Maya's Holi

K-Gr 3--A colorful story about the celebration of Holi. Maya is excited to be in India visiting her grandparents during the festival of Holi. She gets to "play Holi" for the first time by throwing colorful chalk and colorful water on her cousins and neighbors. Readers are treated to Indian names of food, clothing, and expressions. Nair's bright illustrations match the happy celebration with sparkling stars glistening in the colorful chalk clouds. Maya's excitement provides its own energy to the story as she leaps out of the bed in the morning and shouts "Let's go, let's go, let's GO" when her cousins arrive after breakfast. Back matter includes an explanation of the holiday and a recipe for mango lassi. VERDICT A fresh and lively book that both entertains and teaches about this special holiday.--Heidi Dechief

An Indian American girl observes her first Holi. Maya adores visiting her grandparents. From playing in banyan trees with her cousins to eating her grandmother's sumptuous rotis, her time in India always feels as cozy as a "pair of warm socks." This trip is especially exciting because, for the first time, she's going to "play Holi," which Maya learns means spraying water and smudging colored chalk on friends to mark the arrival of spring. When Holi arrives, Maya's parents give her a new salwar kameez but remind her to wear her old clothes to the celebration. After a delicious, sweet-filled breakfast, Maya's cousins show up, and the children rush outside. Along with her relatives and their friends, Maya takes part in a holiday that, as her father reminds her, is all about new beginnings and forgiveness. Later, Maya returns to America, where the air is chilly, but her memories keep her warm. The author's descriptions are vivid and tender, matched by Nair's visuals, dominated by rainbow-hued sprays of color. Unfortunately, the plot meanders, briefly hinting at conflicts such as Maya's discomfort about being one of the few people of color in her neighborhood back home and the idea of Holi being an opportunity to "[forget] old hurts and insults" without fully unpacking them; the conclusion is also somewhat abrupt. Sweet and upbeat, though disjointed. (information on Holi, recipe for mango lassi)(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.