The Whole Block Under One Moon
A free Mid-Autumn Festival coloring page. US Letter, portrait, ready to print.
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From the story “The Whole Block Under One Moon” in Once Upon a Mid-Autumn Moon in Singapore — eleven bedtime tales for ages 4–10, each with a word search and a coloring page of its own.
Everyone brings something down
The whole block comes down to the void deck, the open ground-floor space under the flats. Neighbors push long tables end to end and string lanterns between the pillars. Auntie Fatimah brings fragrant rice, the Tan family brings mooncakes, Uncle Raj a tray of sweets, and Mei's mother a flask of tea. Mei carries plates from neighbor to neighbor while her grandmother watches, calling them "one family, under one moon."
The picture shows that gathering: neighbors from Chinese, Malay and Indian families sharing rice, mooncakes and tea at long tables, children holding glowing lanterns, and a big round moon above the block of flats.
The kampung spirit
Kampung is the Malay word for village. Mei's grandmother explains that the old villages, where everyone knew and helped everyone, are gone, but their spirit lives on wherever neighbors care for one another. The story calls it the kampung spirit.
Neighbors and strangers
- Mei does not know everyone's name, yet every auntie is her auntie. Who do you call auntie or uncle who is not related to you?
- What would your family carry down to a table like this?
- Mei shared her star lantern with a shy girl from the ninth floor. How can you tell someone might like to be included?