A Big Mooncake for Little Star

"Little Star has trouble resisting the Big Mooncake that Mama has hung in the sky in Lin’s (When the Sea Turned Silver, 2016, etc.) luminous departure from her usual block-print style.

After Little Star and her mama, both wearing jet-black pajamas adorned with bright yellow stars, bake a huge yellow mooncake, Mama reminds Little Star to leave it in the sky to cool. Of course Little Star tries, but she wakes in the night, unable to resist taking a tiny nibble. Mama surely won’t notice. Each subsequent night, Little Star steals another bite, and soon observant readers may realize what is happening: The Big Mooncake is waning from a full moon to a new moon. Lin’s storytelling is both clever and radiant. Painted in gouache against show more perfectly black pages, the characters’ pajamas have no edges, only the stars defining the separation between foreground and background. The mooncake gleams against the black as well, crumbs scattering like stars in the sky—a visual delight, suffusing the book with a feeling of otherworldliness that is offset by Little Star’s childlike authenticity and her loving relationship with Mama. An author’s note on the jacket flap indicates that while this story is not rooted in Chinese cosmology, it is Lin’s homage to the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, her “favorite Asian holiday.”

A warm and glowing modern myth. (Picture book. 3-8)" www.kirkusrevews.com, A Kirkus Starred Review show less

This quickly became one of my favorite children's books! This is an adorable tale to explain why the moon changes size every night. The artist uses bright colors against a black background to create contrast, with the white of the text glowing against the black of the night sky.

The deceptively simple color palette and story text result in a rich story that will encourage participation from children. The curving onomatopoeias encourage the reader to draw it out as if they were able to taste the mooncake themselves. ⁠
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A wonderful book for one on one storytime. Can you taste the mooncake?

Little Star and her mama bake a delicious-looking mooncake in this original pourquoi story explaining how the phases of the moon came to be. Warned not to snack, Little Star goes obediently to bed, only to wake in the darkness of the night hungry. Slowly, over time, she nibbles away at the mooncake, until it is all gone. Then she and Mama must bake a new one...

Inspired by her love of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, which she explored more explicitly in her picture-book, Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, Grace Lin took one of the central aspects of that celebration - the consumption of mooncakes - and wove an original fairy-tale from it. Little Star's nibbling here explains the phases of the moon, as it goes from show more round and full to entirely "missing," appearing once again as she and her mama bake another cake. The artwork here, done in gouache paint on watercolor paper, is absolutely gorgeous, and well worthy of the Caldecott Honor it won. I loved the deep black backgrounds, and how the "crumbs" from Little Star's nibbling leads to the appearance of stars on that background. Little Star and her mother are expressively depicted, and one gets a sense of the love between them. Recommended to Grace Lin fans, fairy-tale lovers, and anyone looking for children's stories with relevance for the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. show less

This book follows the story of Little Star, who watched as her mom hangs the moon in the sky. The moon kind of looks like a mooncake, and Little Star can't resist taking a bite. This book is a fun story that touches on Chinese myths, folk tales, and culture, and would also be a great way to introduce moon phases to kids. It offers a lot to a classroom and has incredibly pretty illustrations.

Summary: In this beautifully illustrated story, "Little Star" helps her mother bake a giant mooncake and is told not to eat it. But she sneaks bites at night, and as the mooncake disappears, it mirrors the phases of the moon. The book weaves a charming story with a deeper message about responsibility, curiosity, and cultural traditions. It also introduces a simple, imaginative way to explain the moon’s phases. This book is educational, yet intriguing and entertaining to young readers.
Comments: The story’s connection to cultural traditions and its enchanting artwork makes this book both educational and magical. It introduces children to a unique way of thinking about the moon’s phases while also discussing responsibility and show more curiosity in a non-judgmental way. Including this book in the classroom opens the door to learning about Asian culture and exploring science concepts through storytelling, making it both engaging and meaningful. I think this book would be relatable to some students and educational and perspective informative to others. I would most definitely add this book to my future classroom. The moon is a concept that children should understand and develop their own ideas about starting at a young age. show less

Through the eyes of a little girl tempted by her mother's giant Mooncake, author Grace Lin cheekily shows and describes the phases of the moon. Little Star is a young girl who absolutely loves her mother's Mooncake but she is not allowed to have any so, she decides that each night she'll sneak a few bites until one night there's nothing left but crumbs. With this we can see the phases of the moon, and also learn a little about Chinese culture as well! I would use this book as an introductory text to a unit on moon phases, and while the text is intended for younger readers I think it is a great addition to any classroom library regardless of grade level and gave it 5 stars for the illustration and the cute metaphor used to explain the show more moon phases. show less

Little Star's mama sets the Big Mooncake in the sky to cool telling her not to touch it until told. Little Star agrees, but when she wakes up in the middle of the night, the Big Mooncake looks mighty yummy. Little Star thinks just a tiny bite won't hurt. It's so very tasty that Little Star takes more nibbles night after night. Finally, mama checks on the Big Mooncake only to find nothing but crumbs! Where did it go? Will mama be angry with Little Star? Check out this charming tale to find out.

The Bottom Line: While this gentle story isn't based on Chinese mythology, it contains themes of love, celebration, and beauty. The luminous illustrations are used to explain the phases of the moon. You'll want to share this sweet treat with your show more little one during the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. This Caldecott Honor Book is enthusiastically recommended for reading during the festival or anytime of the year.

This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. show less