scrounge: /skrounj/ informal verb: to actively seek [books] from any available source
Drawing on Chinese folk tales, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon begins with a girl named Minli and her parents working hard in the poor soil all day, with only a little bit of rice to show for it. The adventure takes off when Minli decides to leave Fruitless Mountain in hopes of finding a way to bring good fortune back to her valley.
The tale is told in a straightforward manner, and involves dragons, a magic book, an evil green tiger, and copious references to the moon and moonlight. I like how this story includes many other short stories told by different characters, to help fill in plot points.
While I enjoyed the fantastical elements, the story was slow going for me at times, but by the end I began to appreciate how the different characters and events were gradually woven together into one big story, and I really liked the way the ending came together, with an emphasis on patience, contentment, and familial love.
Scrounged From: PaperbackSwap.com
Format: Paperback
Author: Grace Lin
Pages: 282
Content Advisory: Very little violence, but one scene involves the dragon getting wounded.
Ten Cents a Pound is a short, poetic, back-and-forth conversation between a mother and daughter, portraying their bond and love for each other. The mother gently encourages her daughter to dream, to learn, and to leave the village to attend school, while the daughter highlights the hard work her mother does and thus her reluctance to leave her.
The book simultaneously draws attention to the difficulties of living with low wages, while optimistically looking forward to the opportunities and possibilities of the future due to education.
The lovely illustrations are both realistic and wistful, and while this story may require some additional explanations for young children, it paints a beautiful picture of determination and potential.
(Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced review copy.)
Scrounged From: NetGalley
Format: Kindle
Author: Nhung N. Tran-Davies
Illustrator: Josée Bisaillon
Pages: 24
Content Advisory: None
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