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Henry's First-Moon Birthday
Jenny's baby brother Henry is having his one-month birthday -- his first-moon, as it's called in Chinese. And even though Jenny's sure he doesn't deserve it -- all Henry does is sleep, eat, and cry -- there's a big celebration planned for him. Together, Jenny and her grandma get everything ready, from dyeing eggs a lucky red to preparing pigs' feet and ginger soup. And someday, when Henry's old enough to appreciate all her hard work, Jenny will tell him how lucky he was to have her in charge.
The childlike charm of Lenore Look's story is perfectly captured in Yumi Heo's naïve illustrations, which give readers the impression that Jenny drew them herself.
The childlike charm of Lenore Look's story is perfectly captured in Yumi Heo's naïve illustrations, which give readers the impression that Jenny drew them herself.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2001
3 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Lenore Look
34 books115 followersI first began making picture books in kindergarten because my other career option at the time was stealing. But a life of crime requires practice and patience, neither of which I had, so I settled into industry, making what I coveted but what my parents could not afford to buy: beautiful books like the ones my teacher read to us in school.
Publishing was no problem in those days, not like it is now. By first-grade, I was my own publisher, making multiple copies of my books by hand. As for fame and fortune, I took care of that, too–I taught my brothers and the neighborhood kids how to wait in line for autographed copies, and I charged them 25 cents a book (an enviable paperback royalty today!), but also accepted candy.
By third grade, I had abandoned the literary scene. My parents had bought an old piano and signed me up for lessons and, thus, I began dreaming of becoming a world-famous concert pianist.
Then I came across a book on Maria Tallchief, and became a ballerina, just like that. I weighed only 40 pounds and could leap and pirouette all day without stopping. It was a lot easier than becoming a pianist.
Then I read a book about a surgeon, and one about a veterinarian, and another about a great tennis player . . . and I found myself wanting to become whatever I’d last read.
Eventually I grew up and became a newspaper reporter. It was the perfect job for me. I got paid to do the two things I loved most: writing and being curious. Working as a reporter taught me how to talk to people, how to find the story behind the story, and how to tell a story in a way that keeps a reader reading. I learned to listen to the way people talk. I learned to be precise and concise in my own choice of words. Best of all, the more I wrote, the more I was filled with a sense of wonder. I loved writing not only about what happens to people, but also about what happens inside of them, which is what writing for children is all about, but I didn’t yet know it.
It wasn’t until I became a mother and began reading children’s books again that I felt what the Chinese call yun fuen, a continuing of work begun in past lives. I had long forgotten my early foray into picture books, the thread I’d dropped in kindergarten, a thin rig, like the one a spider would use in rising. I had journeyed nearly 30 years down through space by then, unaware of my silken strand. Then one afternoon, with my two young children clamoring for something to do, I showed them how to fold paper into a book . . . picked up some crayons and a pen, and then . . . felt myself rising . . . returning to that place where I began, that brief age in which I had so many talents, and leapt and pirouetted into the sun, and could not stop.
Publishing was no problem in those days, not like it is now. By first-grade, I was my own publisher, making multiple copies of my books by hand. As for fame and fortune, I took care of that, too–I taught my brothers and the neighborhood kids how to wait in line for autographed copies, and I charged them 25 cents a book (an enviable paperback royalty today!), but also accepted candy.
By third grade, I had abandoned the literary scene. My parents had bought an old piano and signed me up for lessons and, thus, I began dreaming of becoming a world-famous concert pianist.
Then I came across a book on Maria Tallchief, and became a ballerina, just like that. I weighed only 40 pounds and could leap and pirouette all day without stopping. It was a lot easier than becoming a pianist.
Then I read a book about a surgeon, and one about a veterinarian, and another about a great tennis player . . . and I found myself wanting to become whatever I’d last read.
