{"id":11764,"date":"2026-09-25T10:00:45","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T02:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/?p=11764"},"modified":"2026-09-25T10:00:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T02:00:47","slug":"music_for_mister_moon_2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/2026\/09\/25\/music_for_mister_moon_2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Played for one\u00adself or for a con\u00adfi\u00addant: A sto\u00adry ded\u00adi\u00adcat\u00aded to the moon or one\u00adself."},"content":{"rendered":"
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This is the fourth pic\u00adture book cre\u00adat\u00aded by the young Steads (not count\u00ading their joint adap\u00adta\u00adtion of Mark Twain\u2019s *The Stolen Prince of Mar\u00adgaret*), and I am for\u00adtu\u00adnate enough to have trans\u00adlat\u00aded all four.Post\u00adscript in 2026:In 2025, he also trans\u00adlat\u00aded \u201cAmos\u2019s Snowy Day\u201d.<\/a>As a con\u00adtin\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion of \u201cAmos\u2019s Late Day,\u201d the cou\u00adple\u2019s col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtive works have now been trans\u00adlat\u00aded into six vol\u00adumes.<\/strong><\/mark>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since their first col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtive book, *Amos\u2019 Sick Day*, won the 2011 Calde\u00adcott Medal, they have grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly become ris\u00ading stars, with even ABC News describ\u00ading the hus\u00adband-and-wife team as \u201cone of the most famous names in (Amer\u00adi\u00adcan) chil\u00addren\u2019s lit\u00ader\u00ada\u00adture.\u201d For near\u00adly a decade, they have each col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adrat\u00aded with oth\u00ader cre\u00adators (authors or illus\u00adtra\u00adtors), and hus\u00adband Philip Stead has also writ\u00adten and illus\u00adtrat\u00aded sev\u00ader\u00adal works him\u00adself. Inter\u00adest\u00ading\u00adly, how\u00adev\u00ader, the cou\u00adple\u2019s actu\u00adal col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtive writ\u00ading has been quite slow: *The Bear Has a Sto\u00adry to Tell* was pub\u00adlished in 2012; *Lenny and Lucy* in 2015; and *Play\u00ading for Mr. Moon* in 2019. More\u00adover, atten\u00adtive read\u00aders may notice that the tone of these works has become increas\u00ading\u00adly qui\u00adet, seem\u00ading\u00adly form\u00ading a stark con\u00adtrast to the noisy world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I met them in Bei\u00adjing in Novem\u00adber 2015. They were younger and more ener\u00adgetic than I had imag\u00adined, but also pos\u00adsessed a rare sin\u00adcer\u00adi\u00adty and puri\u00adty. They said that around 2013, they moved with their adopt\u00aded stray dog, \u201cWednes\u00adday,\u201d to a remote town in Michi\u00adgan with only two or three hun\u00addred peo\u00adple. Their new home was next to a grove of trees, where they could some\u00adtimes hear owls hoot\u00ading at night. They were indeed the kind of uncon\u00adven\u00adtion\u00adal peo\u00adple who cher\u00adished qui\u00adet inside and out, yet they so des\u00adper\u00adate\u00adly longed for pure friend\u00adship. All their works were insep\u00ada\u00adra\u00adble from the warmth based on friend\u00adship. Their book, *Lenny and Lucy*, was even more direct, telling the sto\u00adry of find\u00ading new friends after mov\u00ading to a remote place\u2014quiet and heart\u00adwarm\u00ading. This book, *Play\u00ading for Mr. Moon*, seemed even more serene, its expres\u00adsion more sub\u00adtle and nuanced, leav\u00ading the read\u00ader with even more antic\u00adi\u00adpa\u00adtion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the begin\u00adning of the sto\u00adry, Har\u00adri\u00adet\u2019s par\u00adents, full of antic\u00adi\u00adpa\u00adtion, say to their daugh\u00adter Har\u00adri\u00adet, who is obsessed with play\u00ading the cel\u00adlo, \u201cOne day, you\u2019ll be play\u00ading the cel\u00adlo in a large orches\u00adtra. Would\u00adn\u2019t that make you very hap\u00adpy?