It’s Storytime at The Met: a special podcast series for kids and their families.

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This podcast tells a story called, “How the Rabbit Got to the Moon." Have you ever seen the rabbit in the moon? You’ve probably seen the man in the moon. But in Japan, children see a rabbit with long ears. Each autumn, the Japanese people celebrate a moon-viewing festival. Families gather to look at the moon. When children ask how the rabbit got to the moon, their parents tell this ancient tale.

Once upon a time, a monkey, a fox, and a rabbit become the best of friends. The spirit of love and kindness filled them, and they decided to live in peace with each other. Every evening these three friends met to share their dinner and talk about their day. The monkey told of swinging through the treetops looking for fruit. The fox talked about stealing food from farms at the edge of the forest. The rabbit spoke very little, all the food he ever found was a few blades of grass. But the three shared whatever they had.

One evening a god looked down from the heavens and saw them sharing a meal. “I can’t believe this” said the god. “Everywhere, people fight and quarrel. Can three animals be so wise? I will test their kindness. Let’s see if they share their food with a stranger.”

The next evening the god came down to earth disguised as a poor man. The three friends found him in the clearing where they had dinner. “Help me” moaned the god in disguise, “I am so hungry that I cannot walk another step.” “We will feed you, poor man!” said the monkey, the fox, and the rabbit. They dashed away in search of food. Suddenly the rabbit stopped and said, “Oh dear, human beings don’t eat grass. What can I bring the man to eat?” He searched and searched but found nothing, so he hopped forlornly back to the clearing. He found the others waiting around a fire. The monkey had an armload of peaches, and the fox held a jug of milk in his jaws. “Sir,” said the rabbit to the poor man, “I couldn’t find any food that you would want. But don’t worry. I will jump into the fire and soon you can eat roast rabbit.” With that, the rabbit leaped into the flames. But then, before the fire singed a hair of the bunny’s coat, the god threw off his disguise. The fire disappeared, leaving the rabbit unharmed. The three friends crouched, shaking in fear.

“Fox,” said the god, “don’t be afraid. You showed kindness to a poor beggar, and I bless you, even though you stole the milk. Monkey, you gave me the sweetest fruit you could find, and I bless your kindness too. But you, rabbit, I bless most of all. These two gave what they could spare, you would have given your life. Humans will remember your kindness as long as they have eyes to see." Then, the god lifted up the rabbit and placed him on the moon. And there he lives today making mochi, or rice cakes, a much nicer meal than grass. The self-sacrifice the rabbit showed in this story is also a quality that a samurai, or Japanese warrior, was supposed to have.