Eventually I grew up and became a newspaper reporter. It was the perfect job for me. I got paid to do the two things I loved most: writing and being curious. Working as a reporter taught me how to talk to people, how to find the story behind the story, and how to tell a story in a way that keeps a reader reading. I learned to listen to the way people talk. I learned to be precise and concise in my own choice of words. Best of all, the more I wrote, the more I was filled with a sense of wonder. I loved writing not only about what happens to people, but also about what happens inside of them, which is what writing for children is all about, but I didn’t yet know it.
It wasn’t until I became a mother and began reading children’s books again that I felt what the Chinese call yun fuen, a continuing of work begun in past lives. I had long forgotten my early foray into picture books, the thread I’d dropped in kindergarten, a thin rig, like the one a spider would use in rising. I had journeyed nearly 30 years down through space by then, unaware of my silken strand. Then one afternoon, with my two young children clamoring for something to do, I showed them how to fold paper into a book . . . picked up some crayons and a pen, and then . . . felt myself rising . . . returning to that place where I began, that brief age in which I had so many talents, and leapt and pirouetted into the sun, and could not stop.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 20, 2013
* Introduce Chinese tradition of celebrating a moon birthday
* Read this book when learning about China or Asia
* Read to enhance students' look on diversity
* The book has some complex words and introduces the mandarin language.
* The students can interact with this story by recognizing the similar traditions that the American and Chinese culture follow
*Emphasize the beauty of differences of cultures; these differences make cultures unique.
* Read this book when learning about China or Asia
* Read to enhance students' look on diversity
* The book has some complex words and introduces the mandarin language.
* The students can interact with this story by recognizing the similar traditions that the American and Chinese culture follow
*Emphasize the beauty of differences of cultures; these differences make cultures unique.
September 29, 2010
Big sister Jen helps grandmother prepare for her brother's one-month birthday. Loved the illustrations, and that Jen isn't really "helping," although grandma says she does.
December 3, 2017
And I thought only six weeks of maternity leave was bad.
The main character is a little girl. I'm not sure how old she is due to the stylized illustrations, but she's old enough to help cook. Her grandmother is staying with her family temporarily because her mother just had a baby. The baby is now 1 month old. The whole family is getting prepared for the baby's one-month birthday. They draw things with ink, cook food, the dad fixes the car, the mom cleans, they make red-dyed eggs, the girl takes a bath. Then all the relatives and friends come over to celebrate the first-month birthday of the baby.
She gets into a little bit of trouble, but nothing terrible. It's just a list of things that happened, a day in the life of a little Chinese girl. It's unclear if she's just culturally Chinese or if she actually lives in China. The illustrator is, oddly, a Korean woman. The writer seems to be an American-born Chinese woman.
It's okay. It's not bad, but it's not the best book ever. If you're trying to aggressively multicultural-ize your young child, this might help. It's certainly not offensive. The characters perform tasks that are pretty much broken down by traditional gender roles, though (father fixing car, mother cleaning, grandmother cooking, etc.).
Message: Chinese people celebrate first-month birthdays in this way.
For more children's book reviews, see my website at http://www.drttmk.com.
The main character is a little girl. I'm not sure how old she is due to the stylized illustrations, but she's old enough to help cook. Her grandmother is staying with her family temporarily because her mother just had a baby. The baby is now 1 month old. The whole family is getting prepared for the baby's one-month birthday. They draw things with ink, cook food, the dad fixes the car, the mom cleans, they make red-dyed eggs, the girl takes a bath. Then all the relatives and friends come over to celebrate the first-month birthday of the baby.
She gets into a little bit of trouble, but nothing terrible. It's just a list of things that happened, a day in the life of a little Chinese girl. It's unclear if she's just culturally Chinese or if she actually lives in China. The illustrator is, oddly, a Korean woman. The writer seems to be an American-born Chinese woman.
It's okay. It's not bad, but it's not the best book ever. If you're trying to aggressively multicultural-ize your young child, this might help. It's certainly not offensive. The characters perform tasks that are pretty much broken down by traditional gender roles, though (father fixing car, mother cleaning, grandmother cooking, etc.).
