Days are getting shorter, nights are getting longer and the start of fall brings the Mid-Autumn Festival. This holiday is a traditional harvest celebration observed by people of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese descent worldwide. It goes by other names as well, such as the Moon Festival  or Lantern Festival; Chuseok (추석) or Korean Thanksgiving Day; Tsukimi/ Otsukimi (お月見) or Jungoya (十五夜) in Japanese; and Tết Trung Thu in Vietnamese.

The holiday happens around the Autumnal Equinox during the full moon of the eighth month in the lunar calendar (October 1 this year) and it lasts one to three days. Family gatherings, visiting friends and moon-viewing parties play an important role, although festivities have probably changed to be virtual or physically distant for health and safety reasons now due to COVID-19.

In Chinese and Vietnamese culture, people light lanterns, share and eat mooncakes (月餅), and retell the myth of how the moon goddess, Chang'e (嫦娥), and her husband, archer Hou Yi (后羿), were separated. In Korean culture, people have family reunions to pay respect to their ancestors and share and eat special sweets such as songpyeon (송편), a type of rice cake, and hangwa (한과), mixed confections. In Japanese culture, moon-viewing parties are held with popular treats such as dango (団子), a type of rice dumpling, sweet potatoes and chestnuts.

Another popular mythological figure connected to the Mid-Autumn Festival across all East Asian cultures is that of the Moon Rabbit (月兔), the moon goddess' companion who is either making the elixir of immortality or rice cakes.

A selection of children's picture books, e-books and teen comics are listed below to help families celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and learn more about the mythology, folklore and symbolism behind the holiday.

Picture Books in English for Children

 

The Shadow in the Moon: A Tale of the Mid Autumn Festival by Christina Matula, illustrated by Pearl Law

As a family gathers for a special Mid-Autumn Festival reunion dinner, two young sisters are enraptured by their Grandmother's retelling of the moon goddess and archer myth. The vivid, luminous illustrations are inspired by traditional Chinese folk art and the book's skillful storytelling perfectly pairs with the myth, a "tale of two brave souls whose courage gave us peace and harmony between heaven and earth." A short holiday summary and mooncake recipe is provided.  

Round is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes by Rosemary Thong, illustrated by Grace Lin

In this rhyming read-out-loud book, a young Chinese American girl finds many circles and squares in everyday household objects, foods and stores during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin

In this stellar picture book, Lin reinterprets the moon goddess story to follow her mischievous daughter, Little Star, as she eats her way through an enormous celestial mooncake.

Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival by Grace Lin

This picture book follows a Chinese American family as they hold an outdoor moon viewing party in a neighborhood park, complete with mooncakes, fruit and poetry. Lin's colorful illustrations show all the items the family uses to celebrate the holiday and includes a short festival explanation at the end.

Bunny Lune  by Kae Nishimura

Bunny Lune gets a letter from his Japanese friend, Pyonko, about her Otsukimi celebrations and how rabbits are an important part of the lunar holiday. Soon, Lune becomes obsessed with going to the Moon himself. Does he achieve his dream?

Mooncakes by Loretta Seto, illustrated by Renee Benoit

A young girl and her parents enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival by spending a quiet night in their backyard with moon-gazing, storytelling, paper lanterns, tea and mooncakes.  

Korean Celebrations: Festivals, Holidays and Traditions by Tina Chow, illustrated by Farida Zahman

Experience a full calendar year of Korean celebrations with this non-fiction book, which includes colorful illustrations and descriptions of special activities for each holiday. The section on Chuseok/ Korean Thanksgiving includes a recipe for songpyeon, a sweet rice dumpling.

Teen Comic Books in English

Mooncakes, by Suzanne Walker illustrated by Wendy Xu

The Mid-Autumn Festival and Jewish harvest holiday Sukkot play a tangential role in this fantasy romance comic. A demon suddenly starts to haunt a small New England town and it's up to teen witch Nova Huang, her grandmothers and her childhood crush, werewolf Tam Lang, to solve the mystery.  

Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi

The main character of this best-selling classic girl's fantasy shojo manga and anime series is Usagi Tsukino (Serena Tsukino in the English translation), a play on the mythological Moon Rabbit and the moon goddess characters. The Tokyo teen is the leader of an almost-all girl magic crime-fighting team who battle other magical beings from across the galaxy.  

Picture Books in Chinese |中秋兒童讀物

中秋节之嫦娥奔月 = The Mid-Autumn Festival : the moon goddess Chang'e / 改编陈琦 ; 绘王晓鹏

中秋节, 西西, author. = Zhong qiu jie, The Mid-Autumn Festival, Xi, Xi, author. 

中秋节 : 团圆月 : 中华情 / 艾德娜著 ; 陈奕乔, 吴嘉鸿绘. 中秋节 : 团圆月 : 中华情 / 艾德娜著 ; 陈奕乔, 吴嘉鸿绘, 艾德娜. = Zhong qiu jie : Tuan yuan yue : Zhonghua qing. Mid Autumn Festival: Reunion Moon. Aidena, author.

中秋節 / 文字, 巨英 ; 繪圖, 貟楊. 中秋節 / 文字, 巨英 ; 繪圖, 貟楊. Zhong qiu jie = Mid-Autumn Festival / text, Juying; drawing, Sturgeon Yang.

中囯十个节日传说 / 编绘詹同 = Legends of ten Chinese traditional festivals / illustrator Zhan Tong.

赏中秋 / 风笛美术 著. 赏中秋 / 风笛美术 著, 风笛美术 = Shang zhong qiu, Mid Autumn Festival Appreciation. Fengdimeishu.

中秋节 : 千里共婵娟 / 王早早著文 ; 刘婷绘图. 中秋节 : 千里共婵娟 / 王早早著文 ; 刘婷绘图. Zhong qiu jie : qian li gong chan juan = Mid Autumn Festival: Qianli Gongchanjuan / Wang Zaozao; drawing by Liu Ting.

Picture Book in Korean |추석 그림책에서 한국어

Sori ŭi ch'usŏk iyagi

솔이 의 추석 이야기 / 글, 그림 이 억배. 솔이 의 추석 이야기 / 글, 그림 이 억배

Picture Book in Japanese |お月見子供の絵本

Dorodango to tagoto no tsukimatsuri

どろだんごとたごとのつきまつり / 飯野和好. どろだんごとたごとのつきまつり / 飯野和好