Hardcover. NY, Macmillan, 3rd pr., 1992, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, price-clipped dust jacket. On a rainy afternoon, a woman shares with three restless granddaughters her "earliest memory" from her childhood in China. Adapted from Tan's The Joy Luck Club , the haunting tale that unfolds is worthy of retelling--and of repeated rereading. The narrator, Ying-ying, recalls waking up at the age of seven on the morning of the Moon Festival; it was a steamy day, and "the sun drove rays through the bamboo curtains like knives." Filled with similarly vivid images, Tan's lilting text conveys Ying-ying's contagious excitement about the festivities. These include the appearance of the Moon Lady, who can fulfill one's secret wish. Later, celebrating with her family on a "floating teahouse," Ying-ying loses her balance and falls into the lake, where she is caught in a fisherman's net. He returns her to shore, where her secret wish is granted: she is found by her family, and thus learns a lesson about which kind of wishes come true. Tan has done a superb job of distilling this incident for young readers, who will be as mesmerized by the expressive narrative as by Schields's ornately detailed paintings, ablaze with luminous color.
 "The Moon Ladyby: Amy Tan / Gretchen Schields")
