A Calendar of Festivals

A Calendar of Festivals

Written by: Cherry Gilchrest
Illustrated by: Helen Cann

Elementary Grades

"Legends and folktales associated with eight different festivals from around the world are arranged in chronological order. Each story is introduced by a single page of background. Holi is represented by "How Krishna Stole the Butter." "The Life of the Buddha" is the story for Vesak, while the tale of "The Oxherd and the Weaving Maiden" accompanies the Japanese festival of Tanabata. The tale of Jamie Freel, here called "The Halloween Changeling," is the selection for Halloween. Kwanzaa is represented by a Caribbean story, "How the Warau People Come Down to Earth." Finally, the Russian "Father Frost" rewards a poor girl and destroys her greedy, rude stepsister in an offering for the New Year.

The retellings are fluent and readable, and could be used for storytelling. This handsome book has detailed watercolor illustrations on every page. Sources for the stories are given at the back. Louisa Campbell's A World of Holidays (Silver Moon, 1993) includes celebrations in Japan, Pakistan, Namibia, Canada, and Mexico, but the stories deal with contemporary children. A good addition to folklore and holiday sections, and especially valuable for the less-familiar festivals included."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.cloudnet.com/~edrbsass/edholiday.htm#multiple