\u201d This is meant to be a strong affir\u00adma\u00adtion and sup\u00adport for their child, and it con\u00adtains fer\u00advent expec\u00adta\u00adtions. I think most par\u00adents would under\u00adstand and agree with this. How\u00adev\u00ader, the cel\u00adlo girl\u2019s reac\u00adtion in the sto\u00adry is unex\u00adpect\u00aded\u00adly cold. Her palms are sweat\u00ading, her face is burn\u00ading, and she imag\u00adines her par\u00adents as pen\u00adguin-like lis\u00adten\u00aders, want\u00adi\u00adng to run away as soon as pos\u00adsi\u00adble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point, some read\u00aders might won\u00adder if the girl has some kind of psy\u00adcho\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal issue, or at least is too shy. Would this book be an inspi\u00adra\u00adtional sto\u00adry about help\u00ading chil\u00addren over\u00adcome their shy\u00adness? If you think that, you\u2019ll be dis\u00adap\u00adpoint\u00aded. The nar\u00adra\u00adtor is actu\u00adal\u00adly com\u00adplete\u00adly on the girl\u2019s side, offer\u00ading com\u00adplete under\u00adstand\u00ading, accep\u00adtance, and even gen\u00aduine appre\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion. How is this pos\u00adsi\u00adble?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It turns out that Har\u00adri\u00adet (who calls her\u00adself \u201cHank\u201d to her close friends) is an intro\u00advert\u00aded child with an extreme\u00adly rich inner world. She loves music and is fas\u00adci\u00adnat\u00aded by play\u00ading the cel\u00adlo, but only for her\u00adself, and only for her\u00adself. On the title page, you can see Har\u00adri\u00adet bow\u00ading to thank the audi\u00adence after her per\u00adfor\u00admance (of course, that ges\u00adture can also be seen as ask\u00ading the audi\u00adence for her reper\u00adtoire), but the audi\u00adence are just her two pup\u00adpets, so in real\u00adi\u00adty, they are also her\u00adself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read\u00aders might ask, isn\u2019t there some\u00adthing wrong with a child who seems so \u201caloof,\u201d play\u00ading only for her\u00adself? Let\u2019s set aside judg\u00adments of good and bad for now and con\u00adsid\u00ader this: does\u00adn\u2019t some\u00adone so immersed in their music demon\u00adstrate a pro\u00adfound love for music? She loves music sim\u00adply for love, not for show\u00ading off or per\u00adform\u00ading for oth\u00aders. This reminds me of Con\u00adfu\u00adcius\u2019s lament: \u201cAncient schol\u00adars stud\u00adied for them\u00adselves; mod\u00adern schol\u00adars study for oth\u00aders.\u201d Whether Con\u00adfu\u00adcius was crit\u00adi\u00adciz\u00ading mod\u00adern schol\u00adars for pur\u00adsu\u00ading knowl\u00adedge pri\u00admar\u00adi\u00adly for show\u00ading off or gain\u00ading a promi\u00adnent posi\u00adtion is hard to say; his \u201cfor oth\u00aders\u201d might also refer to the pur\u00adsuit of prac\u00adti\u00adcal appli\u00adca\u00adtion. But what is cer\u00adtain is that he great\u00adly admired ancient schol\u00adars because, in his view, they pur\u00adsued knowl\u00adedge for their own ben\u00ade\u00adfit. In short, this is true love! From this per\u00adspec\u00adtive, does\u00adn\u2019t Har\u00adri\u00adet\u2019s atti\u00adtude towards music per\u00adfect\u00adly align with the atti\u00adtude of the \u201cancient schol\u00adars\u201d whom Con\u00adfu\u00adcius admired towards learn\u00ading?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Return\u00ading to the pic\u00adture book, I can clear\u00adly feel the Steeds\u2019 admi\u00adra\u00adtion for Har\u00adri\u00adet. In their eyes, she was a true artist, much like them\u00adselves. Har\u00adri\u00adet pos\u00adsessed the same imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtive capac\u00adi\u00adty; she envi\u00adsioned her every\u00adday world as anoth\u00ader kind of everyday\u2014the every\u00adday life of a musi\u00adcian. Her bed\u00adroom became a small cab\u00adin, sim\u00adple yet com\u00adplete, pos\u00adsess\u00ading every\u00adthing a musi\u00adcian need\u00aded, except for one thing: qui\u00adet! (Per\u00adhaps it was sim\u00adply because