Message: Chinese people celebrate first-month birthdays in this way.
For more children's book reviews, see my website at http://www.drttmk.com.
February 1, 2020
Wonderful book. Lenore does a fantastic job tying together her families Chinese roots with her American upbringing in Seattle. Introduces the reader to the Chinese Tradition of the First-Moon birthday or celebration held at the end of a child's first month of life. Once again we see themes of the importance of food, family, and traditions.
April 26, 2024
This story is very cute and humorous. It is a fair representation of sibling interaction and feelings which is a good thing for students, especially with siblings to see. I also like that they included the culture representation in a different form of a birthday. As I said in a previous post, it a great and important thing to make students in classrooms to feel included.
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August 2, 2019Jennifer's little brother is celebrating his first-moon birthday, a special party for his first month of life. As Jen helps her grandmother and mom get ready for the party, she helps with cooking and tidying the house. This is a fun, culturally authentic picture book bursting with life.
January 5, 2023
The story is delightful and so are the illustrations!
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October 17, 20111. Picture book, contemporary
2. Henry’s First-Moon Birthday tells the story of a family preparing for a special party for a one-month-old baby. The story is told through the eyes of his older sister, who is helping her grandmother prepare for a special Chinese tradition.
3. This book is extremely expressive. It is full of bright colors, the people are basic shapes, and the whole thing has a very child-like quality to it. But the best part is the background. Usually in picture books, the background is an afterthought, something that should be seen but not noticed, it should not distract from the story. In this book the backgrounds become part of the story, and an important part of the illustration. In many scenes, the backgrounds are basic: tile, wallpaper, sky, carpet. But in many of the scenes, the background is full of paintbrushes and red paper with Chinese letter s on them, or bowls of food and eggs and chop-sticks. These additions tell us more about the scene and give us a context for the story. One of my favorite pages is the page where we meet GninGnin for the first time. We learn that she makes things with her hands, like braids, noodles, blankets, sweaters, and Christmas ornaments. All around the image of GninGnin, in the background of the page, are images of bowls of noodles, Christmas ornaments, a braid, combs, thread, a pin cushion, everything that we need to know about what GninGnin can do. Another fine example of the background telling us more about the story is in the kitchen. Instead of just having wallpaper, we have spatulas and shrimp and vegetables and chopsticks and mushrooms and bowls. By the background we know that this is an active kitchen with a lot of things being cooked at once. We don’t just see a few pots on the stove and a bowl on the counter; they are everywhere, filling every bit of background to give us a real idea of the flurry of activity going on in preparation for the party.
4. This book would be excellent for teaching a class about Chinese culture, because not only does it introduce a special way of writing, it also introduces strange foods like ginger and pigs feet soup and red eggs. It teaches a few words in Chinese and would be a fun book to read and then have a lunch of noodles and chopsticks to expand the experience.
2. Henry’s First-Moon Birthday tells the story of a family preparing for a special party for a one-month-old baby. The story is told through the eyes of his older sister, who is helping her grandmother prepare for a special Chinese tradition.
3. This book is extremely expressive. It is full of bright colors, the people are basic shapes, and the whole thing has a very child-like quality to it. But the best part is the background. Usually in picture books, the background is an afterthought, something that should be seen but not noticed, it should not distract from the story. In this book the backgrounds become part of the story, and an important part of the illustration. In many scenes, the backgrounds are basic: tile, wallpaper, sky, carpet. But in many of the scenes, the background is full of paintbrushes and red paper with Chinese letter s on them, or bowls of food and eggs and chop-sticks. These additions tell us more about the scene and give us a context for the story. One of my favorite pages is the page where we meet GninGnin for the first time. We learn that she makes things with her hands, like braids, noodles, blankets, sweaters, and Christmas ornaments. All around the image of GninGnin, in the background of the page, are images of bowls of noodles, Christmas ornaments, a braid, combs, thread, a pin cushion, everything that we need to know about what GninGnin can do. Another fine example of the background telling us more about the story is in the kitchen. Instead of just having wallpaper, we have spatulas and shrimp and vegetables and chopsticks and mushrooms and bowls. By the background we know that this is an active kitchen with a lot of things being cooked at once. We don’t just see a few pots on the stove and a bowl on the counter; they are everywhere, filling every bit of background to give us a real idea of the flurry of activity going on in preparation for the party.
