excellent book by Allison “Aixin” Branscombe who adopted two children from China. In order to help her children to learn about their heritage, she took a keen interest in learning about China herself and played an active role in engaging her kids in the Chinese language. This title touches on a series of engaging topics on China, the world’s largest and most populated country boasting thousands of years of history, tradition, and culture.
All About China takes you on an exciting virtue tour of China through each page from Fast Facts to Famous Historic Places, from 5,000 years of Culture and Inventions to Feng Shui Your Bedroom, from traditional games to Chinese Zodiac Animals, from Important Festivals and Holidays to Chinese New Year Crafts – make your own red envelope and new year lantern. Furthermore, you will also learn some important words and phrases in Chinese as well as fun songs. In addition, you can try the traditional recipes included in the book and plan a Chinese culture day at home or at school to share the beauty of Chinese culture with family or friends. And there is more… This is truly a resourceful book on China for children, parents, and teachers.
Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes: There are five Chinese festivals in this book. They are the Chinese lunar new year, the Lantern Festival, the Qing Ming festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Mid Autumn Festival. Ages: Grade 4 – 7. This is a book I have for a long time and I still refer to it. This title talks about the history of each culture celebration. There are hands-on activities like crafts and recipes. Last but not least, stories that enhance festivals.
Chinese Myths and Legends The Monkey King and Other Adventures: This fabulous multicultural children’s book features major Chinese fairy tales and folk stories in depth. Ages: Children-adult. The stories in this book include Pan Gu 盤古|盘古, the storyline of creators of the world. It has a story about Ho Yo 后羿, an important figure in the Mid Autumn Festival. It also covers Journey to the West 西遊記|西游记， Monkey King, the story attracts kids and adults for generations. This book has highlighted White Snake 白蛇傳|白蛇传，a popular folktale for Dragon Boat Festival. This mesmerizing book with vibrant illustrations will make a wonderful read for the whole family and for your class all year round.
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2022 Update
books for celebrating the Mid Autumn Festival
Related articles and more teaching resources:
The Mid Autumn Festival Everything You Need To Know
Chinese Mid Autumn Festival The Folktale, A Story About The Moon and An Interview
Activity Resource For Home and In the Classroom:
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Reading: The Mid Autumn Festival A Poem (Simplified Chinese-Pinyin-English with AUDIO support)
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Reading: The Mid Autumn Festival A Poem (traditional Chinese-Pinyin-English with AUDIO support)
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The Solar System Planets Basic Facts Posters (Simplified Chinese-Pinyin-English with AUDIO support)
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The Solar System Planets Basic Facts Posters (traditional Chinese-Pinyin-English with AUDIO support)
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Word Wall: The Solar System Planets Word Signs (traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese-pinyin-English with AUDIO support)
Children’s Books for Celebrating the Mid Autumn Festival