Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

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Bibliography
Lin, G. (2016). Where the mountain meets the moon. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Plot Summary
Minli is a young girl living with her mother and father on Fruitless Mountain. They live in poverty, but her father is optimistic sadly her mother isn’t. Minli wants to make her mother happy so she sets out to find the old man on the moon in hopes of changing her family’s fortune. She hopes to reach Endless Mountain on the way she makes new friends and even finds a companion in a dragon. At the end she must decide to put her needs or the ones of others before her own wishes.
Critical Analysis
The story is a great representation of Asian Pacific literature. The story reminds me of Wizard of Oz on how the main character makes friends and experiences along the way. When one begins reading each chapter one is greeted with a wonderful picture in color. I could not find physical descriptions though the illustrations do a great job at portraying Asian characters and symbols. One can see in the illustrations how the skin, setting, hair, and clothing are part of Asian culture. The story describes traditional Asian culture clothing and colors as well. One can also notice that there is a presence of Asian language within the text such as the names of characters. Another cultural marker is the food that is mentioned in the story like the tea, rice, and chopsticks. The setting includes the countryside, villages, and palaces.
Review Excerpts
Review in Booklist, “Children will embrace this accessible, timeless story about the evil of greed and the joy of gratitude. Lin's own full-color drawings open each chapter.”
Review in School Library Journal, “The author's writing is elegant, and her full-color illustrations are stunning. Minli's determination to help her family, as well as the grief her parents feel at her absence, is compelling and thoroughly human.”  
Connections
Wu, Faye-Lynn. Chinese and English Nursery Rhymes: Share and Sing in two Languages. ISBN 9780804840941
Yu, Mingmei.  Chinese Children’s Favorite Stories. ISBN 9780804835893

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