Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin is an incredible story of a a young daughter named Minli and her quest to change her family’s fortune. Traveling along the Fruitless Mountain, Minli comes in contact with dragons, goldfish, a buffalo boy, and a ruler of great city.
Minli’s quest magnifies the importance of her family. What appeared to be scarce and “not enough” became “plentiful and bountiful” the further she traveled away from her loving parents. When the heart-breaking decision comes to for Minli to help her family or help a friend, Minli doesn’t have to think for too long.
Rich with imagination, heart, and love – this book is incredible.
And the pictures included in this book are inspiring to the imagination.
The boys and I enjoyed this book very much and the depth to the stories and fables has left an impact on my heart. This journeys and adventures within the pages of this book would be an incredible gift to give to a loved one – adults included.
Homeschool Notes:
While reading this book we located various rivers on the globe, studied the phases of the moon with oreos, made our own dragon symmetry art with string, studied Henri Matisse, and made our own goldfish paintings.
The book stimulated a lot of discussions about what it means to “have enough” and the power of gratitude. In the book, Minli comes in contact with a boy and girl that do not wish to change their fortune. They are content and grateful with what they have and do not wish for more. Creative writing assignments were completed with the idea of “what if I had everything I wanted?” and “what if I stopped looking for more?”
And finally, we began the family practice of listing what we are grateful for during dinner every night.
angela stew 