Bunny-scope!

 In Chinese culture, they say they see a bunny--not a man's face--on the moon.  Do you see it?

It's a little difficult, so I've made a little craft to help! The Bunny-scope! For this craft you will need:

• an 8.5x11 piece of card stock (preferably black) OR a cardboard paper towel tube

•  tape if you are using card stock 

• a piece of acetate

• black sharpie marker 

• scissors

• exacto knife

•  my bunny template

• optional: gold star stickers, decorative tape, colored markers

1. If you are using card stock, roll it into a tube with with  roughly 2in diameter (same as a paper towel tube) and use tape to secure the roll:

2. On your acetate, use your tube as a template to draw a circle:

3. Add a rectangle shape to the top half of the circle (this will serve as kind of a handle).

4. Print out the bunny template, it should look like this:

5. On the acetate, trace the bunny inside the circle (hint:looks best when it is off center, to the lower left). 

6. Color the bunny in black, just like the template. Your slide should look like this:

7. Cut out the whole slide:

8. The cut-out slide should look like this:

9. Go back to your tube. With an exact knife (adults will have to help kids with this), cut halfway through your telescope. 

10. Insert your slide into the slit:

Decorate your bunny-scope with stickers or any moon or start themed design you wish. And then look inside!

Your should see the bunny on the moon:

Happy bunny watching! Happy Moon Festival!

A Big Mooncake Show

If you came to my book launch (thank you so much for coming!), you would have seen the real Little Star and I do what she calls "The Show." The Show is really just a little interactive readers' theater that you can do yourself! Below is the downloadable script.

 

Readers Theater
On the opening pages, Mama and Little Star are making a Big Mooncake in their kitchen. Here are some suggested ways to involve your read aloud audience from endpaper to endpaper.
DOWNLOAD Big Mooncake for Little Star: Readers Theater (PDF)

Of course, the huge mooncake prop that Little Star and I used for the show is a bit more elaborate than what you have to do! Here is a smaller, paper version that you can use:

Moon Nibble
This activity allows you to remove (and nibble) the phases of the moon just like Little Star. This activity pairs well with the Reader’s Theater.
DOWNLOAD Big Mooncake for Little Star: Moon Nibble (PDF)

*See all the Mooncake Activites I have available HERE!

And don't forget to share a photo of A Big Mooncake for Little Star on twitter* or instagram* with the #BigMooncake4LittleStar and to win one of these scarves!

Make a Big Mooncake Phase Viewer!

Spoiler! In A Big Mooncake for Little Star someone is making the moon change shape! Thanks to the brilliant minds at Curious City, you, too, can do it. Using the download and these instruction make your own Moon Phase viewer!

  DOWNLOAD THE CRAFT HERE! And in case you need some help, watch the instructional video:

See all the Mooncake Activites I have available HERE!

And don't forget to share a photo of A Big Mooncake for Little Star on twitter* or instagram* with the #BigMooncake4LittleStar and to win one of these scarves!

Make the Little Star Mobile!

A Big Mooncake for Little Star came out yesterday and I'm still celebrating! In fact, I'll be celebrating all the way to November when I announce the winners of the those Little Star Moon scarves! Want to make your photo extra special? Or just want to beautify a room? How about a Little Star Mobile?

 

Yes, with help from the genius minds of Curious City,  you can download instructions to create this  adorable Little Star mobile!  Click HERE for the download the Little Star Mobile craft.

*See all the Mooncake Activites I have available HERE!

And don't forget to share a photo of A Big Mooncake for Little Star on twitter* or instagram* with the #BigMooncake4LittleStar and to win one of these scarves!

Happy Autumn Moon!

Today is the Moon Festival! Take a moment tonight to gaze at the moon, be thankful for your blessings and send the Moon Lady your secret wish. She might grant it!

Wishing you a happy Autumn Moon!

Don't forget to celebrate the Autumn-Moon Festival!

The Moon Festival is on Sunday!  Need some help celebrating? I have a pinterest board with celebration suggestions as well as one with books you can share!

You can even share this poem I just wrote in honor of the day:

Phases of the Moon
by Grace Lin

First
it is a sideways smile
then a tilted silver rainbow
it becomes a white banana
and then a half-cookie
that is swallowed
in a bulging belly
until it is full
That is when I like the moon best
floating and round
a balloon in the sky
just for me


Happy Autumn-Moon!

