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A Big Mooncake for Little Star by [Grace Lin]

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Grace Lin

A Big Mooncake for Little Star Kindle Edition

by Grace Lin (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

674 ratings

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A gorgeous picture book that tells a whimsical origin story of the phases of the moon, from award-winning, bestselling author-illustrator Grace Lin
Pat, pat, pat...
Little Star's soft feet tiptoed to the Big Mooncake.

Little Star loves the delicious Mooncake that she bakes with her mama. But she's not supposed to eat any yet! What happens when she can't resist a nibble?

In this stunning picture book that shines as bright as the stars in the sky, Newbery Honor author Grace Lin creates a heartwarming original story that explains phases of the moon.

Reading age

3 - 5 years, from customers
Print length

40 pages
Language

English
Grade level

Preschool - 3
Lexile measure

AD430L
Publisher

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date

August 28, 2018
Page Flip

Not Enabled
Word Wise

Not Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Not Enabled
ISBN-13

978-0316404488
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for A Big Mooncake for Little Star:Horn Book Fanfare 2018 SelectionA Chicago Public Library Best Book 0f 2018A Shelf Awareness Best Book of 2018A Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Book of 2018
A Boston Globe Best Book of 2018A 2018 Nerdies List BookAn ALA 2019 Children's Notables List Pick * "Luminous....Lin's storytelling is both clever and radiant. A warm and glowing modern myth." ―Kirkus, starred review

"The gouache illustrations are excellent....Intriguing characters come alive."―Booklist

Lin successfully combines three distinctive and memorable elements: a fable that avoids seeming contrived, a vision of a mother and child living in cozy harmony, and a night kitchen of sendakian proportions.

― Publishers Weekly

* This folkloric pourquoi tale effectively blends peaceful bedtime rhymes with the lure of irresistible snacking temptation―BCCB, starred review

"...wonderful as a bedtime book all year long."―The New York Times

* The relationship between Little Star and her mother offers a message of empowerment and reassurance. Lin's loving homage to the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is sure to become a bedtime favorite.―School Library Journal, starred review

"Lin's vibrant gouache paintings are a stellar fit for this story...this is a gentle, beautiful book for all."―BookPage

"In this bedtime read that sounds like a lullaby, a child longs to eat a mooncake she baked with her mom. Each night she secretly takes a bite, bringing about a new phase of the moon."―Parents Magazine

Praise for Dim Sum for Everyone!"Like the pleasures of dim sum, this is a compact treat."― Booklist

"A delightful read-aloud"― Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The Ugly Vegetables:"A lovely, well-formatted book with an enjoyable multicultural story. ―School Library Journal

"A charming, childlike quality infuses the artwork; boldly hued gouache pictures feature skies and lawns as patterned as the girl's kitchen wallpaper and curtains."―Publishers Weekly

Praise for When the Sea Turned to Silver:
A New York Times BestsellerA New York Times Notable Children's Book of the YearA National Book Award FinalistAn IndieBound BestsellerNPR Best Book of the Year PickPEOPLE Top 12 Children's Book of the YearThe Horn Book Fanfare Best Books of the Year ChoiceAn ALA Notable Book for ChildrenAn Amazon Best Books of the Year PickA CCBC Children's Choices PickA School Library Journal Best Middle Grade of the Year ChoiceA Booklist Editor's ChoiceA B&N Kids Blog 10 Notable Middle Grade NovelKPBS (San Diego NPR affiliate) Top 12 Kid's Books of the YearA Horn Book Book Summer Reading ChoiceA Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

About the Author

Grace Lin is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator who won the Newbery Honor for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and the Theodor Geisel Honor for Ling and Ting. Her novel When the Sea Turned to Silver was a National Book Award Finalist, and her picture book, A Big Mooncake for Little Star, was awarded the Caldecott Honor. In 2016, her art was displayed at the White House where she was recognized by President Obama. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B077Y1YQCK
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Illustrated edition (August 28, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 28, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 38515 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #785,255 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #183 in Children's Asia & Asia America Stories
- #346 in Children's Technology Fiction
- #451 in Children's Cooking Books

Customer Reviews:
674 ratings

About the author

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Grace Lin

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Hello! Thanks so much for your interest in me and my books!

I grew up in Upstate NY with my parents and 2 sisters, whom are featured in many of my books, including "Dim Sum For Everyone!" and my novels, "The Year of the Dog" and "The Year of the Rat." My mother and I were the star characters in my first book, "The Ugly Vegetables"--I cut both my sisters out of that story! They were quite upset with me and made me promise never to cut them out again. And since then, I haven't...yet.

While many of my books highlight my family, not all of them do. My Newbery Honor-winning novel "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon," is an Asian inspired fantasy that some people call a Chinese 'Wizard of Oz,' and my early reader "Ling & Ting" is inspired by the old 'Flicka, Dicka & Ricka' books I read when I was young.

I hope you enjoy my books. Please visit my website: www.gracelin.com for more info about them (behind the scene stories and pictures) as well as other amusing anecdotes!

Customer reviews

5 star		89%
4 star		8%
3 star		2%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Top reviews from the United States

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Hope-LibrarianTop Contributor: Children's Books

A sweet mooncake adventure

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2018

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I suspect most real-life mooncakes vanish more quickly than the time it takes to read this book, and the smile your youngster will be making at the end of this book would match the smile of someone with a satisfied stomach. Yes, the ending will bring a smile. Likewise, all kids are kind of mischievous and Little Star’s mom knows this. The fun is two-fold; seeing the moon change its phases, and seeing a young miss tiptoeing around at night to snitch. Grace Lin is doubly-talented; she’s both author and illustrator and her pictures are exactly right. This book is for 4-8-year olds.

