Japanese Celebrations: Cherry Blossoms, Lanterns and Stars! - Hardcover

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.

Grade 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
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