National Holidays

Celebrations Of Light : A Year of Holidays Around the World – Grade 1-4-Twelve holidays from different cultures are briefly examined. The book begins with the Brazilian New Year’s Eve, the Chinese New Year, Lanterns in Sierra Leone, and Lichtmesdag in Luxembourg. April through November are represented by Buddha’s birthday in Korea, Bon Matsuri in Japan, Diwali in India, and Loy Krathong in Thailand. The cycle concludes with Hanukkah, Sweden’s Luciadagen, Christmas/Las Posadas, and Kwanzaa. Two paragraphs describe each holiday and its significance and relate whether the light is used for celebration, remembrance, and/or worship. The theme of light is an interesting, unifying concept across cultures, but the text is too long for most teachers to read aloud in one sitting and there may be too little information to be useful as a reference for a single holiday. The stylized airbrush art has a strong geometric quality. Unnatural colors, ambiguous use of space, and unusual placement of elements give some of the paintings a cubist look. While the illustrations have a celebratory mood, they do not contribute much information. An alternative source might be Anabel Kindersley’s Children Just Like Me: Celebrations! (DK, 1997). Although not dealing specifically with the light motif, it does discuss many of the same days with more detail in text and photographs. Luenn’s book may be an appropriate choice for those looking specifically at light across cultural events or for those needing an additional volume on world holidays.
Adele Greenlee, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN

Gr. 3-5. Luenn examines 12 celebrations around the world and throughout a year that emphasize light. She includes well-known observances, such as New Year’s Day (in Brazil and China), Hanukkah (Israel), Christmas (the U.S. and Mexico), and Kwanza (U.S.), as well as lesser-known festivities such as Lichtmesday or Candlemas (Luxembourg), Buddha’s Birthday (Korea), Lanterns (Sierra Leone), and Luciadagen (Sweden). Each observance is presented on a double-page spread, with Mark Bender’s stylized airbrush paintings on the left and a brief description of the festival customs on the right. Although there’s not enough information here for report writers and some of the illustrations may be confusing to young readers (Saint Lucia, wearing a candle-lit crown, appears to be sleeping amid cups of hot coffee and pastries), this will be useful for introducing the concept that winter holidays (10 of the 12) encompass more than Christmas. Kay Weisman

Around The World Through Holidays: Cross Curricular Readers Theatre

“This elementary classroom resource is organized by month and highlights important holidays from various countries. Each readers theater script includes some background on the holiday, presentation suggestions, and several cross-curricular follow-up activities. The scripts are written for elementary aged readers and many provide historical information embedded in the text. Included is an appendix with recommended resources for teachers as well as a list of suggested books for students.”

“Carol Peterson shares 12 plays, adaptable for non-theatrical performance readings, in Around The World Through Holidays: Cross Curricular Readers Theatre. Each play introduces children to different cultures around the world by looking at holidays celebrated in that culture. Peterson introduces the holidays chronologically by month, including Passover, Dragon Boat Festival, Oban, Ramadan, and Las Posadas. Each play is accompanied by suggested activities for social studies, literacy, science, and math.”

Description

Around The World Through Holidays: Cross Curricular Readers Theatre includes scripts for twelve plays adaptable for any of the reading or performance methods of Readers Theatre presentation. Each play introduces students to a specific world culture by looking at holidays celebrated in that culture. The structure of the book introduces holidays chronologically throughout a calendar year–one play per month. The focus is on literacy and social studies, so the book is not tied to the traditional nine-month school calendar. Any play can be read when the student is studying its culture, rather than during the month in which the holiday is celebrated. In addition to social studies and literacy activities, science and math activities are also included. Suggestions for creating a classroom party to celebrate each holiday and helpful appendices are included as well. Grade level 4-6. 3

Hurray for Today!: All About Holidays (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library) – With a little help from the Birthday Bird of Katroo, the Cat and Co. explain (in rhymed verse!) the origin of common holiday rituals such as:

• lighting candles,
• dying eggs, and
• sending cards.

“The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library shows young readers that books can be entertaining and educational at the same time. This is a wonderful series!”—Barbara Kiefer, Ph.D.

Bonnie Worth is the author of the Cat in the Hat Learning Library titles If I Ran the Rain Forest, Great Day for Pup!, Oh Say Can You Seed? (winner of the 2003 Ohio Farm Bureau Children’s Literature Award), Wish for a Fish, and Oh Say Can You Say Di-No-Saur? She lives in Middletown, NY.

Among his many other credits, Aristides Ruiz is the illustrator of all the Cat in the Hat Learning Library Books. He lives in Newark, NJ.