20 people found this helpful

Helpful

Family of Five

gorgeous illustrations

Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2019

Verified Purchase

I love Grace Lin. She is consistently a favorite children’s author in our house, and this book won’t disappoint!

First, the illustrations are stunning. The background of every page is shiny black with the mooncake and Little Star’s pajamas jumping off the page.

Second, the story is so relatable to little kids. Little Star can’t help herself. She takes bites of the mooncake every night and trails crumbs everywhere.

Finally, what a beautiful fable about the cycle of the moon! I try to be intentional about sharing fables and stories from multiple cultures with my kids, and this story/fable is awesome.

My 4-year-old son said, “So, I think this story must be true. The moon does change just like that!” What a perfect springboard for discussing the role of stories in understanding our world! (Not that he got what I was talking about. He pretty much believes the story is true still. But a better conversation with my 7-year-old!)

12 people found this helpful

Helpful

Susan A.

Beautiful, cultural intertwining of food and Mother Moon for children!

Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2020

Verified Purchase

We love to get books that feature traditions and cultures from across the world. This book is lovely, sweet, and beautifully illustrated. It was wonderful to see the transformation of our 6 year-old from the first few pages when she was curious about the "cakes" to her "ahaaa moment" when she said "it is the moon!" The story sparks one's curiosity to dig deeper into the stories and traditions surrounding this and other Chinese festivals which is great! Our only wish was to have a recipe for Mooncakes because we were practically drooling by the end and sooooo curious to see and taste what they were really like!

4 people found this helpful

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Randolph-Decker Lib.

Kids love books about the moon. And this one had cake! I'm going to read this to my Storytime kids

Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2018

Verified Purchase

Mooncakes. How simple! This book will be read to my Story Time group at the library where I am children's director. I'll bake a mooncake to go with it, and maybe serve moonpies and a liquid refreshment too. Our theme for 2019 summer reading program is "A Universe of Stories" and this will fit right in. Love it!

12 people found this helpful

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LynxTop Contributor: Pets

Fantastic book!

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2021

Verified Purchase

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. ⁠
⁠
A wonderful book for one on one storytime.

3 people found this helpful

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K. Harrison

Loved the book

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2019

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Loved the illustrations, loved the story, loved the subtle science lesson, loved the Asian characters. Just wasn't wild about the daughter disobeying her mom. Would still recommend it.

11 people found this helpful

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Jessie Gull

Sweet story for littles.

Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2021

Verified Purchase

A simple story, A Big Mooncake for Little Star is about a little one whose mama makes a cake to store in the sky. Each night Little Star sneaks from her bed to take a nibble or two until the whole cake is gone! We get to giggle here and there as we read this book and watch the cake dwindle to nothing just like the phases of the moon. I’ve enjoyed this with my three young boys, ages 5, 3, and 2. We love the story and it keeps my littles engaged and curious about what’s happening.

One person found this helpful

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Betty B. Hawley

Perfect for bedtime

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2019

Verified Purchase

I've taught my children and grandchildren to look at the moon and think about their mother/grandma who is looking at the same moon and thinking about them. Therefore, I enjoy giving books about the moon to them.

6 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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Ms. S. L. Bamford

Stunning tale and introduction to moon phases

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2021

Verified Purchase

A Big Mooncake For Little Star is one of the most beautiful books we've read. With sumptuous black pages and a mama and child in starry pajamas, the characters meld into the background like a starry night, and yet are full of warmth and character. The illustrations cleverly include only what is needed for the story, with little background detail, thus drawing attention to what matters.

At the beginning of this book, Mama and Little Star are making a mooncake. Little Star is told not to eat it, and leaves it in the sky as instructed throughout the day. But come nighttime, she forgets to resist temptation and pat pat pats her way over to nibble it. Over the coming nights she repeats this, and we see the moon pass through all the phases until eventually all is left is a trail of glittery crumbs, and it is time to make another.

Little Star and her mama are beautifully illustrated with warm, tender expressions, and Little Star's cheeky face and excited dash to the mooncake perfectly capture the mischief of childhood.

This is a stunning addition to any bookshelf and a great way of introducing the topic of the phases of the moon.

One person found this helpful

Alice

Perfect gift

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 27, 2022

Verified Purchase

We love, love, love this book and I gift it at every opportunity. I don't know why it isn't better known, but perhaps an advantage when gifting as it is unlikely to already form part of their collection.

Javier Mancebo

A mi hija de 3 años le ha encantado.

Reviewed in Spain on March 5, 2019

Verified Purchase

Un libro muy simple pero bonito, quizás a los adultos no podemos entender dónde está la gracia del libro pero a mi hija de 3 años le ha gustado. Te das cuenta sobre todo cuando cada vez que se come unas tortitas te dice que "me como la luna". Ya tenía otros libros de la autora, pero no eran libros ilustrados y eran para niños más mayores (8-12 años) luego este "Big Mooncake for little star" ha sido una sorpresa.

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MA MUSHTAQ MOHIUDDIN

How people fool others to earn money!

Reviewed in India on January 25, 2022

Verified Purchase

I don't like this book.

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