Birthday Parties Around the World. [Hardcover]

Barbara. Rinkoff (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: William Morrow (January 1967)
• ISBN-10: 0688011454
• ISBN-13: 978-0688011451
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,200,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Too old to be used for kids today, February 15, 2011

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Incessant Cleaner - See all my reviews

This review is from: Birthday Parties Around the World (Paperback)

The birthday party traditions that are explored in this book are from these countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Holland, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Phillipines, Russia, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, and Sweden. The authors describes cultural foods, activities, hates, and more you can add to your child's party if you want to celebrate a little differently this year. There is a game directory in the back that describes in depth how to play all the games mentioned.

The concept of the book is good, since these activities are a better alternative to playing video games (which the author didn't even have to worry about in 1967, when this book was published). And although there are no sources cited, the author's description of the historical significance of birthdays in these countries is very interesting. She even writes about old-fashioned American parties. There are impressive facts throughout the book. Did you know, for instance, that the Ancient Greeks and Romans thought tapers/candles had magical qualities, and the flame was assumed to carry wishes up to the heavens? And that the Germans popularized the custom of making a wish before blowing out candles?

Unfortunately, even if you do find a copy (perhaps in your local library), you may find the book too outdated and obsolete to use. There's a directory of stores that can mail you cultural items you can't find, but that list is pretty useless now that most of those places no longer exist. Plus, cultural items are more widely available, and you can always order them online if you can't find them anywhere else. The book fails to specify if children from certain socioeconomic backgrounds do the activities listed, and some of the activities would be pretty boring for the average kid at a birthday party today, even if it's a kid in the country the author writes about!