Guardians of the Moon: Ming and Miaow’s Great Race – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Chinese New Year, race, immortality.
Children’s book title: Guardians of the Moon: Ming and Miaow’s Great Race.
Children’s author: Eric Huang.
Children’s illustrator: Phung Nguyen Quang.
Genre: Children’s fiction.
Published by: Little Tiger.
ISBN: 9781788957373.
Recommended for children aged: 6-9 year-olds.
First published: Paperback January 2025.
This children’s book is ideal for: reading as a class in the lead-up to the Chinese New Year or for younger readers who enjoy stories about animals and are ready to start reading independently. Some assistance with pronunciation may be needed.
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Our review:
When the Jade Emperor decides to hold an important race to alleviate his boredom, he sets in motion a chain of events that will change the futures of many creatures. Among them are Meow, a temple cat; Su, one of the rats he’s supposed to catch; and Ming, a nine-tailed elemental fire fox with a big secret.
The prize for the first 12 animals to cross the finish line is to have a lunar year named after them! But there are rules – lots of rules – about what they can and can’t do. Still, immortality is surely worth it, isn’t it?
Over three days, representatives of all the animals in the world race against each other until just one task remains. Who will be among the Jade Emperor’s 12 animals, and who will miss out? One thing’s for sure – it’s going to be exciting, though perhaps not in the way anyone expected!
Our verdict:
The first book in a new series for younger readers, this is a fun and engaging introduction to the lunar calendar and Chinese New Year celebrations. At just 142 pages, it’s a quick read, complete with a glossary and a list of the years assigned to each animal, making it both enjoyable and educational without being overly demanding.
Since the Chinese New Year can be taught as part of the primary national curriculum, this book would make a great lesson starter, an end-of-day treat, or a prompt for discussions about the various versions of the origins of the lunar calendar.
Teaching points and book club discussion ideas:
- What year were most of your classmates born? Use the chart to discover which sign you were born under.
- As a cross-curricular activity with art, draw your animal taking part in the Great Race. What task do you think would have suited it best?
- Ming had a big secret that led to her disqualification. Did you think that was fair? If you could shapeshift into any animal, which one would it be and why?
- The first-ever lunar year is the Year of the Rat. How do you think it will go? Will Meow be able to work with Su after what happened?
- The final test was to cross the Weak River. Why did some animals find it easier to cross than others? Can you figure it out before reading book two?
Many thanks to Little Tiger for the review copy.
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