Brenda Williams (1)

Dispatched to the market to purchase the things his family needs for their annual Moon Festival picnic, young Lin Yi hopes that if he bargains hard enough, he will have enough left over to buy the red rabbit lantern that he longs for. Despite his best efforts however, when it comes time to get the final item on his list - peanuts for Uncle Hui - he realizes that he will not have enough left for what he wants himself. His generous decision to buy the peanuts is rewarded in the end, and he and his family enjoy a happy Moon Festival...

Like a number of other picture-books I have read featuring the Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival - The Shadow in the Moon: A Tale of the Mid-Autumn Festival and Mooncakes spring to mind in this respect - Lin Yi's Lantern: A Moon Festival Tale includes both a story set at the time of the festival and a brief retelling of a folktale associated with that festival. Here the folktale is included at the rear, along with instructions on making a Chinese Lantern and a brief discussion of market life in China. I found author Brenda Williams' tale sweet, if a bit predictable. One never gets the sense that Lin Yi will truly be denied what he wants, so the reward at the end felt less satisfying. That said, I think it will please young children, and the artwork from illustrator Benjamin Lacombe is simply lovely. Recommended to anyone looking for stories about the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, of which there are still far too few.… (more)