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Holi
Each year during the beginning of spring, millions of Indian people celebrate Holi, also called the Festival of Colors. This two-day celebration includes important Hindu rituals and traditions. Students will love this fascinating introduction to one of the most colorful celebrations in the world!
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 1, 2020
A recent discussion, over in the Children's Books Group to which I belong has revealed that there is a real dearth of good children's titles (here in the US, anyway) about, or set during Holi - the Hindu Festival of Colors. There's
Here Comes Holi: The Festival of Colors
(on it's way to me via Inter-Library Loan), but other than that, this type of informational book, published as part of a series, and explicitly for the library market, seems to be pretty much all there is.
That seems rather unfortunate to me, as holiday tales are a great way to introduce young children to some of the beliefs and customs of other cultures. After all, Hinduism is the world's third largest religion, and a growing number of young Americans are of that faith, and should be able to find books that reflect their experiences. Here's a holiday involving bonfires, throwing brightly-colored paints and powder, and (upon occasion) contests between men and women. If that can't be made into a good children's story, I don't know what can!
Until such time as it is, however, we have books like Lynn Peppas' Holi, which gives a very brief outline of the holiday, and the stories and customs associated with it. With minimal, basic text, and lots of color photographs, this is an appealing volume, and does what it sets out to do: inform the young reader (early elementary-school level, I would say) about Holi. At $26.60 for a 32-page picture-book, however, it will probably need to be a library book for most families.
That seems rather unfortunate to me, as holiday tales are a great way to introduce young children to some of the beliefs and customs of other cultures. After all, Hinduism is the world's third largest religion, and a growing number of young Americans are of that faith, and should be able to find books that reflect their experiences. Here's a holiday involving bonfires, throwing brightly-colored paints and powder, and (upon occasion) contests between men and women. If that can't be made into a good children's story, I don't know what can!
Until such time as it is, however, we have books like Lynn Peppas' Holi, which gives a very brief outline of the holiday, and the stories and customs associated with it. With minimal, basic text, and lots of color photographs, this is an appealing volume, and does what it sets out to do: inform the young reader (early elementary-school level, I would say) about Holi. At $26.60 for a 32-page picture-book, however, it will probably need to be a library book for most families.
April 22, 2020
I gave this book 5 stars because it was about something that I knew little to nothing about, and by the end of the book I really was intrigued and had learned a lot. The information is presented in a flowing way, where all the subjects flow together and aren't all over the place. I also loved the images included.
Holi by Lynn Peppas talks of the Hindu festival Holi. The informational book first talks about what the festival is and when it is celebrated. The book then dives into what Hinduism is, and why Holi is important and how people believe Holi started. Then, like all holidays, the book dives into what the people do during this time period such as what music they play, what foods they eat, and even how they throw colors all over and by the end, everyone looks like a rainbow. I really enjoyed this book, and the colorful images that the author included throughout. I also liked how new words that the reader may not know were bolded and then explained. The whole book is informative, and the end of it even has a little quiz to see what you remember and help you look back in the book even to find the answers which develops research skills in children.
Holi by Lynn Peppas talks of the Hindu festival Holi. The informational book first talks about what the festival is and when it is celebrated. The book then dives into what Hinduism is, and why Holi is important and how people believe Holi started. Then, like all holidays, the book dives into what the people do during this time period such as what music they play, what foods they eat, and even how they throw colors all over and by the end, everyone looks like a rainbow. I really enjoyed this book, and the colorful images that the author included throughout. I also liked how new words that the reader may not know were bolded and then explained. The whole book is informative, and the end of it even has a little quiz to see what you remember and help you look back in the book even to find the answers which develops research skills in children.
March 19, 2022
I wish it went more in to the official origins. Fun, colorful book.
March 10, 2023
While we read this, Maddie connected the effigies of Holika with the effigies of Haman from our Purim reading.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews