Christmas Around the World [Paperback]

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

Book Description

Release date: October 19, 1998 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years

Ethiopian fringed umbrellas; star-shaped Filipino parol lanterns;candlelit Swedish St. Lucia crowns-Mary Lankford bringstogether Christmas traditions from twelve different lands,like decorations on a splendid tree.

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (October 19, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688163238
• ISBN-13: 978-0688163235
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.2 x 10.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 81 people found the following review helpful

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

By A Customer

Format: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.

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Festive October 17, 2001

By Julie Clawson

Format: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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good teacher resource January 8, 2012

By Donna E. Madison

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is a good teacher resource for information on how other countries celebrate their Christmas holidays, but not a very good read-aloud. I teach 3rd graders and I found the vocab. and writing were a bit above the level of typical 3rd graders. Also, it was a bit dry. I would read it, but would edit it as I read it to them. However, it was a good source for information for my purposes as I presented the customs to the class.