4. This book would be excellent for teaching a class about Chinese culture, because not only does it introduce a special way of writing, it also introduces strange foods like ginger and pigs feet soup and red eggs. It teaches a few words in Chinese and would be a fun book to read and then have a lunch of noodles and chopsticks to expand the experience.
November 27, 2016
The first thing I appreciated about this book was that I learned something new, I had never heard of a "first moon birthday" before. I enjoyed learning about the customs that are part of celebrating a child's one-month birthday.
February 1, 2010
A family party for a one month year old baby is told in a most engaging way through Lenore Look's story, Henry's First-Moon Birthday. It is a story that any family could tell but is enriched through the cultural references of Henry's Chinese family. Readers will learn about "mysterious" foods, the proper way to drink tea, and how to use an inked stone to draw Chinese characters that represent Henry's name. Other fascinating references to Chinese dishes that contain pigs feet and colored red eggs would entice readers to listen and want to find out more about this culture. The infant's gifts are of particular interest, especially something called a "hungbaus" which sounds like a money pouch. Simple but colorful illustrations delightfully indicate the hustle and bustle that takes place before the party. Although this story is essentially a sweet story about a little girl and her family that are welcoming a new baby into their lives, the Chinese culture and traditions come alive in a natural and unaffected way.
February 16, 2014
Henry's First- Moon Birthday has amazing native illustrations and gives the impression that Jenny( main character in the story) drew the pictures herself. Henry who is Jenny's brother is having his one-month moon birthday, as it's called in Chinese. Jenny is the one in charge of planning her little brother's big celebration even though she doesn't think he deserves it because he doesn't do anything. When Henry grows up and understands how hard Jenny worked, she wants to tell him how lucky he was to have her in charge. This is a great book to read during a morning read because it discusses how Chinese culture celebrates birthdays. Students can share about their culture and how they celebrate their birthdays. This class discussion can help build a community because it allows the students to get to know each other better.
October 1, 2012
Immerse yourself in Chinese culture with these two beautiful books of celebration! I highly recommend both of these approachable books for K-4/5.
Henry’s First-Moon Birthday is a beautiful story about a little girl who has a brother who has his first moon birthday As a teacher, I couldn’t believe the amount of gorgeous language within these two book treasures. Besides sharing a beautiful story, the similies and metaphors are exploding out of both books at a gorgeous rate. Here is a few treasures I loved:
From Henry’s First-Moon Birthday:
“Her face is pink again, like the salmon on crushed ice at the Pike Place Market.”
“Everyone says he looks like a fancy butterfly in his silky new clothes.”
Henry’s First-Moon Birthday is a beautiful story about a little girl who has a brother who has his first moon birthday As a teacher, I couldn’t believe the amount of gorgeous language within these two book treasures. Besides sharing a beautiful story, the similies and metaphors are exploding out of both books at a gorgeous rate. Here is a few treasures I loved:
From Henry’s First-Moon Birthday:
“Her face is pink again, like the salmon on crushed ice at the Pike Place Market.”
“Everyone says he looks like a fancy butterfly in his silky new clothes.”
September 18, 2012
This is a very cheerful book with plenty of patterns and interestingly shaped objects. It can be used to introduce young children to shapes. Children in Pre-school with Grade 2 will enjoy the story about Jenny's baby brother who is about to turn 1. In the Chinese culture, this is also an important moment so the family has this grand celebration. Jenny doesn't believe her brother deserve this fuss because all he does he eat, sleep, and cry. She eventually helped to plan his party and she realized her brother is not that bad afterall.
