The Best Kind of Mooncake

by Pearl AuYeung

Overview

Once upon a morning in Hong Kong, in the alley of Tai Yuen Street, a girl is promised a mooncake with a double-yolk center—the best kind!

The special mooncake seems like the only excitement on an otherwise boring day in the market where nothing changes… until an exhausted stranger falls to his knees right in the street! He ran through forests, swam through rivers, and even stowed away on a ship, all to get to Hong Kong. Now at the end of his journey, all he needs is a bite to eat, but no one seems willing to help—not even the girl, if it means giving up her prized treat.

The girl’s ultimate decision has surprising, far-reaching consequences in this mostly true story that reminds us that even the smallest acts of kindness hold the power to change lives, for the giver as much as the receiver.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781645675563
Publisher:	Page Street Publishing
Publication date:	10/11/2022
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 10.40(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Pearl AuYeung was born in Hong Kong, raised in Shanghai, and now lives in California, where she designs toys. Childhood visits to her grandma and uncle’s pajama hawker stall on Tai Yuen Street, as well as her passion for learning about people’s pasts, inspired Pearl to tell this story in her debut picture book. She enjoys cooking, perusing internet rabbit holes, and mooncakes with double-yolk centers.

Editorial Reviews

"A historically specific setting with an eternal lesson." –Kirkus Reviews

"[W]arm and reflective [...] Like a double-yolk mooncake, this tender-hearted and culturally specific nod to the golden rule should be best enjoyed by sharing." —Shelf Awareness

"The [...] first-person narrative relates events in lively, descriptive prose, with humorous touches, depicted in vibrantly detailed, animated illustrations [...]" —Booklist

"A compelling story of generosity in a delightful, cacophonous setting, this deftly told story introduces how a single choice improves the future. Children will pore over this one." —School Library Journal

"AuYeung's expressive digital illustrations depict Hong Kong's Tai Yuen Street and its people with lively details that lighten the tone." —Horn Book

From the Publisher

08/26/2022

PreS-Gr 3—It's admirable when an author can tell a heavy story with lightness and clarity. This picture book utterly succeeds, packing weighty themes of displacement and loss against a rich, zippy background of early morning in a Hong Kong market. When the narrator is a child in the market, she sees a man interrupt the boring flow of everyday life. He's tired. He's sad. Overall, he's hungry. What happens next changes her outlook forever. While this story is essentially about how we can help each other through tough times, it has the rhythmic bounce and forward motion of a Dr. Seuss or Sandra Boynton story. The text font changes, with bold words and staggered lines, making it perfect for children to follow along and get swept up in the emotions. It's fast-paced and fun to read, with hilarious alliteration and onomatopoeia a-plenty. The sensory appeal of the illustrations expands the world and captures interest. VERDICT A compelling story of generosity in a delightful, cacophonous setting, this deftly told story introduces how a single choice improves the future. Children will pore over this one.—Cat McCarrey

School Library Journal

2022-05-11
A child’s special treat is given to a man in need, setting off a chain reaction of kindness.

It is a regular day on Tai Yuen Street in Hong Kong, full of “beeping, bickering, and bartering,” as a child’s parents set up their hawker stand. Suddenly, the usual bustle is interrupted by a THWUMP! as a man who has traveled “a thousand miles” by foot and boat to cross the border into Hong Kong falls to his knees. Bystanders turn away, “uninterested in hearing their own stories retold to them.” However, the protagonist’s mother hears the grumbles of the man’s stomach, and her kids watch horror-struck as she pulls out the special mooncake they were saving—the kind with the double-yolk center (“the best kind!”)—and asks the narrator to bring it to the hungry man. It takes two pages to slowly and sadly walk the treat over and only one gulp for the man to devour the entire cake. However, this single act of kindness unleashes a torrent of generosity from the nearby hawkers. Sepia and cool colors give this tale a historical feel, while delicate cartoon renderings of the bustling market street and crowds of people lighten the tone. In the backmatter, AuYeung notes that this story was based on an incident from her childhood, explains the historical significance of the refugee’s flight to Hong Kong, and shares family photos. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A historically specific setting with an eternal lesson. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews