Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
From the children's festival of Tet Trung Thu in Vietnam to the holy month of Ramadan, Rondina and Oakley offer an informative, month-by-month look at global holidays, both religious and secular. A February/March spread highlights Las Fallas, a festival honoring Saint Joseph in Valencia, Spain, as well as the Lenten Carnival in Martinique; a July spread covers independence celebrations in six countries, including Argentina, Belgium, and France. Oakley's acrylic paintings have a weathered quality that recalls faded murals, while conjuring appropriately festive atmospheres for each occasion. Ages 7-10. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-On each spread, a fictional child introduces one festival, and on the facing page a festival from a different area of the world is described in straight nonfiction. For example, for January readers meet Sophie from Scotland who introduces Up Helly Aa, a fire festival that the Scots participate in memory of their Viking heritage. It faces a description of the Iroquois Midwinter Ceremony in Canada. Each spread is accompanied by a small illustration of the child, a large illustration depicting the festival, and another small picture showing an aspect of the second festival. Some illustrations are more successful than others, mainly due to the color choice. For example, the depiction of the woman participating in the Indian festival of Holi does not portray the vibrant colors associated with it. Overall, 31 festivals are discussed, ranging from the familiar (Christmas) to the less familiar (Tet Trung Thu). Given the limited amount of information present, this is strictly an additional purchase.-Stacy Dillon, LREI, New York City (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Lights, bonfires, fireworks and candles: All are used throughout the world to celebrate a great range of holidays. As the book moves through the year, a child introduces himself or herself and then provides information on such celebrations as Chinese New Year; St. Joseph's Day in Valencia, Spain, when Las Fallas is celebrated with the burning of large puppets; Nowruz, a pre-Islamic New Year festival in Iran when people jump over bonfires to bring good luck in the coming year; and Inti Raymi, the Peruvian sun festival. The spread for July brings together Independence Day celebrations from several countries, including Canada, the United States, Argentina, the Bahamas, France and Belgium. Although light is mentioned in some of these short descriptions, it's not necessarily a focal point. The information provided about the holidays is accurate but limited, and there are no sources, maps or related activities. The acrylic and ink illustrations are garishly intense, and although digital techniques are also used, they have an unattractively retro look. The red circles on many people's cheeks are a very artificial device. This book will be useful as a starting point for teachers, librarians and students who want to search out some interesting festivals to compare and contrast, but it's not as enlightening as it could be. (glossary) (Nonfiction. 8-10)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
