What Do You Celebrate? Holidays and Festivals

394 STE

Fourteen holidays celebrated around the world come alive in this kid-friendly guide of how to celebrate each holiday. The wide-ranging collection of holidays includes Holi, Purim, Halloween, and more!

Celebrations Around the World (Halford)

394 DK

Embark on an exciting journey through the most interesting and important festivals, celebrations, and holidays enjoyed by people around the world. Stunning original illustrations and fascinating facts will inspire and inform children about cultures and religions from the countries of the world.

Celebrations Around the World (Duffield)

394 DUF

People around the world love to celebrate. They dress up, sing, and dance. Learn about the different ways countries celebrate holidays.

Feasts and Festivals Around the World

394.26 MCG

From South Korea to Nigeria to the USA, come celebrate festivals throughout the year! People around the world are celebrating. In Australia, it's Christmas in summer with barbecues on the beach. In Thailand, they're celebrating Songkran, the famous Buddhist water festival. Rhyming text and graphic illustrations pair perfectly and invite young readers to explore the world through mesmerizing festivals.

Daddy Christmas and Mama Hanukkah

E SEL

Holiday time at Sadie's house means golden gelt sparkling under the Christmas tree, candy canes hanging on eight menorah branches, voices uniting to sing carols about Macabees and the manger, and latkes on the mantel awaiting Santa's arrival.

All of a Kind Family Hanukkah

E JEN

The beloved All-of-a-Kind Family comes to life in a new format perfect for younger readers. Join the five sisters back in 1912, on the Lower East Side of NYC, and watch as preparations for Hanukkah are made. When Gertie, the youngest, is not allowed to help prepare latkes, she throws a tantrum. Banished to the girls' bedroom, she can still hear the sounds and smell the smells of a family getting ready to celebrate. But when Papa comes home she is given the best job of all: lighting the first candle on the menorah.

Latkes and Applesauce: A Hanukkah Story

E MAN

The Menashes love latkes and applesauce during Hanukkah. But a blizzard begins and erases any hope that they’ll harvest potatoes and apples in time. When a stray cat and dog show up, there’s not a lot of food to offer them, but kindness prevails, and they’re invited in. It turns out that the dog—Latke—and the cat—Applesauce—save the day.

May Your Life Be Deliciosa

E GEN

“What is the recipe?” I ask. Abuela laughs. “It is in my heart, Rosie. I use mis ojos, my eyes, to measure. Mis manos, my hands, to feel. Mi boca, my mouth, to taste. My abuela gave it to me, and I am giving it to you.” Each year on Christmas Eve, Rosie’s abuela, mamá, tía, sister, and cousins all gather together in Abuela’s kitchen to make tamales—cleaning corn husks, chopping onions and garlic, roasting chilis, kneading cornmeal dough, seasoning the filling, and folding it all—and tell stories. Rosie learns from her abuela not only how to make a delicious tamale, but how to make a delicious life, one filled with love, plenty of spice, and family.

The Shadow in the Moon: A Tale of the Mid-Autumn Festival

E MAT

Two sisters and their grandmother celebrate a popular Chinese holiday with family. Their favorite part? Mooncakes, of course--along with Ah-ma's story of the ancient Chinese tale of Hou Yi, a brave young archer, and his wife, Chang'E. A long, long time ago, Hou Yi rescued the earth from the heat of ten suns. The Immortals rewarded him with a magic potion that could let him live in the sky with them forever. But when a thief tries to steal the potion, what will Chang'E do to keep it out of dangerous hands? The sisters are mesmerized by Ah-ma's retelling and the fact that the very mooncakes they enjoy each holiday are a symbol of this legend's bravest soul.

We are Grateful

975.004 SOR

Illustrates how the Cherokee community expresses its gratefulness for the blessings and challenges of daily life. Follows the celebrations and experiences of a modern Native American family through the seasons beginning in the fall and ending in summer.

Pumpkin Pie for Sigd: A Holiday Tale

E MAC

When Maddie feels homesick for Thanksgiving after her move to Israel her new friend Orly invites her to celebrate the Jewish Ethiopian holiday of Sigd. Lovely lessons to learn here gently and kindly told.

Playing With Lanterns

E WAN

Zhao Di and her friends are excited to go out at night with their paper lanterns and celebrate Chinese New Year. Each holding a unique colorful lantern with a lit candle inside, they admire the breathtaking colors while doing their best to avoid the wind and the sneaky boys in the village. Every night, until the fifteenth day of New Year, Zhao Di and her friends take part in this fun tradition, experiencing the thrill of nighttime in their village. And then―it’s time to smash the lanterns!

Chloe’s Lunar New Year

E LAM

Chloe is excited to celebrate the Lunar New Year with her family at a celebratory dinner that's also a family reunion. To prepare for the holiday, they clean their home, buy new shoes, put out oranges for good luck, and decorate a red envelope. When their family arrives, one special person, Chloe's grandmother, is absent in person, but honored at the table and at the family altar. Backmatter includes additional information about the Lunar New Year and a recipe for fortune cake.

Amira’s Picture Day

E FAR

Just the thought of Eid makes Amira warm and tingly inside. From wearing new clothes to handing out goody bags at the mosque, Amira can't wait for the festivities to begin. But when a flier on the fridge catches her eye, Amira's stomach goes cold. Not only is it Eid, it's also school picture day. If she's not in her class picture, how will her classmates remember her? Won't her teacher wonder where she is?

The Gift of Ramadan

E LUM

Sophia wants to fast for Ramadan this year. Her grandma tells her that fasting helps make a person sparkly―and Sophia loves sparkles. But when her attempt at fasting fails, Sophia must find another way to participate. This lovely multigenerational family story explores the many ways to take part in the Ramadan holiday.

Hannah and the Ramadan Gift

E RAS

It's the first day of Ramadan, but Hannah is too young to fast, so she wonders how she can still observe the holiday. Dada Jaan tells her that she can do so by helping others as is the spirit of Ramadan. Hannah works hard to try and find ways to help people at school and at home, but at the end of the month, she wonders if her actions really made a difference.

Powwow Day

E SOR

River wants so badly to dance at powwow day as she does every year. In this uplifting and contemporary picture book perfect for beginning readers, follow River's journey from feeling isolated after an illness to learning the healing power of community.

Festival of Colors

E SEH

Spring is here, and it’s almost time for Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors. Siblings Mintoo and Chintoo are busy gathering flowers to make into colorful powders to toss during the festival. And when at last the big day comes, they gather with their friends, family, and neighbors for a vibrant celebration of fresh starts, friendship, forgiveness, and, of course, fun!

Our Favorite Day of the Year

E ALI

Musa's feeling nervous about his first day of school. He's not used to being away from home and he doesn't know any of the other kids in his class. And when he meets classmates Moisés, Mo, and Kevin, Musa isn't sure they'll have much in common. But over the course of the year, the four boys learn more about each other, the holidays they celebrate, their favorite foods, and what they like about school. The more they share with each other, the closer they become, until Musa can't imagine any better friends.