a rest\u00adless\u00adness still lin\u00adgered with\u00adin her?) The owl\u2014the most com\u00admon ani\u00admal in the Steeds\u2019 stories\u2014always dis\u00adrupt\u00aded the tran\u00adquil\u00adi\u00adty need\u00aded for a per\u00adfor\u00admance at cru\u00adcial moments. Har\u00adri\u00adet threw a teacup out the win\u00addow, scar\u00ading away the owl, but also knock\u00ading down the moon. From the moment the translu\u00adcent moon appeared, the sto\u00adry pre\u00adsent\u00aded a com\u00adplete\u00adly dif\u00adfer\u00adent land\u00adscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When Har\u00adri\u00adet asked Mr. Moon to call her \u201cHank,\u201d a pure friend\u00adship began. Yes, she was a daugh\u00adter her par\u00adents were incred\u00adi\u00adbly proud of; they had high expec\u00adta\u00adtions of her and dot\u00aded on her. Unfor\u00adtu\u00adnate\u00adly, they did\u00adn\u2019t seem to under\u00adstand her, at least not her pas\u00adsion for music. A pas\u00adsion for art does\u00adn\u2019t equate to iso\u00adla\u00adtion; it\u2019s just that some\u00adtimes true under\u00adstand\u00ading is hard to find. Out of guilt and affec\u00adtion for the Moon, Hank helped him ful\u00adfill his earth\u00adly desires. They rowed out onto the lake, and the Moon sin\u00adcere\u00adly said, \u201cI love the sound of water drip\u00adping from the oars, and I love the chimes from the dis\u00adtant buoy. I think you\u2019re very lucky. There\u2019s so much music down here; it\u2019s so qui\u00adet up here.\u201d \u2014 Yes, Mr. Moon also loved music; he loved celes\u00adtial music. There\u00adfore, Hank was will\u00ading to play for him, only for him, just as Bo Ya was will\u00ading to play for Zi Qi. But Hank asked Mr. Moon to promise: to close his eyes and not cheer. As a kin\u00addred spir\u00adit, it would only be for him\u00adself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I could\u00adn\u2019t help but think that Erin Stead was prob\u00ada\u00adbly an artist with a tem\u00adpera\u00adment very sim\u00adi\u00adlar to Han\u00adk\u2019s. She used light oil paint and col\u00adored pen\u00adcils to depict Har\u00adri\u00adet\u2019s (Han\u00adk\u2019s) spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal world, a semi-trans\u00adpar\u00adent world, hazy and indis\u00adtinct, but full of vital\u00adi\u00adty and fun. The bear hat\u00adter wore a Lei Feng hat, the wal\u00adrus boat\u00adman stood upright on his hind legs, and the owls worked togeth\u00ader to pull the fish\u00ading net\u2026 How could chil\u00addren not love such a fun world? But what tru\u00adly touched the depths of the heart was that con\u00adfi\u00addent, dream\u00adlike tran\u00adquil\u00adi\u00adty, the poet\u00adic beau\u00adty and the warmth of friend\u00adship flow\u00ading with\u00adin this tran\u00adquil\u00adi\u00adty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pic\u00adture books like \u201cPlay\u00ading for Mr. Moon\u201d can be con\u00adsid\u00adered a rare gift to this increas\u00ading\u00adly noisy world. They allow us\u2014whether chil\u00addren or adults\u2014to see anoth\u00ader pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty: the pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty of liv\u00ading qui\u00adet\u00adly and poet\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Writ\u00adten by A\u2011Jia on April 9, 2019 in Bei\u00adjing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Post\u00adscript to the trans\u00adla\u00adtion of \u201cMusic for Mis\u00adter Moon\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11769,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,4,12],"tags":[5,6,26],"class_list":["post-11764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-my-translation","category-story-of-story-tellers","category-ajia-review","tag-5","tag-6","tag-26"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/spread_26-27-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11764"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11764\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11777,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11764\/revisions\/11777"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}