Editorial Review
Booklist Review of Chang'e: Goddess of the Moon
Beginning with the most famous version of the Chinese myth of Chang’e, the moon goddess, in which she saves her husband’s elixir of immortality from a thief by drinking it and escaping to live on the moon, this entry in the Chinese Mythology series (8 titles) uses accessible, straightforward text to introduce Chang’e to elementary readers. It relates alternative and more modern versions of the Chang’e myth, some of her moon companions, and her association with moon cakes. A final chapter explains the lunar calendar and Chinese traditions accompanying the Mid-Autumn Festival (when the moon is fullest and brightest), including honoring Chang’e and eating moon cakes. Enhanced with a variety of colorful, artistic representations of Chang’e, this volume makes a terrific pre-reading complement to Grace Lin’s A Big Mooncake for Little Star (2018).