International Book Blog - 2

Title: Mooncakes

Author: Loretta Seto

Illustrator: Reneé Benoit

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers

Copyright: 2013

# of Pages: 32

Genre: Fiction/International

            Mooncakes is a story of a young girl who shares the special celebration of the Chinese Moon Festival with her parents. The family eats mooncakes, drinks tea, and watches the night sky together, while Mama and Baba tell Chinese folktales. The folktales include 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. The young girl's parents tell these folktales and how their central lessons relate to the values of the Chinese Moon Festival. Mooncakes is rich in cultural details exposing readers to the cultural details of China such as traditional attire, architecture, and landscape.

Reneé Benoit used watercolor paint to create soft, whimsical images painted in a traditional Chinese style. She captures the Chinese architect wonderfully making you feel like you are in China. The artistic choices Reneé emphasized on enriches the warm family-oriented tone of book. The colors are warm and inviting. I also like the way Reneé creates the character’s faces. She does a wonderful job with the illustrations throughout Mooncakes.

Content Area and Grade: Social Studies: 2nd Grade

ALSDE

2.11.1: Identify similarities and differences among cultures and customs represented in the school or classroom.

2.11.2: Describe the relationship between the customs and viewpoints and ideas of diverse persons in the United States.

Discuss the customs of Chinese culture and how they are similar and differ from the American culture.