Festivals and Celebrations

Gr 3–6—This physically small hardcover contains beautiful illustrations on matte pages that detail holidays, celebrations, traditions, and festivals from around the world. Arranged in chronological order over the Gregorian calendar year, each page covers a different entry (with the exception of larger festivals that mandate a bit more explanation). The whimsical, imaginative illustrations accurately convey the different atmospheres of these events. At times, however, the aim of the book is confusing. Sentence to sentence, the text is enjoyably readable, but there is no consistency regarding the type of information kids will find for each holiday. Some note the length of time for which people have celebrated the day, some don't; some give in detail the reasons behind a festival, some don't; and so on. The entries range anywhere from regrettably brief to so vague that children might forget what they are reading about—is it a tradition, a holiday, or something else? One thing the work does get right is its inclusion of a vast array of different celebrations, many of which might be unfamiliar to some.