Round is a mooncake
Round is the moon
Round are the lanterns
outside my room ...
A little girl’s urban neighborhood becomes a discovery ground of things round, square and rectangular in this lyrical picturebook. Most of the objects are Asian in origin, others universal: round rice bowls and a found pebble, square dim sum and the boxes that the pizza comes in, rectangular Chinese lace and a very special pencil case. Bright, whimsical art accompanies the narrative rhyme and a short glossary adds cultural significance to the objects featured in the book.
- “This enchanting book provides a gentle lesson in shapes…as well as culture.”-Booklist
- “A charming and instructive math concept book.”-Kirkus Reviews
- “An enchanting primer for children of all backgrounds”-Publisher’s Weekly
- "I wrote Round is a Mooncake for my daughter, Maya, who was 2 years old at the time, because I couldn’t find any English language books in Hong Kong that taught concepts (numbers, colors, shapes) with Asian themes in mind. For example, most of the books teaching numbers did so with a Western flavor: one Halloween pumpkin sitting in a field, two snowmen on a winter day, three waiving flags in a 4th of July parade.
- "However, there was nothing about her Asian roots or immediate surroundings in HK that she could relate to. I wanted to find books that taught: one lone sanpan sitting in the bay, two stone lions guarding a temple, three pork dumplings sitting in a steamer…
- "Coming from a multi-ethnic family (my husband is a Malaysian-born Chinese), I have made finding multi-ethnic books, toys and music a personal challenge of mine. For example, during a recent trip to Korea, Japan and Taiwan, I could not find one black-haired doll in any of the stores-only blonde-haired ones. I finally located a Chinese doll online, but only after a time-consuming search. It should not be this difficult to present Asian culture to kids-especially when they live in Asia! So, I have decided to keep writing multi-ethnic books for my daughter--books geared towards different ages and interests, as she continues to grow and wonder about the world around her."
- “A charming and instructive math concept book.”-Kirkus Reviews
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Red is a dragon
Red is a drum
Red are the firecrackers-
Here they come!
In this lively concept book a little girl discovers a rainbow of colors in the world around her: Red is the dragon in the Chinese New Year parade, yellow are the taxis she sees on her street, green are jade bracelets and the crunchy kale growing in her garden. Many of the featured objects are Asian in origin, but all are universal in appeal. With rich, boisterous illustrations, a fun-to-read rhyming text and an informative glossary, this colorful book will brighten every child’s day!
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Grace Lin -- illustrator of Roseanne Thong's first two books
E-mail Roseanne Thong