Preparing for the the Moon Festival!

from Round is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes

This year the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival falls on Sept. 27th! As I've said before, the Moon Festival is one my favorite holidays.  Now that I don't live in the city anymore, I can't just go pick up some mooncakes in Chinatown, which makes me feel a little sad. But I'm still going to celebrate!

Many of my books, from Thanking the Moon to Starry River of the Sky deal with Chinese moon myths. I have oodles of activity suggestions to help celebrate it! I even started a Moon Festival Activities Pinterest board as well as a Book list board in honor of the holiday!

The Moon Festival is basically a Chinese version of thanksgiving, centered around the moon. One  big tradition of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is to share poetry--either ones you love or ones you, yourself, write!

Me, personally, I've always thought of myself as more of a poetry-hack so I've always been a bit hesitant to share my poems. But over a year ago, my friend Janet Wong encouraged me to participate in her Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations and so I submitted one of my Moon Festival poems.

And, in honor of the upcoming Moon Festival I share it with you now:

On the Moon Festival

I am allowed to play

Outside tonight

Climb and slide and 

SWING

Higher 

Higher

I will knock on the moon

And the Moon Lady will say

Yes, tonight

The rabbit can come out to play

(Note: On the night of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, people send the Moon Goddess or Moon Lady a secret wish in hopes that she will grant it. The Moon Lady's companion is the Jade Rabbit. Read more here.)

Refreshments!

It's noon here at my virtual booklaunch, so it's time for some refreshments!  Would you like some mooncakes?

 The Starry River of the Sky has many parallels to the tales told during the Chinese Moon Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival (you can learn more about the Moon Festival in my picturebook Thanking the Moon). The Moon Festival falls every year on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is at its most bright.

Mooncakes are an important part of the Moon Festival.  Exchanged as gifts, mooncakes are a round pastry with some sort of rich filling inside.  The preparation of this pastry is very complex, and many of the fancier versions feature an imprint of the Chinese characters for ‚"longevity‚" or "harmony." Pictures of the moon, the lady in the moon, or a rabbit (a symbol of the moon) are also often imprinted in the top.

Mooncakes are such labor-intensive pastries that many who celebrate the Moon Festival now rely on specialty bakers and mail order. But here is a simple version mooncake recipe courtesy of  the wonderful folks at Asia for Kids (look for their Asian languages and cultures resources at www.afk.com):

Mooncakes 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup salted butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 can red bean paste or 1 cup jam
 
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar and 1 egg yolk. Stir until creamy and combine completely.

2. Add the flour and mix thoroughly. Form the dough into one large ball and wrap it in aluminum foil. Put this in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

3. Unwrap the chilled dough and, with clean hands, form small balls in the palms of your hands. These are the mooncakes.

4. Make a hole with your thumb gently in the center of each mooncake and fill with about half a teaspoon of your favorite jam or red bean paste.

5. Brush each cake with the other beaten egg yolk.

6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the mooncakes for about 20 minutes or just until the outside edges are slightly brown. Makes about 24 mooncakes.

Other Mooncake-related activities you can do:

Chinese Character Treasure Hunt

An online search or a Chinese bakery visit near Moon Festival will show you beautiful examples of these traditional pastries.  You might have your reader do a treasure hunt through those images or pastry cases to see if he or she can find the Chinese characters for‚"longevity‚" or "harmony."

Finding Symbolism

What is common in all mooncakes, either simple or complex, is the round shape and the inclusion of a surprise filling in the center.  Can you help your readers make a connection between the shape of the cake and the moon? What could the unexpected filling represent?

Historical Research

Older readers may want to research the folk tale about how mooncakes were used as a tool of espionage in the overthrow of Mongolian rulers in the 14th century.  

For your convenience, this activity is available in a downloadable format HERE.

It's a book birthday party! Yes, Starry River of the Sky is now available (it's gotten 5 starred reviews!) and all day long I'm posting fun activities, behind-the-scene tidbits and a great giveaway (don't miss your chance to get your portrait painted)! If you want to celebrate with me in person,  check my tour schedule to see if I'll be having a booksigning near you--I'd be happy to see you!

Happy Moon Festival!

From Thanking the Moon

Today is the Moon Festival!

The Moon Festival is one of my favorite holidays. If you notice I've done many a books about the moon: Round is a Mooncake (and app!) Thanking the Moon, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and even my upcoming book The Starry River of the Sky is very moon-y. The Year of the Rat also features the Moon Festival.

