Andrew Medlar, School Library Journal*Starred Review* Gr 3-6 Living in the shadow of the Fruitless Mountain, Minli and her parents spend their days working in the rice fields, barely growing enough to feed themselves. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. She notices that he is wearing a piece of golden dragon jewelry, and she follows him. eNotes.com Together they fly home to Minli's village. Sift (A) into a mixing bowl. Assess the second copy of Worksheet 2 for completeness, accuracy in recalling details of the story, and mechanics of writing. He warns her that he only has time to answer one question. It turns out the goldfish can talk when people want to hear it. 4 Mar. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. who have not yet read the book get excited and ALL have a great time! More books than SparkNotes. I brought my pet into school. Summarize this character Subjects: English Language Arts, Reading, Vocabulary Grades: Not Grade Specific Types: The old man instructs her to remove a rock from Dragon's head, which has been preventing him from flying. The text of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is interspersed with many short legends. (From a Christian perspective, it also had a surprising theme of providence in it.) Lins own full-color drawings open each chapter. In the morning, her parents are overjoyed that she is home. This is a good book but it is kinda slow. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a fantasy-adventure children's novel inspired by Chinese folklore. With beautiful language, Lin creates a strong, memorable heroine and a mystical land. Meanwhile, Minli sleeps for the night in the forest, only to wake up to find a trapped dragon, which she saves. This time, it says, You only lose what you cling to. After thinking this over, the king decides that giving the paper to Minli is the only way to avoid losing it. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. The performance starred Caroline Workman as Minli, Michael Tow as Storyteller/ Minli's Ba, and was directed by Jane Staab. Neither is sure which line is the one they need, so they decide this is another question for the Old Man of the Moon. Have them compare their experience with Minlis adventure. "Where The Mountain Meets The Moon,", Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature, Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922-Present, Mythopoeic Awards: Acceptance Remarks 2010, "Wheelocks Mountain a vivid adaptation", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Where_the_Mountain_Meets_the_Moon&oldid=1135777303, This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 20:10. I enjoyed every moment if this book and could not put it down!! What words bring it to life? Ask students to choose a page at random and read aloud the most vivid sentence they can find to the class. Dragon cannot fly. It is late at night when Minli tiptoes into her familys hut and crawls into bed. All storyboards and images are private and secure. Read the Study Guide for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, View Wikipedia Entries for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. If there are two dates, the date of publication and appearance Along the way, they encounter selfish monkeys, whom Minli manages to trick into letting them pass, and together they enter the City of Bright Moonlight, where Minli leaves Dragon in a cave and takes refuge in a boy's home. Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Curious, she follows it and finds a red dragon crying a river of tears. Seeing her mothers unhappiness, the daughter grew discontented and went away to try to change her familys fortune. Give each student a complete copy of worksheet 1 at the beginning. Chinese Lesson (write the Chinese characters for mountain and moon) All rights reserved. Teachers can view all of their students storyboards, but students can only view their own. How important is magic in the story? These characters are the parents of the heroine. Another main theme idea of this story is friendship. Along the way, Minli meets a special friend. *(This Will Start a 2-Week Free Trial - No Credit Card Needed), This Activity is Part of Many Teacher Guides. Then, my mind suddenly shouted, How about that book from the library? I bolted to get the book and started to read. (Most students will say it is very big and has a huge population; a few may be able to bring up current events involving China.) Ma and Ba say that Minli is too little to do such a thing. Within the portal, all users can view and copy all storyboards. Every day, the family works in. Minli is a strong-willed, young Chinese girl who lives in the Village of Fruitless Mountain. Lead a class discussion about the differences between the sentence on the board and the sentence in the novel. Personification is a literary device that give human traits to nonhuman objects. More than half of the characters and scenes do not match the characters in the book. Then ask them to share their best sentence with the class. The Old Man instructs Minli to remove a rock on Dragons head it has been keeping Dragon from flight. While her mother worries and complains about their lot, her father brightens their evenings with storytelling. The Jade Dragon reunites with one of her children, Dragon, and transforms Fruitless Mountain to Fruitful Mountain. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a Chinese fairy tale about an adventurous girl who searches for the Old Man of the Moon in hopes of changing the fortune of her poor family. When her parents find out she is gone, they try to look for her, but are stopped by the goldfish seller, who tells them to trust Minli. This character was a cruel ruler of the land in which all the main landmarks (save the moon) were located over a century ago. When he was a teenager, he learned that he was going to die young. Have them copy each days assignment into their notebooks; Make a photocopy of Worksheet 1 for each student and cut off a strip for each daily assignment for students to paste at the top of the notebook page; Cut off each assignment strip and paste it onto a sheet of lined paper. Part 1. He is tied up with some ropes, so Minli cuts him free. Even though you can determine the scene in your head, Grace Lin adds sharp details making the scene more vivid. I would recommend this book for children from age 9 to 99. Put the character's name in the title boxes and choose a character and scene to represent each one. Emphasize that Minlis story is a fantasy; in the real world, it is dangerous for children to run away from home, and naturally it is impossible for them to scale a ladder to the moon. Unable to believe her luck, Minli accepts the paper from him. the end with a mysterious gift. Questions to ask during the editing process: EDSITEment is a project of theNational Endowment for the Humanities, Grace Lin: Sharing Asian Traditions with Young Readers, Member of Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team, Chinese Dragon: A Powerful Metaphor in Chinese Cultural History", Lions, Dragons, and Nian: Animals of the Chinese New Year, Why Couldnt Snow White Be Chinese? 8-12), Reading level: Ages 8-12Pages: 288 pagesPublisher: Little, Brown Young ReadersLanguage: English ISBN: 0316114278, 978-0316114271. Ma and Ba camp in the forest, and Ba tells the story of a greedy magistrate who tried to steal the secret of happiness from a poor but otherwise perfect family. She grows up on tales of magical people and places from Ba, her father. How does this character interact with the main character. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a fantasy - adventure children's novel inspired by Chinese folklore. You may value money, friends, family or ideals like honesty, generosity, and faith. Ma and Ba. This character visits the Village of the Fruitless Mountain early in the book and at the very end. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. The twins explain that their village's name is due to raining seeds that fall from the moon every night, allowing flowering trees to bloom there. She's dutiful, empathetic, curious, and resourceful. Teachers may opt to lower the security if they want to allow sharing. When this story is finished, Minli asks to hear another, but Ba refuses, not wanting to displease Ma. Grace Lin introduces Minli, the main character well, as a girl who wants to change their fortune when her mom repeatedly talks about how poor they are. Through their cunning, they trick Green Tiger into falling down a well. Consider the traits of that particular character. Lin deftly incorporates elements from Chinese folk- and fairy tales to create stories within the main story and provide context for Minlis quest. The meaning of that gift can only be revealed by reading the book. The side characters are Gold fish man, Old Man of the Moon, and Dafu and Afu. Minli is a strong-willed, young Chinese girl who lives in the Village of Fruitless Mountain. Characters included in the character map are: (These instructions are completely customizable. Minli is a young girl, the only daughter of her mother, Ma, and father, Ba. Define a frame story and explain the complex way that subsidiary stories are embedded within the novel, Identify different types of challenges in the story. Essay Topics. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. His fortune is even poorer than hers, but he does not seem discontent. (authors note) (Fantasy. online is the same, and will be the first date in the citation. The second part of the lesson has students return to the book to explore how the folktales enhance Minlis story. Minli realizes she has to go on alone, but before she leaves, she promises to ask Dragons question for him. GradeSaver, 5 February 2018 Web. by Grace Lin Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Character List These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. The art is absolutely beautiful. A couple years after we sold that curriculum, I borrowed it from our local library and read it again. The following day, Minli then sets out, freeing the goldfish so as not to burden her parents further, and leaves the village to find "the old man of the moon". It is about Jade Dragon, who used to be beloved by the people of the earth because she controlled the rain that made crops grow. They travel onward, and after an encounter with a vicious tiger, they meet the family that used to be famous for its perfect happiness. JOIN GRACES MAILING LISTYoull receive her Author Newsletter in your email inbox! Give them copies of Worksheet 1 or assign questions from the worksheet as the class progresses. Order our Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Lesson Plans, teaching or studying Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Summary. Without even asking the Old Man of the Moon, Minli has come to understand why people like the buffalo boy and A-Fu and Da-Fu seemed so happy: they are thankful for what they have rather than bitter about what they do not. The kite magically transforms itself into a rope bridge, but it is too thin to carry Dragon. Readers of the book get to relive the story of Minli's journey, readers With each photo, ask students to identify what is happening in the picture, what kind of challenge is presented, and what kinds of skills or abilities the subjects need to be successful. The questions focus exclusively on the frame story of Minlis travels, giving students first-hand experience with frame story analysis. A-Fu and Da-Fu, twins who are a bit younger than Minli, explain that a vicious magistrate once planned to kill the whole family out of jealousy over their happiness. While Lin tells the tale of the courageous Minli, she also imbeds other story vignettes that weave together and connect in complicated ways. Ask them what qualities she showed as she overcame these challenges (for example: courage, cleverness, persistence). Fruitless Mountain Village. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. Together, the two fly back to Minlis village, so she can return to her parents. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Summary. There, he meets the first dragon he has ever seen, a female dragon with bright orange skin. While waiting in the Market of Green Abundance, Minli spends her coin buying a peach for a beggar. *, Can u describe the character 'talking goldfish'. A fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a timeless story reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz and Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon. The journal topics generally cover a group of chapters; teachers may assign them all at the beginning or assign individual topics as appropriate. well as challenges the characters face. Tell students that before they write the story, they are going to practice the skill of using vivid language. Read more 2009 Grace Lin (P)2020 Hachette Audio Listening Length 4 hours and 58 minutes Author While some may say there are too many pages, I think the amount of pages doesn't matter anyways, although I like the amount, and reading more pages is a great challenge. [10], According to Journal of Education, Grace Lin is the "best-selling author of The Year of the Dog and The Year of the Rat". Far away from here introduces the suggestion of an exotic location and/or time; The Jade River suggest China, which is known for jade. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Buy It Now In the valley of Fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. I bolted to get the book and started to read. The CharactersThe Characters Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is filled with rich and varied characters: Minli, whose name means quick-thinking; Dragon, her companion on the . It was a boring day, and I tried to figure out what to do. (The first column of Teacher Resource: Plot Outline provides a summary for the suggested answers. What are three things you can do to make your narrative even better? "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Summary". Image Based Life > Uncategorized > where the mountain meets the moon character traits At the onset of the quest, she meets Dragon. Finally, see if students can come up with a vivid verb to replace was: sat, clung, perched, etc. It is not as adventurous as I thought it would be. Classroom world map or map of Asia (It would be ideal to have a printed or projected map.) Before students begin their draft remind them in the real world it is not a good idea for children to leave home to confront evil and danger. Ba smiles and says that Minlis return is the best fortune of all. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. This is the god character who knows the future and permits the heroine to ask him a single question.