To Share One Moon

A young girl named Niu Niu tells the story of her family's immigration to Canada. But their new lives are different from what they imagined. Their first Moon Festival is quiet and lonely. When Niu Niu becomes homesick, her grandmother tells her the story of Chang-Er, a young woman banished to the moon for not sharing the pearls of everlasting life with her husband. Shortly after the festival, Niu Niu's mother returns to her job in China, while her father tries to find work as a doctor again. Now every time Niu Niu sees a full moon, she thinks of her mother and wonders if her mother thinks of her.

A story with no happy resolutions, either for the family or for Chang-Er. But it is realistic in its depiction of loss and separation. This gentle story is available from Kevin and Robin Books.