Purchase Book @ Bookshop
Lots Lots of information and activities on the author's website!of information and activities on the author's website!

Grace Lin is a master at weaving cultural storytelling with science in a way that feels completely magical rather than like a lesson. In this book, the moon phases are explained through the irresistible premise of a little girl sneaking bites of a giant mooncake. Kids won't even realize they're learning astronomy. It's also just genuinely beautiful, the illustrations alone are worth lingering on every page.

Discussion Questions

• Why does Little Star keep nibbling the mooncake even though she wasn't supposed to?
• Have you ever wanted something so much you just couldn't wait?
• Look at the moon on each page, what do you notice happening to it?
• Why do you think Mama made such a big mooncake?
  
  

Moon Phases Sponge PaintingUsing a round sponge and yellow or white paint on black paper, your learner will stamp moon shapes, exploring the idea that the moon looks different on different nights, just like in the book.

Supplies

• Black construction paper
• Yellow or white washable paint
• A round kitchen sponge or a circle cut from a kitchen sponge
• Shallow tray or paper plate for paint
• A piece of cardboard to block part of the sponge (optional, for crescent shapes)
  
  

Steps

1. Read the book and pause on each moon image. Ask your child: is it getting bigger or smaller?
2. Dip the round sponge in paint and stamp a full circle. That's the full moon!
3. Now cover part of the sponge with a piece of cardboard and stamp again — that's a crescent.
4. Try different amounts of coverage to make different phases across the page.
5. Let dry and label together: full moon, half moon, crescent moon.
   
   

Tips for Parents

• This gets messy! Put down newspaper or a plastic tablecloth first.
• Don't worry about making perfect moon shapes. The goal is the concept of "more" and "less" — just like Little Star's mooncake getting smaller each night.
  
  

Extensions

• For a whole week (or longer!), look for the moon together before bed and notice if it looks different each night. Download our tracker here
• If you can find real mooncakes at an Asian grocery store, try one! Talk about what it tastes like.
• Watch the video below to learn more about the moon phases!