September Activities

Library Up Date Sept 14-18

Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivals in Chinese culture and is widely believed to be based on the folktale of Hou Yi and Chang’e. In the lunar calendar, Mid-Autumn falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, which is either September or October. It is celebrated in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as neighboring countries like Japan, Korea (Chuseok), Malaysia and Vietnam.

The Shadow in the Moon

By Christina Matula, illustrated by Pearl Law

Click below to hear the story!

Mooncakes with Red-Bean Filling

As you make the mooncakes with the help of an adult, you will need a mold to give the mooncakes its shape and design on the top. You can use a cookie mold or shape by hand and make a design.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp golden syrup (light corn syrup

1 cup all-purpose flour

Water mixture: 1 tsp water with 1 tsp baking soda

1 small can (7 oz or 200g) sweetened red-bean paste (or try a canned pie filling)

½ tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp vegetable oil

Egg wash: 1 egg mixed with 1 tbsp water, mixed well

1. In a large bowl, mix the golden syrup, mater mixture, vanilla and oil, then add the flour. Mix gently. Knead the dough for a minute and set aside for 40 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degree (175C)

3. On a floured surface roll the dough into a cylinder (1 inch in diameter and cut into 12 equal pieces.

4. Roll each piece into a ball and flatten with your hand to make a small circle (2-3 inches wide), not too thin!

5. Place a large rounded spoonful of the red-bean paste or filling in the center of each dough circle, wrap it and pinch the seams, then gently roll it into a ball shape.

6. Place each ball in your mold and press. Transfer the mooncakes to a baking sheet.

7. Bake the mooncakes for 7 minutes, remove from the oven, and brush on the egg with a baking brush or a clean new paint brush.

8. Place the baking sheet back in the oven and bake the mooncakes for another 5 minutes, until golden brown. Let sit for 10 minutes, then remove from the baking sheet.

9. Serve when cool (they taste better the next day.)

A Big Mooncake for Little Star

By Grace Lin

A gorgeous picture book that tells a whimsical origin story of the phases of the moon,

Pat, pat, pat...

Little Star's soft feet tiptoed to the Big Mooncake.

Little Star loves the delicious Mooncake that she bakes with her mama. But she's not supposed to eat any yet! What happens when she can't resist a nibble?

Mooncake

By Frank Asch

One night while watching the moon, Moonbear turns to Little Bird and asks, “I wonder what the moon tastes like?” The ever-curious Moonbear begins a quest that ends up taking him all the way to the moon and back again.

Want to know “why” we celebrate Labor Day? Check out this History Channel article on

our September holiday!

For September, here is a Reading Log you can print off and keep track of your reading and a BINGO sheet to encourage you to do some fun reading activities!