The Little Boat Racer
A free Mid-Autumn Festival coloring page. US Letter, portrait, ready to print.
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From the story “The Little Boat Racer” in Once Upon a Mid-Autumn Moon in Cambodia — eleven bedtime tales for ages 4–10, each with a word search and a coloring page of its own.
Second place on the river
Dara is finally old enough to sit at the front of the long boat, keeping the beat on a small painted drum at the Bon Om Touk race. His village boat finishes second. Then he remembers how much he hoped all year, looks at the winning crew, and raises his paddle to call, "Well rowed!" The little drummer on the other boat waves back.
The picture puts Dara at the front of a long racing boat with his drum, the rowers behind him, cheering crowds and the full moon.
Bon Om Touk and the long boats
Bon Om Touk is Cambodia's Water and Moon Festival, usually held around November at a full moon. The most thrilling event is the long-boat race on the Tonle Sap, with brightly painted boats packed with rowers and huge crowds cheering.
Talk it over
- Dara went quiet when the race ended. What helped him cheer for the other boat?
- His uncle says a good heart is the finest prize on the river. What does he mean?
- Would you rather drum or row?
Pattern the long boat
The boats in the story are carved and painted like serpents, so the long hull suits stripes or zigzags. Give each rower behind Dara a different shirt color.