Why do I love it so much? Other than the rich Asian mythology around the moon, the yummy moon cakes, the fun activities,  I just love the whole meaning behind it. The Moon Festival isn't about giving or receiving, like Christmas or Chinese New Year (not that I don't enjoy that) and it isn't loud and flamboyant. It is a celebration of the quiet things, the things that are so easy to let slip and take for granted--family, togetherness, thankfulness and the wonder of just having moonlight.

So tonight, even though I am in very non-Asian France, I appreciate all those things, including all of you--my lovely, kind readers whom I am very thankful for! I hope you do too.

the moon in France!

Mooncakes!

 Mooncakes from Mon Nam, I recomend the pineapple ones!

Don't forget to order your mooncakes!

I say this not to be bossy, but because I did! Well, I did remember, but I ordered too late and the mooncakes that prefer (the ones above) from ManNom shop didn't come in time for me to bring to France. So, I had to go to Chinatown and pick some up from a bakery shop:

Mooncakes from Chinatown that I packed for France!

I prefer the ones from ManNom shop,because they are lard-free, comparatively healthier and actually kind of prettier. And, it supports a wonderful mentoring program from Asian adoptees as well pleasing your stomach. At least mine will be waiting for me when I get back from Paris!

But you can really get mooncakes from any where to celebrate the Moon Festival--as well as be anywhere. Me, I'm going to be thanking the moon in France! C'est bon!

Thanking the Moon--just imagine the Eiffel Tower in the background! 

The Moon Festival is coming!

Thanking the Moon, my book about the Moon Festival!

Before I forget,  I wanted to mention that the Moon Festival is coming soon. This year the holiday will be celebrated on September 12th!

Don't forget to make some time to celebrate this very special holiday. Buy some mooncakes, make a bunny lantern and eat some tea eggs. And read my book, Thanking the Moon!

on my desk monday

Mooncakes from Mam Nom! Do you still need mooncakes to eat with Thanking the Moon? Then, I suggest ordering from Mam Nom. You can choose between Lotus, Red bean & pineapple (my particular favorite) and your money be used to support a lovely mentoring program. Also, the cakes are made without lard (which is actually hard to find) and are so, so pretty:


I'm saving mine for the official date of the Moon Festival, Sept. 22nd. Isn't your mouth is watering?

Moon Poetry

In my book, Thanking the Moon, you'll notice one of the elements the family brings to their night picnic is a book of poetry. Traditionally, it was during the Moon Festival that one waxed poetic--inspired by the beauty of the moon. If you read any Chinese poetry, you'll notice that a great many poems mention the moon. In fact, a legendary Chinese poet from the 8th century, Li Po (also known as Li Bai), is said to have died while trying to catch the image of the moon reflected in the waters of a lake. Here is a translation of one of his most famous poems, Drinking Alone With the Moon (See other translations HERE):

I take a bottle of wine and I go to drink it among the flowers.
We are always three–
counting my shadow and my friend the shimmering moon.
Happily the moon knows nothing of drinking,
and my shadow is never thirsty.

When I sing, the moon listens to me in silence.
When I dance, my shadow dances too.
After all festivities the guests must depart;
This sadness I do not know.
When I go home,
the moon goes with me and my shadow follows me.

But for your own Moon Festival Celebration, you might want something more child-friendly (and not about getting drunk!). You could try reciting my good friend Elaine's poem from her wonderful THINGS TO DO poetry collection (which is looking for a publishing home--hint, hint to any editors reading this!):

THINGS TO DO IF YOU ARE THE MOON

Live in the sky.
Be bold…
OR
be shy.
Wax and wane
in your starry terrain.
Be a circle of light,
just a sliver of white,
or hide in the shadows
and vanish from sight.
Look like a pearl
when you’re brim-full
and bright.
Hang in the darkness
and dazzle the night.

But the best thing would be for you to write your own. This would be a fun activity for you to do during or in preparation for the Moon Festival celebration. An easy way to begin is use the simplified haiku format (5-7-5 syllables per line). I've found that this is a great way to take the intimidation factor out of writing poetry, especially with kids. Here is a poem I wrote, inspired by a night canoe ride on my vacation:

PADDLING A CANOE AT NIGHT

My canoe follows
the rippling silver path.
Will I reach the moon?

Try it yourself! Let the moon and the night inspire you!



