Mooncakes Mean Family

In Chinese communities around the world, the celebration of annual festivals provides people with an opportunity to reaffirm their shared heritage, engage in particular cultural practices and beliefs, and strengthen their connections with their families, friends, and communities. These festivals occur at specific times of the year and align with the lunar calendar. One festival that continues to be celebrated today is the annual Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqui Jie). Also known as the Moon Festival, it takes place on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar and includes traditions such as family reunions, gazing at the moon, and consuming mooncakes, which are round pastries that are made with a variety of fillings. When people share these mooncakes, they are often cut into pieces that are equal in number to the number of family members, thereby exemplifying family togetherness.
Benson Shum’s picture book Mooncakes Mean Family portrays a family of rabbits who prepare for and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. With its straightforward plot and delightful illustrations, the book will resonate with young children and offer an appealing way to learn more about a culturally significant event while, at the same time, enabling them to develop their reading comprehension. Although the story refers specifically to Chinese culture, children can identify with its main plot as it revolves around a family reunion through which family members strengthen their mutual bonds through their shared experiences and observance of cultural traditions.

Particularly for younger children who are starting to develop their English proficiency, stories with a suitable language level will help to increase their confidence and also provide a stimulating challenge to reinforce and improve their reading ability. At the same time, it may be necessary to include more complex words, depending on the topics that a book wants to address. The language level in Mooncakes Mean Family is suitable for its intended readers although it does include words and certain cultural references that may be unfamiliar to readers from non-Chinese backgrounds or who lack knowledge about its traditions. However, this would not affect their overall comprehension as the text and illustrations both provide sufficient contextual details and visual cues to facilitate young readers’ understanding, besides which adults can assist children with their comprehension if necessary.

Shum’s cartoon-like illustrations complement the text effectively as they connote an appropriately lighthearted and positive tone that carries through the entire story. At the beginning, Jade wakes up her sister Crystal and mentions cheerfully that today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. The illustration shows Crystal yawning as she gets up and her sister Jade at the foot of her bed. Beside her bed is a window showing the sunlight and bright blue sky, details which contribute to their sense of anticipation about the new day. Subsequent illustrations further convey Jade’s and Crystal’s excitement for the Mid-Autumn Festival. After Jade wakes up, the corresponding picture shows her and Crystal running energetically towards the kitchen where their mother is preparing food for the day’s festivities. In another illustration, Jade and Crystal gaze eagerly at the mooncakes baking in the oven as they cannot wait to try them. Other illustrations affirm the sense of togetherness and goodwill that permeates the rabbits’ family reunion. They show Jade, Crystal, and other family members involved in different activities and interacting positively with each other.

Shum informs readers about various aspects of the Mid-Autumn Festival by incorporating relevant details in an unobtrusive manner that does not distract from the story and contributes to the plot’s progression. When Jade and Crystal help their mother make mooncakes, the text of the story describes this process and also includes sensory details to enliven the scene. During the preparations, the young rabbits’ mother explains the festival’s significance and the moon’s symbolism for family and togetherness. Following this scene is a two-page illustration that provides an appetizing spread of different types and flavours of mooncakes.

Readers will also gain insight into other aspects of Chinese culture such as leisure activities and other cuisine. After finishing their preparations, Jade and Crystal go to their grandparents’ house and present their mooncakes, fruits, and tea. Before dinner, the grandparents teach Jade and Crystal how to play the Chinese yo-yo, known as a diabolo. For dinner, the siblings help to set the table, after which they enjoy lotus roots, chestnuts, and other traditional autumn dishes. Afterwards, they browse an outdoor lantern display and gaze at the full moon. They then cut the mooncake into slices and, as a sign of respect, offer the first slice with the biggest yolk to their grandparents.

Shum’s illustrations contain other nice touches that add authenticity to the narrative by including other recognizable elements from Chinese culture. In one illustration that shows the sisters preparing a gift basket for their grandparents, the table has a bowl that is filled with dragon fruit, mangos, Asian pears, and small melons. Similarly, the illustration accompanying their dinner scene depicts recognizable dishes such as bok choy, spring rolls, and other cuisine.

Mooncakes Mean Family is a good addition for libraries that would like to further diversify their picture book collections, particularly if they would like to increase their representation of Asian communities and experiences. Although the publisher’s website identifies an age range of five to seven years for this book, younger readers can still enjoy it if they can get some assistance with understanding the vocabulary as needed. In addition, Shum’s illustrations can also assist with their general comprehension of the plot. In the classroom, teachers could use the book to initiate discussion about different cultural traditions and ask students to explore each others’ cultural backgrounds by delving into festivals, special events, or other noteworthy practices and beliefs that continue today. With an illustration style that will engage younger readers, this book can also be read aloud readily.

The back of the book includes a story about the festival’s origins that will be informative for readers. Long ago, Hou Yi, a skilled archer, was awarded an elixir of immortality by the heavens after he saved his people. As he wanted to stay on earth with his wife Chang’e, he chose not to consume the elixir. However, when someone broke into their home, his wife Chang’e consumed the elixir to prevent its theft, after which she floated to the heavens and became a moon goddess. Missing his wife and hoping to catch a glimpse of her, Hou Yi made offerings to the moon with his wife’s favourite dessert of mooncakes. Consequently, this tradition continues to this day.

Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, Benson Shum currently resides in California. He is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator who uses watercolor and ink to create his illustrations. Besides writing and illustrating, Benson is an Animation Supervisor at the Walt Disney Animation Studios. His books have been recognized by various associations and councils, including the American Booksellers Association (ABA) and Children’s Literature Council of Southern California (CLCSC). More information about his work is available on his official website at https://bensonshum.com/.