Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Wikipedia What are three things you can do to make your narrative even better? Ask students: Suppose Grace Lin had just written Their village was dirty and their work was hard. How is this paragraph different? According to the goldfish, the wise man can answer Minli's question on how to bring good fortune to her family and the village. Ask them to tell the groups how they felt after dealing with this challenge. (The first column of Teacher Resource: Plot Outline provides a summary for the suggested answers. She decides to let it go because of how bitter it made Ma. The line written there has changed again. As they search, they come upon the goldfish man, who listens to their troubles and tells them his story. Minli is a young ten-year-old girl with a fast and eager spirit, and is constantly ready for adventure. Minli is restless and never content with her lot in life. Ba, however, seems glad that Minli is so hopeful. You may value money, friends, family or ideals like honesty, generosity, and faith. Stories, drawn from a rich history of Chinese folktales, weave throughout her narrative, deepening the sense of both the characters and the setting and smoothly furthering the plot. When the students come to class, give them time to share their sentences from the pre-activity in small groups. She walks deep into the forest and travels all through the night, stopping to sleep at first light. I think it has a good message for readers and Minli is a good role model. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. When she explains that she needs something called the borrowed line, the king shows her a magical sheet of paper his family has owned for generations. The Old Man instructs Minli to remove a rock on Dragons head it has been keeping Dragon from flight. In the valley of Fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. 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. [11], Renee Greenfield and Jennifer Rabold. Ma sits down at Bas feet and says that it is not his fault Minli left, but hers. 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. Identify (4) Traits for this character and supply evidence2. This character was a cruel ruler of the land in which all the main landmarks (save the moon) were located over a century ago. It is not as adventurous as I thought it would be. As an optional activity, they may make a bulletin board or wall display that shows the embedded stories within the frame of the main narrative. Espaol (prximamente) - volver al inicio, Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More, Common Sense Selections for family entertainment, Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More, Growing Up Queer: Thoughtful Books About LGBTQ+ Youth, Check out new Common Sense Selections for games, Teachers: Find the best edtech tools for your classroom with in-depth expert reviews. I really think you should read it! Minli remains silent, absorbing this new information. It was a boring day, and I tried to figure out what to do. To her surprise, the fish speaks and says that it has swum every river of the world except the Jade Riverthe one Minli has brought her to now. However, at the last moment, the Old Man of the Moon transported the family magically to a new home, where they continue to livepoor but contenttoday. Choose a character to represent each of the literary characters. Day 2. Minli rescues Dragon and includes him in her quest to find the Old Man of the Moon. 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. Written by people who wish to remainanonymous. Why did Minli also learn to be content? By a bare mountain, where the Jade River runs through, lies a poor, mud-covered village known as the Village of Fruitless Mountain, where the protagonist, Minli lives. He alone recognizes it as a dragons pearl, a treasure worth as much as the Emperors fortune. What is the setting of "Games at Twilight"? Meanwhile, at the Village of Fruitless Mountain, Ba and Ma have decided to return home and wait for Minli, and during this time, Ma feels remorse for having been so discontent when she already had her own precious treasure: her daughter. The art is absolutely beautiful. A variety of online maps of China can be found in. They travel onward, and after an encounter with a vicious tiger, they meet the family that used to be famous for its perfect happiness. "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. The page had been treasured by the kings of the city for generations. The Old Man explains that, once every ninety-nine years, someone comes to ask him a question. 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. They keep journals to record the challenges Minli faced, and how she met the challenges. If the boys in the class seem likely to find it difficult to identify with a female protagonist, suggest that they imagine a twin brother accompanying her on her journey. Let students investigate online resources for folktales from China. Read the Study Guide for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, View Wikipedia Entries for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Summary - eNotes.com Many children are gathered there, and Ba is about to tell the story of Minlis adventures. At the top of the bridge, Minli finds the Old Man of the Moon sitting in the center of a large room full of small clay figures. Show students a collage picture frame with multiple photos or draw one on the board. They travel all through the night, searching. My father came down the stairs and asked what I was doing down there. Give each student or pair a story to work with from the following list or let them choose one themselves, being sure that no two are working on the same story. Jade Dragons four children took pity on the people and transformed their bodies into great rivers to nourish the land. But her ingenuity helps her to survive as she meets and befriends a dragon, sees through the tricks of the King of the City of Bright Moonlight, finds a cure for Dragon's poison, and figures out how to communicate with the Old Man of the Moon. