Guardians of the New Moon: Ming and Miaow’s Great Race
Guardians of the New Moon: Ming and Miaow’s Great Race, written by Eric Huang, and illustrated by Phùng Nguyên Quang, is the second title in the 2026 Blue Peter Book Club.
Watch the animation below to discover more about the book.
0:00: Meow is a temple cat, and all he wants is to enjoy a peaceful life catching temple mice.
0:05: But when the Jade Emperor has a bright idea to hold a great race and invite all creatures on Earth to compete, Meow finds himself reluctantly entering.
0:14: Ming is a nine-tailed, shape-shifting fox.
0:16: She's very different to Meow, but is determined that they are best friends.
0:20: But she didn't plan on Meow making other friends too.
0:24: As the race heats up, can the pair and their friendship make it to the finish line?
All Miaow wants is to enjoy his peaceful, solitary life as a temple guardian catching mice. But when the Jade Emperor invites all creatures on Earth to compete in a Great Race, the reserved cat finds himself reluctantly entering – and worse, socialising!
Spirited and fiery, shapeshifter Ming is Miaow’s polar opposite, and she’s determined to make him her new best friend. But she hadn’t counted on Miaow making other friends too.
As the race heats up, things start to unravel… Can the pair (and their friendship) make it to the finish line?
You can get a sneak peek of the book over on Blue Peter.
What are the features of a myth?
Ming and Miaow’s Great Race is an exciting retelling of the myth that explains how the Chinese zodiac calendar was created.
The Chinese zodiac calendar is a 12-year cycle in which each year is represented by a different animal and its particular characteristics. Each year begins on Chinese New Year, when the new moon is seen in late January or early February.
But what is a myth?
Myths are stories that try to explain why things are the way they are - in this case, the creation of the Chinese zodiac calendar.
Myths also often include gods or magical elements. In this story, the god is the Jade Emperor, and the supernatural beings include Miaow, the nine-tailed fox, or Yi Lan, the heroic water dragon.
They can also teach us important lessons. In Guardians of the New Moon, teamwork, resilience, and respecting rules are some of the lessons that we can learn through the adventures of the different characters!
Other cultures across Asia also celebrate Lunar New Year and have their own zodiac traditions, sometimes with different animals or myths.
What are similes and how are they used?
Similes are used throughout Guardians of the New Moon as a useful way to describe something without using a long list of adjectives.
A simile describes something by comparing it to something else using the word ‘like’ or ‘as’.
"Kunlun Mountain was nearly as tall as Heaven." (page 18)
"[The palace] shone atop the hill like a star in a night sky." (page 90)
The story’s detailed illustrations, along with its use of similes, help to create vivid images in your mind about the different settings, characters, and their actions throughout the adventure.
"[Yi Lan crossed the river] rapid as a riptide." (page 119)
"The cat’s tail twitched like a rattlesnake." (page 9)
Learning lessons through storytelling
You now know that Guardians of the New Moon is a myth; however, myths aren’t just exciting stories with gods and magical creatures - they also teach us lessons about life.
One lesson throughout the story shows how friends work through different feelings to learn from each other and work as a team.
Ming, the nine-tailed fox, is jealous of the perfection of Yi Lan, the water dragon, when they first meet. Yi Lan is calm, powerful and popular – something Ming wishes to be.
By the end of the story, Ming learns to trust Yi Lan and appreciate both of their strengths. In the end, this is useful when they work together, as friends, to put out the fire.
Example 1
Look at this extract from the book. From the very start of the story, it's clear that this tale is a myth.
Which part of this quote from the story makes it clear that it's a myth?
✓ The quote makes it clear the story is a myth because it introduces “The Jade Emperor… The King of Heaven…” who is a god‑like supernatural ruler.
Myths usually contain gods, magical beings, or divine worlds, and this character sets the story in a mythical setting rather than the real world. This tells the reader right at the start that the tale belongs to the genre of myths.
Example 2
Let's look at another example.
How do you know this is a simile?
✓ You know this is a simile because it uses the word 'like' to compare the visible heat to a shiny, shimmering curtain.
Example 3
Finally, look at this last section.
Here, Ming realises she has the skill and the friends to put out the fire.
How have Ming’s emotions changed compared to the start of the story?
✓ At the start of the story, Ming feels jealous and uncertain about her own abilities. She doesn’t believe she is as good, strong, or important as the others.