September 30, 2013
This book is about a young Chinese girl and her day leading up to her brother, Henry's, first Moon Birthday. The little girl explains why it is called, "the first moon." She talks about all of the food her grandmother has to prepare and all of the other preparations that need to take place before the moon birthday. She even describes her own first moon birthday. This is a great book to teach children about different cultures. Children do a compare and contrast between an American first birthday for a baby and a Chinese first birthday for a baby.
October 12, 2011
I enjoyed this book, because I could see myself using this book to introduce other cultures to my students. Learning about the world around us, and the people that live in it is very important. I hardly remember anything being taught to me in elementary school about other cultures. I think it is very important for our children to know not all cultures are the same. This is a great book to show that to children. Chinese families have different cultures that we do as Americans.
October 1, 2013
This book is a very intriguing non-fiction book for young children. The plot in this story describes a Chinese-American family who welcomes the new baby in their family by preparing a traditional Chinese celebration for his one-month birthday. This story is also being told from the baby's older sister.
January 27, 2015
Henry's First-Moon Birthday shows the Jenny's transition to becoming a big sister as well as a birthday celebration from the Chinese culture. The book describes traditions that are done for the first-moon birthday or one month birthday. This book could be used in grades 1-3 as a way to introduce different traditions and ways of life. These traditions are shown in the food and decorations.
May 3, 2015
This book gave a lot of insight about some of the traditions in Chinese culture that I didn't know before! I enjoyed learning some of the Chinese language and celebrations. This would be a great book for a unit about birthdays or a multicultural unit. I would recommend this book for primary students, but intermediate students would also benefit from reading this book.
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May 24, 2016Another diverse look at the problems of a new baby coming. In this tale, a baby has come and the family is celebrating his one-month birthday- a Chinese tradition. The drawings are fun and the book will introduce new vocabulary and customs to the children. It might be fun to read this book around Chinese New Year. It would be best for preschoolers and kindergarten-aged children
October 3, 2012
Jenny helps her grandmother and parents prepare for her little brother's one month birthday (first-moon birthday in Chinese tradition). Through the story of the preparation, readers learn about the traditional decorations, foods, customs, and gifts that are a part of this celebration.
November 28, 2016
A young Chinese immigrant girl and her grandmother
prepare for her brother’s first-moon birthday party.
Through this prepartation, the main character girl learned
the importance of family and heritage.
prepare for her brother’s first-moon birthday party.
Through this prepartation, the main character girl learned
the importance of family and heritage.
December 4, 2010
A little girl and her Chinese family is celebrating her brother's first month birthday, but she thinks that he doesn't deserve b/c he doesn't do anything but eat, sleep, and cry!
December 5, 2010
Chinese background. When a baby is born in China they have a "first moon" birthday for it. This is great for learning about the different cultures.
September 26, 2011
This one was just unfortunate. The story was not written all that well and there was just too much going on in the illustrations.
August 23, 2012
About party for one month old baby, told from point of view of big sister, cultural, insightful, getting to know other people and cultures
September 16, 2012
This would work as a cute introduction to talking about Chinese culture, as well as multiculturalism in the United States. Ages 3-8.
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January 29, 2015AD520L
March 15, 2015
Another charming picture book by Lenore Look providing a wonderful insight into Chinese culture and traditions.
February 7, 2018
When I first came across this book, I was intrigued by the title on what exactly is a moon birthday. Later did I realise the moon birthday as they call it, was a tradition where Jenny's family celebrated her baby brother's first month of being born. The usage of some dialect phrases and the affectionate calling of calling a grandmother "gnin gnin" made the story relatable to not only myself, but the children I was reading the story to. The story, told in Jenny's gives a glimpse at the preparation that goes into the celebration as well as the actual celebration itself in a light-hearted and fun way that captivates the children's attention. I look forward to reading more children's books by this author.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews