LET'S GET FESTIVE!

It’s time to celebrate!

Grouped by themes such as “Welcoming the New Year,” “Celebrations of Nature,” “For the Dead,” and “Carnivals,” this treasure trove, translated from Polish, provides information about customs, costumes and masks, foods, and stories and will inspire schools, libraries, and communities to learn more. Additional resources will be needed (cookbooks with holiday recipes, photographs of clothing and masks, picture books retelling the legends mentioned, and, of course, memories from those who celebrate these holidays), but this is a wonderful, albeit dense, starting point. It should be used section by section, like a reference book, when readers want to know more about a particular holiday. (Unfortunately, it lacks an index and bibliography.) Europe (especially Eastern Europe, home of the author and illustrator) and Asia receive somewhat more coverage than other regions, but the book is nevertheless inclusive; it examines Juneteenth—which was recently made a federal U.S. holiday—Pride Month, and South Africa’s Youth Day, which has since become known as the Day of the African Child. Important celebrations from major religions are featured, among them Diwali, Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, and St. Jordan’s Day. Readers will find plenty of noteworthy and useful material, accompanied by stylized, vivid, folk art–esque illustrations.

A jam-packed compendium of holiday information.