The extent of my knowledge about most holidays is limited (to say the least), and I expect that holidays will be integral to teaching the girls comparative religion, so I was excited when the library got the Cultural Holidays series published by Magic Wagon/ABDO in. The simple text is perfect for preschool and up, and the colorful, uncluttered illustrations support the text without distracting from it.
As far as content goes, here’s a little bit about what I learned:
L. L. Owens. Hanukkah. Illustrated by Holli Conger. Magic Wagon, 2010. 32 pages. Age 4 to 8.
By reading Hanukkah, I learned about when Hanukkah is on the Hebrew calendar; what the biblical origin story is; why (possibly) it lasts 8 days; what the menorah is, and rules for use; what Hanukkah’s three blessings are; and customs like dreidels, foods, and songs.
Sheila Anderson. Kwanzaa. Illustrated by Holli Conger. Magic Wagon, 2010. 32 pages. Age 4 to 8.
By reading Kwanzaa, I learned about what Kwanzaa is and what its name means; the names, meanings, and celebrations of the seven principles; what the different decorations are and what they symbolize; why gifts are given (to reward accomplishments and encourage success—how cool is that?); and that there is a big feast on the last day.
L. L. Owens. Christmas. Illustrated by Holli Conger. Magic Wagon, 2010. 32 pages. Age 4 to 8.
I used Christmas as my control title, because I grew up celebrating it and actually know a little bit about it. The book covered the basics, like the nativity story and some common traditions like going to church and decorating trees. It spent a page talking about secular ways to celebrate the holiday, and several paragraphs talking about different traditions around the world, both of which I appreciate. There was also a page dedicated to Santa. The wording was mostly non-committal, but still came out in favor of him being real. I suppose that would suit the needs of most young children; and the rest will have parents who interject.
The other titles in the series are:
Nonfiction Monday is at In Need of Chocolate today.
[ Posted in » Book Review Channel :: Nonfiction Reviews ]
I am delighted to learn about these books for the young age…on my list now!