Christmas Around the World [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Mary D. Lankford (Author), Karen Dugan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

Christmas kindles warmth in the hearts of children throughout the world. With her boundless curiosity and careful research, Mary D. Lankford, the author of" Hopscotch Around the World," has woven a vivid tapestry of Christmas traditions in twelve countries. From Ethiopia to Greece to the Philippines, here is a sampler of the foods, symbols, and celebration that make Christmas so special.

Editorial Reviews

From Scientific American

Gr. 2-5. The companion volume to Hopscotch Around the World (1992) looks at the rich diversity of Christmas traditions found in 12 distinctly different cultures. A small amount of pertinent background information serves as an introduction to each entry, but the majority of the text discusses the special ways each culture celebrates the holiday. The book's attractive layout effectively uses repetition of color and theme, with each double-page spread of text and art surrounded by a decorative border. In addition to an extensive bibliography, the book features a small selection of craft activities (with step-by-step instructions and diagrams), a helpful pronunciation guide, and an interesting selection of Christmas superstitions. Useful for homes or schools wanting a multicultural perspective of the holiday season. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 2^-5. The companion volume to Hopscotch around the World (1992) looks at the rich diversity of Christmas traditions found in 12 distinctly different cultures. A small amount of pertinent background information serves as an introduction to each entry, but the majority of the text discusses the special ways each culture celebrates the holiday. The book's attractive layout effectively uses repetition of color and theme, with each double-page spread of text and art surrounded by a decorative border. In addition to an extensive bibliography, the book features a small selection of craft activities (with step-by-step instructions and diagrams), a helpful pronunciation guide, and an interesting selection of Christmas superstitions. Useful for homes or schools wanting a multicultural perspective of the holiday season. Lauren Peterson

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (October 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688121667
• ISBN-13: 978-0688121662
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,149,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful! Appropriate for all ages!, January 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Christmas Around the World (Paperback)

As a third grade teacher, this book was a useful tool in teaching about Christmas Around the World. There are so few good books on this topic, and my students enjoyed the one page synopsis of Christmas for each of the countries discussed (about 10). The illustrations for each country are wonderful and vivid. We were able to learn about customs from these countries not usually presented in other books. I would recommend this book to any teacher, parent, or child seeking information about Christmas customs in countries around the world in this enjoyable and fact-filled book.

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Festive, October 17, 2001

By 

Julie Clawson (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Christmas Around the World (Hardcover)

This is a fun book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in Christmas. The book looks at 12 countries around the world where Christmas is celebrated on a national scale. One reads brief, but detailed, summaries of the Christmas events and traditions of those countries. From religious celebrations to marketplace customs, and from tasty foods to fun crafts, one is presented with a vivid and enlightening picture of how poeple around the world celebrate the holiday.

The physical book itself is well made and festive. Each page is colorful and has vibrant paintings of Christmas events in each culture. The type is small, so parents would need to read this to their younger kids. To help readers, the author has included a pronunciation guide in the back. There is also a "fact and fiction" section about common Christmas things which serves as a reference for those who may never have heard of Epiphany or even Jesus Christ. Fun and simple craft guidelines are also included.

While this is a book about Christmas, it is not a religious book (which disappointed me). It mentions religious events associated with Christmas, but treats it holiday as if it is essentially a cultural event. Nevertheless, it is a fun book that is very educational. It would be a great book to have to bring out to display and enjoy at Christmastime.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, December 26, 2008

By 

Leisha Obrien - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Christmas Around the World (Paperback)

I bought this book for school for a unit that I was doing. With all of the other books I bought through Amazon, it was a great resource for myself and my students. Full Satisfied with the seller!