Based upon her memories of her childhood growing up in China, Chinese-American children's author Ching Yeung Russell spins the story of the celebration of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival in this gentle and engaging picture-book. Narrated by a young girl who is living with her grandmother, while her parents are far away, it follows the way in which her family, including her many cousins, mark the occasion. The setting up of a table with special foods, the asking of a blessing from the moon maiden Chang O, the eating of the special mooncakes, the procession with lanterns - these are all described, as is the narrator's wish that Chang O bring home her parents...

Apparently the issue of child/parent separation is one that Russell has explored elsewhere, in her novels. For my part, I was reminded while reading Moon Festival of Yu Li-Qiong's A New Year's Reunion, another picture-book chronicling the experiences of a Chinese child whose parents are away working. I enjoyed the narrative here, and the almost nostalgic feeling created by the story. The accompanying oil painting illustrations from Christopher Zhong-Yuan Zhang, who also illustrated Russell's First Apple, had a lovely, luminous quality that was very appealing. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for Mid-Autumn Moon Festival stories, or for stories about growing up in China. ( )

While its possible that my liking of this story is primarily driven by my liking for the illustrations (I'm a sucker for good oil paintings!), I think it has more to do with the fact that Ching Yeung Russell writes so well about her own upbringing. In many of her stories, the main character is a girl seperated from her parents or extended family by the border between mainland China and one of the bordering territories. I like this story for its careful mixture of joy and sorrow. The story is one that left me thinking after I finished, and I think that's the sign of good writing in many instances. ( )