Mid-Autumn Festival books for kids: what it is and how to celebrate
When is Mid-Autumn Festival? around Wednesday 15 September 2027. Dates marked “around” depend on the moon and local calendars.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival, falls on the full moon of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, when the moon is said to be at its roundest and brightest. It's a time for families to gather, admire the moon, share mooncakes and light lanterns. It is celebrated in China, Vietnam (Tết Trung Thu) and across East and Southeast Asia and the diaspora.
Who celebrates Mid-Autumn Festival, and books for each
Chinese and East Asian culture
Families eat dinner together, share round mooncakes (the circle stands for being together), carry lanterns and tell the story of Chang'e, who lives on the moon with a jade rabbit.
📖 Free guideThanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival
Grace Lin
a family's moonlit picnic, simple enough for the youngest
Questions to ask → View on Amazon ↗
📖 Free guideA Big Mooncake for Little Star
Grace Lin
a gentle bedtime story about the moon's phases
Questions to ask → View on Amazon ↗
Questions to ask while you read
Use these with any of the Mid-Autumn Festival books on this page. Pick two or three, and there are no wrong answers.
- What is the family in the story getting ready for?
- Which part of Mid-Autumn Festival would you most like to try, and why?
- How do the people in the story show they care about each other?
- Is anything in the story like something your family does?
- What would you like to ask a friend who celebrates Mid-Autumn Festival?
Ways to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with children
- Go outside after dark and look at the full moon together.
- Share a mooncake (or any round cake) and talk about who you're grateful to have around you.
- Make a paper lantern and carry it on a short evening walk.
- Tell the story of Chang'e and the jade rabbit, then draw the rabbit on the moon.
Mid-Autumn Festival picture books at a glance
All the Mid-Autumn Festival books on this page: Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (Grace Lin), A Big Mooncake for Little Star (Grace Lin).
Questions parents ask about Mid-Autumn Festival
Why do people eat mooncakes?
Their round shape echoes the full moon and stands for families being together. Many have a salted egg yolk inside to look like the moon.
Is the Moon Festival the same as Chinese New Year?
No. Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) is in January or February and starts the year; the Mid-Autumn Festival is in autumn and celebrates the harvest moon and family.
Related festivals: Lunar New Year · Harvest Festival
All festivals, by month and by faith →
Traditions vary between families, places and communities; ask your child's friends and their families how they celebrate. As an Amazon Associate, Growing Wise earns from qualifying purchases.