China-Thank You, Meiling (Manners Children's Book)

On the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, the Song household will celebrate the Chinese Moon Festival. In preparation for this event, the boy Song Hai sets off on a shopping expedition, accompanied by an ill-mannered duck named Meiling. So begins this story of far-away customs and everyday courtesy.

Song Hai and Meiling visit the bustling town market where eager shoppers buy paper lanterns, fat mooncakes, and baskets of melons, crab apples, grapes, and other fruits that are as round as the big harvest moon.

Meiling learns all about the coming Moon Festival as she follows Song Hai on his special errands. but more important, she learns a thing or two about common courtesy- waiting her turn, saying "please" and "thank you," helping others and sharing.

Linda Talley's whimsical story is illustrated by award-winning artist Itoko Maeno, whose vivid watercolors capture the sights of a small town in southeast China- the narrow residential lanes, the marketplace with its colorful stalls, and the tidy courtyard where Song Hai and his family celebrate the Moon Festival.

As the Luminous full moon rises high into the sky on this special night, Meiling enjoys her own festival treat, but not before demonstrating that she has learned her lesson in courtesy. She has learned to "stop and think of others."