In honor of my new book Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (now available!!) I'm running a week-long series of posts on the Moon Festival. Don't forget you can celebrate the book & the festival with me this Sunday in NYC at the MOCA's Mid-Autumn Family Festival!

tea eggs

In my book Thanking the Moon, you'll notice that part of the night-time picnic meal includes eggs (eggs are also eaten in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, too!). That is because eggs are round--symbolizing harmony and fullness--just like the moon! So eggs, are a customary snack during the Moon Festival. You could have them simply boiled or even deviled, but a traditional preparation that is easy, delicious and also quite pretty is to make tea-stained eggs:

Chinese Tea Egg Recipe
Ingredients:
6 eggs
3/4 cup soy sauce
2 star anise
2 tablespoons black tea (or 2 tea bags-stronger tea, the better)
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon pepper
2 strips dried tangerine or mandarin orange peel (optional)


1. Gently place the eggs in a medium pot and fill with water to cover the eggs by 1-inch. Bring the pot to a boil, lower the heat and let simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the eggs (leaving the water in the pot) and let cool under running cool water.

2. Using the back of the teaspoon, gently tap the eggshell to crack the shell all over. The more you tap, the more intricate the design. Make sure to keep the overall shell intact:
the eggshell should be cracked but still whole

3. To the same pot with the boiling water, return the eggs and add in the remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil and immediately turn the heat to low:
I like extra star anise in my eggs--feel free to add more or less of the ingredients for your own personal taste

4. Simmer for 40 minutes to an hour, cover with lid and then let eggs steep for a few hours to overnight. The tea eggs will become more flavorful and with deeper patterns the longer you let them steep:


5. Remove the shells from the eggs:This is always the funnest part.

And you are done! Enjoy! They should be fragrant and flavorful and patterned--a joy for the mouth and the eye. Yum!



In honor of my new book Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (now available!!) I'm running a week-long series of posts on the Moon Festival. Don't forget you can celebrate the book & the festival with me this Sunday in NYC at the MOCA's Mid-Autumn Family Festival!

bunny lantern craft

No Moon Festival is complete without the soft glow of a lantern. Children often parade their lanterns of different shapes and colors. Nowadays lanterns can range from modern cartoon characters to rocket ships, but usually they are round (like the moon) or in the shapes of rabbits (because of the Jade Rabbit that lives on the moon).

Which is why I decided to create a bunny lantern craft! This bunny lantern is easy, fun and (I think!) extremely cute:

When I was a child in school we had a paper lantern craft, but I was never quite satisfied with it because those lanterns could never be lit. So when I created this bunny lantern, I made sure it could really GLOW:


Isn't that fun? But before it glows, it has to be made. To make this bunny lantern you will need:


1. a sheet of tracing paper at 8.5 x 24 inches (my sheet is 19 x 24, I cut it to the right size)
2. a ruler
3. a pencil
4. a pair of scissors
5. scotch tape (invisible/not shiny is better)
6. markers, colors of your choice (mine are peach, black, brown, light blue)
7. 4 inch lightstick necklace, any color (mine is yellow)
8. cord (should come with your light stick necklace)
9. a chopstick
10. bunny template, download and print HERE (updated 9/7/2022)




STEP 1. Fold your tracing paper in half, to make an 8.5 x 12 inch rectangle:

STEP 2. Using the ruler, measure and make a line .75 inches from the edge of the long (12 inch) side. Fold on the line:

STEP 3. Repeat on other long side:

STEP 4. Tape both folds down. Make sure you tape down the entire length:

STEP 5. All sides of your paper except one should be closed (like an envelope). Fit the bunny template under you paper, making sure the opening is at the top. Trace the thick black lines:

STEP 6. Cut out your markings, as indicated by the template:

STEP 7: Draw your bunny face. My bunny face uses 2 simple black ovals for the eyes, a brown circle for the nose, blue whiskers and a peach color in the ears. But you can make your face anyway you wish!

STEP 8. Poke a hole through the top of your bunny's head (both layers of paper). You can use a small hole punch if you have one. I did not, so I just used my pencil:
STEP 9. String your lightstick inside the bunny using the cord. Tie it loosely:

STEP 10: Tie the other end of the cord to a chopstick. Tie this tightly, perhaps wrapping around the chopstick a couple of times to keep it secure:

And your bunny lantern is complete:

Now all you have to do is wait until nightfall, activate the lightstick according to the lightstick's instructions (you may have to untie & retie the cord) and let your lantern GLOW:
Make one for all the kids on your street and have a Moon Festival lantern parade!


In honor of my new book Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (now available!!) I'm running a week-long series of posts on the Moon Festival. Don't forget you can celebrate the book & the festival with me this Sunday in NYC at the MOCA's Mid-Autumn Family Festival!