Japanese Celebrations: Cherry Blossoms, Lanterns and Stars!

Author: Betty Reynolds
Hardcover: 48 page(s)
Age Range: 4 - 8

Book Description:

The people of Japan love to celebrate! In fact, they love it so much they have a day of celebration, whether it's a change in season, a religious observance, or just a special moment in life, every month of the year. Brimming with ancient traditions, exotic decorations, and delicious, seasonal foods, Japanese Celebrations will take you on a month-by-month tour of some of Japan's best-loved festivals. Beautifully illustrated and full of fascinating facts about Japanese holidays and celebrations, this 48-page picture book offers a vivid picture of some of Japan's most festive events including New Year's, Children's Day, Cherry Blossom Season, Harvest Moon Viewing, Christmas in Japan and many more.
With simple but informative text and illustrations that explain the significance of the dress, decoration, food, gifts and activities associated with these events, Japanese Celebrations promises to delight and educate young readers and parents alike.

Booklist
By the writer-illustrator of Tokyo Friends (1998) and Squeamish about Sushi (2000), this profusely illustrated book presents celebrations enjoyed by Japanese children. Reynolds, who lived in Japan for seven years, begins with O Shogatsu (Japanese New Year). A double-page spread explain how the holiday is observed and shows a child's preparations before entering a temple. The next introduces symbols and special foods connected with the holiday, and the third looks at traditional holiday pastimes. The presentation continues through the seasons, highlighting each special day or festival with a single captioned painting or several illustrated pages. In each case, words appropriate to the occasion appear in Japanese characters as well as transliterations. A guide to pronouncing the terms used in the text is appended. Occasionally, a craft, activity, or song appears in this colorful, child-friendly book.