THE MOON LADY

In a story adapted from The Joy Luck Club, "Nai-nai" amuses her granddaughters with a story about her "earliest memory," an exciting day during the Moon Festival, when she was seven. "Ying-ying" longs to get a secret wish from the Moon Lady. Elegantly dressed in embroidered silk, she escapes her family's fine boat and her nursemaid and encounters the world outside her protected existence. Watching an old woman preparing eels, she gets spattered with blood; later, she falls into the lake, is rescued by a fisherman who mistakes her for a beggar, and discovers that the mysterious "Moon Lady" in the shadow theater is, in reality, an ugly old man. The Chinese setting comes vibrantly to life in Tan's warm narration, rich in detail and in sagacious—but unobtrusive—observations. Schields's art—large full pages plus decorative vignettes—sings with the bright color typical of Chinese picture books, while her lively line defines character and a multitude of authentic details. Despite the format, the long text will be enjoyed most by older children. (Fiction/Picture book. 7-10)