MOONBEAMS, DUMPLINGS & DRAGON BOATS by Nina Simonds, Leslie Swartz &The Children's Museum

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Simonds, N., Swatz, L., &The Children’s Museum Boston. 2002. Ill. By Meilo So. MOONBEAMS, DUMPLINGS & DRAGON BOATS. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN-10: 0152019839
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats features five major Chinese festivals. In this wonderful book, the authors seek to facilitate a deeper understanding of Chinese culture by providing traditional stories, recipes, and crafts associated with each festival. The illustrations are both beautiful and useful in trying to replicate some of the crafts.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The authors of Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats have created a wonderful tool that will be useful for both educators and parents alike in developing an understanding and appreciation for the Chinese culture.
Each festival comes with a folktale, crafts, and recipes that go along with it. Each traditional tale explains the reason for the festival. As folktales around the world often do, some Chinese folktales seek to explain the reasons for human tragedy while reassuring its listeners that people do indeed have some control over forces that appear frightening and unpredictable. For example, the Festival of the New Year features the Kitchen God who is a cowardly and gluttonous character who would rather allow humans to suffer than to accept responsibility for his actions. Because of his cowardly behavior, humans suffer through a difficult New Year. However, when humans discover his less than honorable behavior, they take matters into their own hands and trick the Kitchen God into giving the good report they deserve to the Jade Emperor. This trickery results in a prosperous New Year. In this way, this Chinese folktale is a combination between a pour quoi and a trickster tale. Other traditional folktales showcase virtues that the culture values.
Meilo So has done a magnificent job illustrating pictures of China past and present-day China and interwoven them throughout the text. In this way, young readers begin to develop an appreciation for China’s past, while understanding that China has continued to progress along with the rest of the world. The illustrations are richly flavored with Chinese culture, past and present.
The authors demonstrate their sincere desire to facilitate a multisensory experience for children by providing a list of easily accessible materials for many of the crafts. Also, multiple recipes are included with each festival and many have ingredients or substitutions that are easily available. In addition, step-by-step instructions with many illustrations have been provided for both the crafts and the recipes.

4. AWARDS AND BOOK EXCEPTS
PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY: “Step-by-step illustrations aid in food preparation or crafts such as New Year Prints or Good Luck Characters in this elegantly designed volume.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Moonbeams is a useful, visually appealing addition to any holiday collection.”
5. CONNECTIONS
If readers were interested in learning about the Chinese culture and festivals, they may also be interested in the following:
Hoyt-Goldsmith, D. CELEBRATING CHINESE NEW YEAR. Photographs by Lawrence Migdale. ISBN-10: 0823415201
Vaughan, M.K., THE DANCING DRAGON. Ill. By Stanley Wong Hoo Foon. ISBN-10: 1572551348
Chan, M. CELEBRATING CHINESE NEW YEAR: AN ACTIVITY BOOK. ISBN-10: 1932457046