Melinda J. Irvine

Moon Dragon by Moira Miller
My Goodreads rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Moon Dragon is a beautifully illustrated folk tale that originates in China. My son and I just love it.

It’s the story of Ling Po, a boastful young man who sits apart from his community, refusing to join their activities and criticising their achievements.

The tale begins at the launch of the annual spring kite-making festival with our anti-hero bragging he can build a kite that might fly to the moon. Through the power of community gossip, the Emperor hears of his boast and proclaims he will attend the flight launch in person. 

Now for the first time in his life, Ling Po is forced to follow through on his claims and begins making a kite with the whole of China looking on.

The book is very well told and the story unfolds beautifully. My son and I laughed and laughed all the way through — especially at Ling Po’s funny arrival on the moon and his ultimate lesson in humility.

This is a quality book that weaves an important message in character development through a funny story and beautiful illustrations. I recommend it to children and young readers everywhere.

Finding ‘The Moon Dragon’ in a little department store in a rural province of the Philippines 2 years ago, began my real commitment to introduce my adopted son to cultural stories and folk tales from all over the World. We just read it again tonight.