These books take readers on a voyage of discovery as they explore celebrations and festivals around the world. Providing an overview of both well-known and lesser-known religious and non-religious festivals, these books are ideal to dip into, giving an introduction to fascinating customs around the world.
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Celebrations Around the World
by Katy Halford
Review: Vibrant colours and pictures draw readers into this richly illustrated book. Celebrations are featured from each continent, ranging from the International Festival of the Sahara to Las Fallas in Spain. Tidbits of information and little anecdotes bring the celebrations to life. Who knew, for example, that one New Year’s tradition in Denmark is to smash plates on your friends’ front doors for luck! This is a perfect book to introduce festivals to children and to pique their interest into different cultures.
Suggested Reading Age: 4 – 6 years
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: A Closer Look: Students inquire in more depth into one of the celebrations or festivals that caught their eye in the book.
Festivals and Celebrations
by Sarah Lawrence (author) and Jane Newland (illustrator)
Review: Students will enjoy learning about celebrations and festivals in this beautifully illustrated book. Comprising 40 celebrations spanning the globe, the book is divided into 5 sections. The first explores new year celebrations and the remaining sections each look at a season of the year. Titles such as “Firecrackers and Lucky Dragons” and “Freedom and Fireworks”, draw the reader in. In each instance, the author briefly explains why and how the festival is celebrated. From Japan’s Toro nagashi festival of floating lights to Iran’s fire festival celebrating the new year to Oaxaca, Mexico’s radish carving festival, there is something of interest for every reader.
Suggested Reading Age: 6 – 9
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Festival Detectives: Students find out about a celebration or festival from their home country and/or their local area. Ask them to explain the reason for the celebration and how people celebrate it. If they have pen pals overseas, they could swap this information with them and ask them to do the same to learn more about each other’s culture.
A Year Full of Celebrations and Festivals
by Claire Grace (author), Christopher Corr (illustrator)
Review: This lively, colourful book begs to be read over and again. Packed full of information and accompanied by highly distinctive illustrations, readers travel across the globe exploring a wide variety of celebrations. Ranging from national days to religious holidays to old and new events, students are sure to discover some festivals that are new to them. Arranged by the seasons, the origins and manner of celebrating each festival are clearly introduced with joyous illustrations complimenting and enhancing the writing. Additional information is also located within the illustrations. This would be a great addition to any class or home library.
Suggested Reading Age: 6 – 9. I believe that slightly older students would enjoy this, too.
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Picture This: Inspired by the artwork, students represent a tradition or festival from their home country or one of their choice visually, with accompanying text highlighting key facts/information.
A Taste of The World: What People Eat and How They Celebrate Around the Globe
by Beth Walrond
Review: This terrific book introduces children to food from around the globe and the role it plays in festivals. As well as highlighting celebrations that commonly include food, it also provides interesting insights into food typically associated with the country itself. In all, 22 countries are explored by continent. Having first introduced a key foodstuff, such as rice in Asia, children then learn about its significance and how it is used in celebrations. For example, during Chinese New Year the Chinese eat sweet rice cakes for a prosperous year ahead. Additionally, at the end of the book, children can learn how to use chopsticks, as well as spot the different foods included in the book on a map of the world. A visual treat, younger and older readers alike will enjoy learning new facts and will be able to make greater connections between food and festivals around the world.
Suggested Reading Age: 6 – 10
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Let’s get cooking! Students try out some of the dishes mentioned in the book or use one of the staple ingredients referred to in a recipe of their choice.
World Party
by Rough Guides
Review: Older students will enjoy looking through this book as they extend their knowledge of festivals globally. Encompassing music, art and food festivals as well as religious festivals, there is something for all interests. Organized geographically, festivals in Europe and the Americas including the Caribbean constitute the lion’s share of the book (240 pages); Africa and the Middle East, Asia, Australia and New Zealand have 106 dedicated pages. Each festival is clearly described with a section set aside for its history. Given that this is a Rough Guide travel book, there are helpful sections on planning for a visit. Full of vivid, colour photographs, this book makes learning about festivals and celebrations appealing for older students.
Suggested Reading Age: Older teenagers upwards. Younger students would enjoy looking at the photographs, but teachers/parents may want to look first to ensure they are appropriate.
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Fill in the blanks: Ask students to find out about further festivals in Africa and the Middle East, Asia, Australia and New Zealand to redress the balance of the book.
Happy Reading!
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tips
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