In that sense, it reminded me strongly of the last picture-book devoted to the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival that I read, Loretta Seto's Mooncakes, which also featured family members (parents, in that case) relating the story of Hou Yi and Chang'e. It is Hou Yi, missing his beloved wife, who starts the tradition of offering mooncakes, on the anniversary of the day she became the Spirit and Lady in the Moon.Ī debut for author Christina Matula, The Shadow in the Moon: A Tale of the Mid-Autumn Festival is an engaging mixture of contemportary family story and traditional folkloric retelling. In desperation, Chang'e swallows it herself, and is transported to the moon, there to reside eternally. Although he and Chang'e, well aware that such a potion could spell disaster in the wrong hands, hide it away, a thief comes when the archer is away, and threatens to make off with it. Saving the world, and restoring the balance between Heaven and Earth, Hou Yi shoots nine of the ten suns in the sky down, and is rewarded with a potion of immortality.
It might also make you hungry for mooncakes.Ī little girl celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival with her family in this lovely picture-book, and learns of the folklore behind the celebration when her Ah-ma (grandmother) shares the story of the archer Hou Yi and his wife, the gentle Chang'e. It's smart, accessible, and entertaining. And there's also a recipe for red-bean mooncakes that doesn't look too daunting.Īll in all, this is a nice holiday book for kids. There's an author's note at the back that explains a little bit more about the Mid-Autumn Festival. The illustrations are simple, but effective.
The narrative is well done, with lovely writing. The story-within-a-story works well here, as Ah-ma's tale is precipitated by a question about the lady depicted on the mooncakes the family is eating. Sometimes books with a cultural focus can assume too much previous knowledge, rendering them suitable only to those who are already a part of that particular culture. It's not a story I've ever heard before, and what I love about this book is that it makes the story accessible to children who aren't familiar with the original folktale or the traditions that sprung up around it. The story is told to two modern-day little girls by their grandmother. The Shadow in the Moon is based on an old Chinese folktale about Hou Yi and his wife, Chang'e.
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