Japanese Celebrations: Cherry Blossoms, Lanterns and Stars!

by Betty Reynolds

Overview

This is a great book for children 5 years and older to get a glimpse into the Japanese culture and language. It helps kids recognize that kids all over the world love celebrating holidays with friends and family! --Schools æN More

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781462906338
Publisher:	Tuttle Publishing
Publication date:	04/15/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 12 Years

About the Author

Betty Reynolds was an art director for an advertising agency for 22 years. She has lived in Singapore and Tokyo and currently resides in Philadelphia, PA and the Seattle area.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 1-3-After a brief general introduction, events are listed chronologically, with a single descriptive paragraph or a sentence or two of explanation. The first celebration of the year is O Shogatsu (New Year). Colorful illustrations show people participating in worship at temples and shrines, with a spread describing symbols of good luck and special foods. Other traditional pastimes are shown as well, such as card games and kite flying. An example of the zodiac calendar, which follows a 12-year cycle, is included. Other well-known festivals include Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival, or Girls' Day), Kodomo-no-hi (Children's Day), and O-Bon (Festival of Souls). There are several brief examples of regional festivals as well. A small section on "Other Happy Events" includes traditions for babies and a page on weddings. Japanese words and terms are listed phonetically and in Japanese characters (hiragana). Food, dress, activities, simple Japanese words and phrases, and origami folding are briefly touched on. Simplistic illustrations add festive touches, but the ethnicity of the people depicted isn't all distinctly Japanese. While this book has breadth, it suffers in depth. Most of the festivals are included in greater detail in Rena Krasno's Floating Lanterns & Golden Shrines: Celebrating Japanese Festivals (Pacific View, 2000), for a slightly older audience.-DeAnn Okamura, San Mateo County Library, CA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

"By the writer-illustrator of Tokyo Friends and Squeamish about Sushi, this profusely illustrated book presents celebrations enjoyed by Japanese children. Occasionally, a craft, activity, or song appears in this colorful, child-friendly book." —Booklist

"Colorful illustrations show people participating in worship at temples and shrines...Other traditional pastimes are shown as well, such as card games and kite flying." —School Library Journal

"This is a great book for children 5 years and older to get a glimpse into the Japanese culture and language. It helps kids recognize that kids all over the world love celebrating holidays with friends and family!" —Schools 'N More blog

"…this gorgeous book is a breath of fresh air both in content and art work. […] Having been a teacher for most of my professional career, I found this beautifully-designed and fact-filled book to provide a plethora of history, religion, rites, myth, song and dance that any educator of children, ages 7-12 would be excited to utilize…" —Grammy's Gang blog

"…a book filled with Japanese holidays, culture, language, and interesting cultural stories…Japanese Celebrations, written and illustrated by Betty Reynolds, is filled with wonderful and vibrant illustrations, and is easy to read through." —Pintsize Gourmets blog

From the Publisher