Where The Mountain Meets The Moon

Bibliography: Lin, Grace. 2009. WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON. New York: Little Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316038638

Plot Summary: Minli is a young girl who lives in a village that has not seen rain for a long time. Minli, along with her parents work hard to make the land fertile and grow rice. Each evening after dinner, Ba (dad), tells Minli a story of some kind that explains life and nature.  Minli enjoys hearing the stories all the time even if Ba has told them to her before. Ma, tired and drained from working outside all day, doesn't like the stories because she believes they give Minli ideas. One day, Minli buys a goldfish from a man who claims that the fish can bring good fortune. Ma is upset that Minli wasted money on the fish and Ba is fine with it because what good is money if you don't use it.  That evening, Ba tells Minli the story about a man who can answer any questions on a mountain. Ma is frustrated but allows the story to be told. Later that evening, Minli goes to free the fish because she sees how Ma feels nor does she want Ba to be responsible for care of the fish. After dumping the fish and saying out loud how she wishes she could find the mountain. Suddenly, the goldfish speaks and tells Minli where she can go. Minli sets out on a journey to ask the man how she can bring fortune to her home and village.

Critical Analysis: Grace Lin has written several children's books that center around her heritage and culture. In Where The Mountain Meets The Moon, Ms. Lin writes a colorful story about a Chinese girl who is lively and full of heart despite living in a village that is dark, dirty, and dry from lack of rain but has plenty of sun.  This is a tale that has many stories within it that are similar to folktales or myths: you have a story about the dragon and how rain ceased to fall. Or The Old Man and the Moon, which tells the story about the man who held all the answers about life. Many of the stories are of Chinese folklore but Ms. Lin also mixes fantasy into the story by having Minli meet animals or elements along her journey to guide her. The illustrations even correlate with the folktales that are told throughout the book. Each illustration is rich in color and detail. Ms. Lin does an excellent job of taking a piece of her heritage, along with themes of family and friendships, and writing a detailed story that draws the reader in and takes them on a beautiful journey.

Review Excerpt(s):

Kirkus Reviews-"Lin deftly incorporates elements from Chinese folk- and fairy tales to create stories within the main story and provide context for Minli’s quest."

Connections:

This story would be a good introduction to folktales from other countries. It can be used as a read-aloud and then have students read it in literature circles.

Ms. Lin offers up information about how she was inspired to illustrate the story through her visit to China; have students look up information about the landmarks she talks about in the book.

Have students find a picture of nature and they can create a sketch and write a short story. 

This review are my own words and are part of a graduate studies class at Sam Houston State University.

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