Mardi Gras and Carnival

Children's Literature - Joyce Rice

Children love to play dress up and pretend that they are someone else. They love to dance and listen to music with other children. This is what Mardi Gras is, and this is why it appeals to so many people—children who like parties and adults who like to feel like children. Although most people associate Mardi Gras with the city of New Orleans, it is celebrated in other cities and others countries also. It may be called Carnival or Mardi Gras but it will be all about parades, parties, and fun. Mardi Gras has its roots in religion and is dated every year by counting backward forty-seven days from Easter. The royal colors of Mardi Gras—green, yellow, and purple—can be found on cakes, floats, and in the gifts that the participants give and receive. .Many people spend their entire year raising money for their particular "club" or group to build a float and participate in a Mardi Gras parade. The clubs may be made up of people who work together, live in the same neighborhood, or just like the same activities. They will decide on a theme, choose people to ride on their float, and buy gifts or trinkets that they can throw into the crowd as their float passes by. Mardi Gras is a time to dress up in a fancy costume, or one that you made, watch a parade or be in a parade, wear a mask, and just pretend for a little while. This thirty-two-page book is an excellent introduction to this holiday. It is a part of the "Celebrations in my World" series of twenty-three titles about holidays and includes a glossary of bold-print words and an index. This is a valuable resource for the elementary social studies curriculum and would be worthy of a purchase in hardcover. Reviewer: Joyce Rice