By this point in the story, Ming’s emotions have changed. She realises that she doesn’t need to compare herself to others. With the support of her friends, she begins to believe in herself and feels confident.
Blue Peter Book Club
Watch as Abby and the Book Clubbers talk about their favourite parts of Guardians of the New Moon: Ming and Miaow’s Great Race.
This book is fantastic.
If you like animals and adventure, then this book is for you.
I didn't like it.
What?
I loved it.
This month's BP Book Club read tells the legend of Guardians of the New Moon.
Here to give us their reviews are book clubbers who all celebrate Lunar New Year, Aiden and Hayley, Harry and Daniel, and Georgina and Zelda.
Inspired by the creatures in the story of the great race, we're at the zoo to spot as many lunar zodiac animals as we can.
We're taking to the water - let's see what creatures we can see.
All aboard.
I'm so excited!
Oh.
Is there any fish here?
Oh, duck.
I'm not sure there's a duck in the zodiac.
What can you tell me about the lunar zodiac?
There are only 12 animals.
Mhm.
And everyone has their own lunar animal based on the year they were born.
OK, so what's your lunar animal?
Oh, my lunar animal is the goat.
Oh my God, I like that one.
OK, what's your one, Georgina?
I was the rooster.
The rooster.
Legend has it that people share similar personalities with their sign animal.
I'm a snake.
A snake means you're wise, sensitive and mysterious.
I want to know what one I am.
It is in the book.
OK, OK, so I was born in 2002.
You're a horse.
OK, I like that.
I'm a horse.
I think it means that you are energetic, loyal and unique.
Those are good attributes for a Blue Peter presenter - I'll take it.
The new characters in this story, compared to the traditional story, are Ming and Mia.
Did you like them?
I like Ming because even though she couldn't control her powers, she still tried to do the right thing.
She still tried her best to control them.
I like Meow, but I think she finds it hard to trust someone.
Yeah, so you have to try really hard to be her friend.
Yeah.
We've heard a lot about the animals of the zodiac, but we haven't really seen any.
Let's get exploring.
I got flamingos.
Sophie.
Oh, an African bullfrog.
That really looks like Sue, the rat in the book.
So there's not a jaguar in the book, but there's something similar.
What is it?
A tiger. Tiger cat.
I think he was winning in the race.
I think he would as well.
Oh.
Jumped so high.
Hey, we've spotted loads of cool creatures.
Hey.
Yes, all of the swimming.
And although searching for zodiac animals is tougher than we thought, I know one curious critter who is always up for a visit.
OK, we're on the lemur lookout.
And it looks a lot like another cheeky tree climber from the story.
Oh.
Yeah, it's so cute.
Lemur, would you like to read this book?
Join our book club.
Right, does anyone remember the monkey in the book?
Yeah, I really liked it when it teamed up with the goat and the rooster to build a raft so they could cross together.
So what did you think about all of the rules they put in place for the race?
No magic, no flying and no digging.
Boring.
I thought the rules were quite fair, because the dragon would fly through the water, but others had to work for it.
One last animal to see.
Oh my goodness.
And it's one that shares a name with an animal from the book.
Is it a Komodo dragon?
It is a Komodo dragon.
Look at it.
Woah - below.
Hello. Known as the largest lizards in the world, their epic size and forked tongue give them the same name as the mythical fire breathers.
What do you think the differences are between this dragon and the dragon in the book Yee Lang?
Yee Lang can fly.
This dragon can't.
Yeah, and way faster.
Whoa, look at the muscles.
He's been to the gym.
He has been to the gym.
What did the dragon in the book place?
I… I see.
This dragon could get there, I think.
Not really. Not really. Not really.
We've spotted a fair few animals from the story, but what is the book clubbers' overall review?
It's full of mystery.
It's exciting - adventure awaits.
I really liked it when Ming and Meow
If you fancy reading this book, head to your local library, read it, tell us all about it, and you could earn yourself one of these.
If you've read the book, can you write about what you enjoyed the most? Think about the story, the characters and settings.
Can you work out what animal you are from the Chinese Zodiac and draw a picture that features some of its attributes?
Both of these will help you earn your Blue Peter Book Club badge, which you can read about here.
Quiz
Now put what you've learnt to the test with this quiz.
More on Blue Peter Book Club
Find out more by working through a topic
- count3 of 15
- count4 of 15
- count5 of 15
- count6 of 15
