Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activites, & Recipes

Bibliography

Simonds, Nina and Leslie Swartz. 2002. MOONBEAMS, DUMPLINGS & DRAGON BOATS: A TREASURY OF CHINESE HOLIDAY TALES, ACTIVITIES & RECIPES. Ill. By Meilo So. San Diego: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 0152019839

Plot Summary

Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats is a collection of traditional Chinese holidays that are celebrated throughout the year. Authors Nina Simonds and Leslie Swartz with the help of The Children’s Museum in Boston, highlight five Chinese Festivals including: Chinese New Year, The Lantern Festival, Qing Ming and the Cold Foods Festival, The Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. Each Festival includes rich history behind the tradition, a traditional story, scrumptious recipes that are significant to that festival, and activities and games that are enjoyed by all.

Critical Analysis

The vibrantly watercolored illustrations of fireworks, animals of the Chinese Zodiac, dragons, lanterns, kites and Chinese calligraphy give visual appeal to this collection of Festivals. To spotlight each of the Festivals, a two-page watercolored illustration displays the importance of the Festival. Both the English and Chinese writing are included on each page, and a guide to the Chinese pronunciation follows the final Festival.

Simonds and Swartz have successfully tied this collection of Festivals into a wonderful masterpiece. Each Festival begins with the history of how it originated. The Dragon Boat Festival, or "double fifth," has been celebrated in China since ancient times. In fact, this celebration of racing colorful dragon boats has become so popular that the sport in now international. However, this particular celebration in China was used to remember a famous poet, Qu Yuan. Following this history is a tale of Qu Yuan. "On the anniversary of Qu Yuan's death, which became known as the Dragon Boat Festival, all the people of China make rice packages called zongzi to honor the memory of their beloved poet Qu Yuan." The recipes and crafts that follow are given step by step directions and include a brief history of why each is significant to that Festival. This collection of Festivals is wonderfully put together.

This book would be a wonderful compliment when learning about customs and traditions from around the world. The history and traditional stories are sure to be a hit. Kids will love making the crafts that go along with each festival; however the recipes may be too much for a classroom to create.

Reviews

Kirkus starred review: “Whether readers are preparing New Year Dumplings or Crisp-Cooked Vegetarian Noodles or learning about the Chinese Zodiac and Racing Dragons (boats), making shadow puppets or paper lanterns, they will gain an appreciation for the beautiful traditions in this culture's history.”

Connections

Stepanchuk, Carol. RED EGGS AND DRAGON BOATS: CELEBRATING CHINESE FESTIVALS. ISBN 1881896080

Moey, S. C. CHINESE FEAST & FESTIVALS: A COOKBOOK. ISBN 0794603173