Holiday Symbols

School Library Journal

Gr 5 UpThis volume examines 174 holidays and 750 of the symbols associated with them. Arranged alphabetically by name, the entries list the type of holiday (religious, calendar, national, or ancient), date of observation, where it is celebrated, symbols, colors associated with that day and their meaning, and related holidays. The next section discusses the origins of the holiday and each of its symbols and provides suggestions for further reading. While most of the articles are two-to-three pages in length, some are closer to 10 (e.g., Halloween, Christmas). The inclusion of many lesser-known holidays from around the world, such as the Egungun festival (Brazil) and Shab-i-Barat (Islamic), makes this book particularly useful. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the symbols discussed. The pages are attractively arranged with enough white space to keep the text from looking intimidating. There is a general index and an index of symbols. However, countries are not included in the general index, making it difficult to answer many social-studies questions. Carole Angell's Celebrations Around the World (Fulcrum, 1996) covers some of the same material but focuses on activities and is aimed at teachers. The clear format, accessible language, and wide coverage should make this new title a useful addition to reference collections.Priscilla Bennett, State University of West Georgia

Booknews

Arranged alphabetically by name of holiday, 174 entries begin by listing the type of holiday (religious, ancient or pagan, ethnic, promotional, historic, national, sporting, folkloric, or calendar), the date of observation, where celebrated, symbols, colors, and related holidays. A brief essay on the origins of the holiday is followed by a discussion of the origin and meaning of each symbol associated with that particular day or event. A symbols index and general index are included<-->illustrations are not. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.