A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin

Posted on January 3, 2019 by Maureen Schlosser

A Big Mooncake for Little Star Summary

A mooncake is a Chinese pastry that is popular during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival celebrates the harvest when the moon is full. The combination of the moon and the mooncake inspired Grace Lin to write A Big Mooncake for Little Star. This fantastic folktale explains why the shape of the moon changes. The setting takes place in outer space. A little girl and her mother bake in their celestial kitchen. The girl, Little Star, wears black pajamas with a star print. Her mama wears the same outfit. Together, they make a mooncake and place it in the night sky to cool. Little Star can’t resist sneaking nibbles from the delicious mooncake. Every night she eats a little more until only a sliver of the cake remains. Mama smiles when she sees what’s left of the pastry. The story ends as it begins, with the pair making a mooncake.

A Big Mooncake for Little Star Lesson Activity

AASL Standards Framework for Learners: Explore/Think V.B.2 Learners develop and satisfy personal curiosity by reflecting and questioning assumptions and possible misconceptions.

This book lends itself to 4 different exploration scenarios. Learners may want to explore some of these questions:

What ingredients are in a mooncake? How do you make them? What is the history behind the mooncake?
What is the Mid-Autumn Festival? How is it celebrated? Where and when does the festival take place?
What are the phases of the moon? How do they happen?
What are the elements of a folktale? What other folktales center around the moon?

Invite learners to explore a topic of interest. Prepare for independent learning sessions by passing out Know, Want to Know, How Will I Learn It, Learned (KWHL) worksheets from Education World. Instruct learners to fill out the first three columns of their worksheet. Collect worksheets and identify needed resources. Gather books and online resources for learners to explore. Enlist the help of volunteers to support young learners as they research their topic.

If you are looking for Moon resources, try these online resources:

Generation Genius: This subscription database offers a 14 day free trial. Visit the Moon and Its Phases lesson. It includes a movie clip, a lesson plan, discussion questions, vocabulary, a DIY project and assessments.
READY JET GO! Why Does the Moon Change Shape?: Astronomer Amy Mainzer explains why the moon looks like it changes shape.
Moon Phases: Act out the Moon phases with this demonstration from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.