Written by Madison Lutz

As a Chinese adoptee, I’ll never forget my first time celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. Growing up away from many aspects of my Chinese culture, it felt awkward at first to try to participate in traditions that didn’t quite feel like mine yet. It felt vulnerable but exciting!

I invited a friend over, made mooncakes for the first time, went outside under the full moon, and of course, read a lot of books.

Reading books, especially children’s books, made learning about this holiday—and hearing moving and creative stories that come from my own community—simple and fun. It also helped heal my inner child that missed out on connecting with this part of my Chinese identity and the wider Asian community.

Maybe it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me that a holiday that celebrates harmony, prosperity, and community would be the thing to heal the part of me that so deeply desires to connect with my Chinese identity but now it’s one of my favorite holidays!

Here are some of my picks to read this Mid-Autumn Festival, old and new favorites:

Picture Books

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

The first of a few Grace Lin books you’ll see on this is, Thanking the Moon is a great introduction to this holiday. It follows one family and how they celebrate together under the moon and includes labeled illustrations of items often found at a mid-autumn celebration!

A Big Mooncake for Little Star, Grace Lin

Also by Grace Lin, this Caldecott Honor Book is a much more abstract and whimsical tale that imagines the moon as a giant mooncake crafted by the stars. Little star and her mom try to make a GIANT mooncake but Little Star can’t help but nibble on the delicious pastry. With beautifully calming illustrations and a quiet story of love and family, this would make an excellent bedtime story.

Mooncakes, Loretta Seto

Growing up I never had anyone to tell me the myths and stories that are at the heart of the Mid-Autumn Festival but reading this book felt like being a kid again, curled up in bed, hearing these tales for the first time with magic and wonder in my eyes.

Our Moon Festival, Yobe Qiu, Christina Lopez

Although I celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival as a Chinese American, the Moon Festival is a holiday celebrated across many different Asian cultures. This book shares the many different ways people from various countries celebrate the holiday from China to Singapore to Vietnam to Japan!

Shadow in the Moon, Christina Matula

As with most mythology, there are so many different variations on each story. The story of Chang’e and Houyin is no different! This version of the story is a tragic love story torn apart by a thief trying to steal the elixir to eternal life. Plus the illustrations in this book really help bring the story to life!

Middle Grade

All Four Quarters of the Moon, Shirley Marr

Mid-Autumn Festival has a strong emphasis on family—both unity and harmony. But we all know that family can be, well, complicated. This is especially true when you’re growing up and still learning about yourself. “How do I know where I fit into my family when I don’t even know everything about myself yet? And how can I be there for everyone that needs me?” These are the questions that Peijing keeps asking herself in this beautiful story about family that is woven throughout with Chinese mythology.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Grace Lin

First of all, the cover alone should sell you on this book. Aside from the Newberry Honor Book medal (Are we surprised? No, it’s Grace Lin after all!), the traditional yet whimsical and adventurous illustration on the cover of this book captures the energy of the story. Young Minli goes on a classic hero’s quest to find the Old Man of the Moon to help her family and meets all sorts of fantastical creatures along the way.

Young Adult

An Arrow to the Moon, Emily X.R. Pan

At the heart of the mythology behind the Mid-Autumn Festival, is the beautiful but tragic tale of love between Chang’e and Houyi. This book transforms that story into a modern coming-of-age story about young love that still has the magical feeling of the original myth. Grab the tissues and prepare for a story about the two-sided coin that is love and grief.

Mooncakes, Wendy Xu, Suzanne Walker and Joamette Gil

With the Mid-Autumn festival as the backdrop for this story, it’s everything I could ask for out of an autumnal read. The illustrations in this graphic novel are fun, cozy, and inviting and the characters are diverse, joyous, and feel like family. While the plot isn’t directly about the moon festival, the story embodies all my favorite aspects of the holiday: friendship, family, community, and love.

Cookbooks

An essential part of almost every holiday in every culture is FOOD! Here are two of my favorite cookbooks so you can have a feast of delectable baked goods this Mid-autumn Festival. Whether you are making mooncakes for the first time or the thousandth (or maybe introducing them for the first time to someone else) this is a good place to start.