The Moon Rabbit: A Celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival: An epic fantasy picture book retelling inspired by the legend of the moon goddess, and her tale of love, immortality and magic - Hardcover

Nava, Eva Wong

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1529513243 ISBN 13: 9781529513240

Publisher: Walker Books, 2025

Synopsis

A stunning, silver-foiled keepsake retelling of the Chinese myth behind the Mid-Autumn Festival: of Chang'e the Moon Goddess, the Moon Rabbit, and an immortal destiny.

The ultimate picture book for young fans of fantasy, romance and magic.

Eva Wong Nava’s evocative and lyrical version of this legend in Chinese mythology has been brought to life on the picture book page with breathtaking beauty by Jason Chuang, the artist behind the covers of Sue Lynn Tan's Celestial Kingdom series including the instant Sunday Times Top 5 bestseller: Daughter of the Moon Goddess.

"A serenely told story depicting lush and magical scenes befitting the grand legend." Kirkus Reviews

"A beautiful, necessary addition to collections." School Library Journal

"Dreamlike... A delightful book for readers any time of the year." Booklist

"Luminous blossom- and cloud-woven illustrations... a classic-feeling work of Earth and sky." Publishers Weekly

Before moon-gazing, lighting lanterns and enjoying mooncakes, Meilin asks her mother to tell her, once more, the story behind the Mid-Autumn Festival – the story of Chang’e and the moon rabbit; a tale of nine scorching suns, a brave archer, an ancient queen, an elixir of life and a doomed love. Readers will be captivated by this story which inspired one of the most significant festivals in Chinese culture, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival.

About this title

About the Authors

Eva Wong Nava combines degrees in English Literature and Art History, and writes stories that explore identity, culture, and belonging. Eva has done many things in life but writing remains her favourite thing to do. She has written an award-winning middle-grade novel and several picture books including I Love Lunar New Year, illustrated by Li Xin, and Dancing Dumplings for my One and Only, illustrated by Natelle Quek. Eva has been a speaker at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content on writing about diversity and representing marginalised voices. A passionate collector and reader of picture books, she teaches the art of picture book writing at Picture Book Matters. Eva writes full-time and lives in London with her family and two scampering squirrels. Find her on Instagram or on X as @evawongnava.

Jason Chuang illustrated covers for the Sunday Times bestselling Celestial Kingdom series by Sue Lynn Tan. He has an illustration degree at Falmouth University, and graduated from his Visual Communication Master’s degree at the Royal College of Art in 2021. The Moon Rabbit is his debut picture book. Born and raised in Taiwan, Jason now lives in London. Find him on Instagram here: @JasonChuangArt.

Edition details

• Publisher: Walker Books
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1529513243
• ISBN 13: 9781529513240
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Chuang Jason
• Number of pages: 40