THANKING THE MOON Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

Narrator Elaine Wang beautifully illuminates the dreamy quiet of a mid-autumn Moon Festival celebration. A Chinese American girl tells how she travels out into the darkness with her family to string up lanterns, eat traditional sweets and fruits, and give thanks to the moon for happiness and togetherness. Lin's spare lines don't lend themselves to exaggerated voices or complicated sound effects, making this production deceptively simple. Wang uses round, deliberate tones to echo the circular illustrations meant to evoke the moon. No word is hurried when it can be savored in this contemplative audio. The expansive endnotes are considerably longer than the story, and Wang's conversational delivery will leave listeners feeling pleasantly well informed about this traditional festival. N.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2022]