Many years ago when my daughter attended nursery, they were celebrating Diwali and the children had to dress appropriately. Fortunately we live next door to an Indian family and they kindly lent us a beautiful red and gold dress which was covered with tiny mirrors. Olivia was loathe to part with that dress!
Now QuartoKids have published two new books about the Diwali Festival and how it is celebrated. Both books are beautifully illustrated by Darshika Varma.
Diwali (Celebrations & Festivals) by Sital Gorasia Chapman
Sonali and her brother Jay invite you to celebrate with them. Join in as they make rangoli patterns, cook up a feast with their nani and nana, and visit all their friends and family with gifts and delicious treats.
Along the way, we learn how Diwali is a fun five-day celebration, all about the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.
At the end of the book there are pages of factual information, plus how to make a soft dough diva, design your own rangoli and a recipe for shrikhand, a traditional Indian dessert based on yogurt. Finally there is a quiz with answers on the last page.
I loved this book, narrated by Sonali. The joy of the festival comes over through the words and pictures and the actions of the two children who are so happy to be celebrating with their family and friends. Although aimed at children aged five plus, I think this books is very accessible for younger children.
PWT rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
Published by words & pictures, an imprint of Quarto Kids, Diwali in paperback retails at £7.99 and is available from bookshops and Amazon.
The Festival of Lights A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra
Aneesa and her family are getting ready to celebrate Diwali. But this year is extra-special. It's baby Ameera's first ever Diwali and older sister Aneesa is on hand to show her exactly what to do, and what every part of the celebration means and why it is so magical.
There are 144 flaps to be lifted but in my opinion they could do with fewer, larger flaps with more exciting revelations to hold the attention of the younger children ( three to seven) this book is aimed at. The narration is in the third person and the punctuation of dialogue follows the US format (although not always).
Sadly I did not find this book as engaging as Diwali (Celebrations & Festivals).
PWT rating: ♥♥♥
Published by Wide Eyed Editions, an imprint of Quarto Kids, The Festival of Lights retails at £14.99 from bookshops and currently £12.19 from Amazon.
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