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Last Updated on May 6, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. Imagine how much more those books would have meant to me, she wrote later, if they had been books of substance, if they had reflected my life with more accuracy and heart, addressed concerns and struggles and triumphs that really affected me. She also loved the books of Chinese folktales that her mother gave her, in spite of their being too simply told. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin | Puddle Reader Characters included in the character map are: Minli Ma Ba Goldfish Man Dragon Buffalo Boy King Da-A-Fu A-Gong & Amah Green Tiger Rabbit Old Man of the Moon Copy Activity* If not by then, the film will probably not be made at all. their work. Ask students to write one final paragraph in which they compare themselves with Minli. Here are some questions to extend students' understanding of the novel. The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2.d:Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. Both Minli and Dragon have unique character traits and well-thought character development. Try to elicit the feelings about the life of Minlis village that these words convey. Part 2. Still, real life faces everyone with difficult challenges that require courage and ingenuity. An editor (authors note) (Fantasy. Frame Stories in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Write the definition of a frame story on the board (a main story which has other stories contained within it) and have them copy the definition in their notebooks. This talking creature helps the heroine and her friend along their way early in the story. Summary. Students will provide The characters and scenes are both appropriate for the book's characters. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Lead a class discussion about the differences between the sentence on the board and the sentence in the novel. Then the twins, and their grandfather A-Gong, nurse Dragon and lead the travelers to Never-Ending Mountain. Many of the notes have correct information, but some are incorrect or missing. Making Fruitless Mountain bloom! One day I thought I would surprise my friends. Where The Mountain Meets The Moon Summary and Study Guide 1. It is late at night when Minli tiptoes into her familys hut and crawls into bed. Relive your favorite parts, test your memory and pretend to be on the journey yourself! After her mother ridicules what she believes to be a foolish purchase, Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon, who, it is told, may impart the true secret to good fortune. Plus, there is barely enough rice to feed the people there, causing Minli to develop a wish for good fortune. (From a Christian perspective, it also had a surprising theme of providence in it.) All storyboards are public and can be viewed and copied by anyone. Trying to come to terms with her own identity, she searched for and treasured books that featured Asian American characters, even when their portrayal was oversimplified or stereotyped. Character map is unfinished and/or disorganized. will review the submission and either publish your submission or providefeedback. As she debates what to do, she looks down at the Book of Fortune on the Old Mans lap and sees that he has added in the paper she received from the king. When he lands, he says that he feels like he is home. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Summary, Read the Study Guide for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, View Wikipedia Entries for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Ma and Ba say that Minli is too little to do such a thing. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. One day, after a goldfish salesman promises that his wares will bring good luck, Minli spends one of her only two coins in an effort to help her family. I was glad to see a few things from when I was younger and I started to play with them. Minli befriends a dragon along the way. At the end of the story, Ba says that he thinks nobody is meant to find Minli, just as the magistrate was not meant to find the paper that explained the secret of happiness. She's dutiful, empathetic, curious, and resourceful. Together, they live in a small stick hut in a bleak, dry farming village at the intersection of the . Give students a few minutes to survey the book and look at the pictures. 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 . Dragon also reveals that he was born from a painting and came to life when his eyes were painted. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon characters in a Character Map Minli Wishes to find Old Man of the Moon in order to change her family's fortune.Has Where the Mountain Meets the Moon characters in a Character Map Minli Wishes to find Old Man of the Moon in order to change her family's fortune.Has Recursos Precios Crear un Guin Grfico Ba explains that the mountain will remain fruitless until Jade Dragon is reunited with one of her children. Man of the Moon The angry magistrate tore a page from the Old Man of the Moon's book, which was the paper with the secret of happiness. As a pre-activity, ask students to list the challenges Minli had to face (for example: living in poverty; being threatened by the monkeys; overcoming her fear to climb the bridge of string).