Festivals Family and Food [Paperback]

Diana Carey (Author), Judy Large (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lifeways | Publication Date: December 1996

This family favourite is a unique, well loved source of stories, recipes, things to make, activities, poems and songs. Each festival has its own well illustrated chapter. There are alos sections on Birthdays, Rainy Days, Convalescence and a birthday calendar. The perfect present for a family, it explores the numerous festivals that children love to celebrate..

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It's an invaluable resource book" The Observer "Every family should have one" Daily Mail

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Floris Books (December 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 095070623X
• ISBN-13: 978-0950706238
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #181,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Celebrating Festivals Binds Together Families, November 30, 1998

By 

Raven Joy ([e-mail]) (Northern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Festivals Family and Food (Paperback)

I found my copy of this book in a thrift store and soon had friends asking where to buy the book. It is a gem of information about holidays and how to celebrate them, including recipies (I baked the Autumn Nut Loaf for Thanksgiving this year) and games and songs. It's presented in an interesting and lovely manner, and even has a Birthday Calendar in the back to keep track of family and friend's birthdays. The author's premise is that the more celebrations and festivals you celebrate with your family, the closer you become. I second this opinion and urge you to read this book and start celebrating!!!

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of suggestions, December 27, 2005

By 

Kathy Livingston (East Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Festivals Family and Food (Paperback)

This book covers many festivals, or holidays, throughout the year. For each, a selection of poetry or very short stories excerpted from longer works is provided. Sometimes the legend(s) behind that day are given. Also included are games, recipes, and craft projects. The recipes use British measurements and ingredients, so for Americans they will require some adjustment to find ingredients in some cases.

This is a useful book, but given its length it could have been better. Perhaps it's that the recipes aren't as accessible for Americans; I can't quite put my finger on what left me underwhelmed. Common holidays in America are of course not covered. Still, it's a very useful resource. If you're just beginning with the celebration of seasonal holidays, I'd recommend Mrs. Sharp's Victorian Traditions by Breathnach instead to start off with, then add this one later when you're ready for more.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice resource - but not easily accessible, June 18, 2010

By 

John Wyatt (Virginia USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Festivals Family and Food (Paperback)

I really wanted to love this book, but I agree with some other reviewers, it is not easy to work with - and that's what I wanted: a book to work with. Once you get down to one season, however, it is manageable if you put in some time first. I like that it shows many aspects of celebrating and enjoying a season, but it reminds me very much of a notebook that someone gathered along a lifelong journey. I feel I need to add tabs and note myself to access the information that I find worthwhile.
It provides plenty of resources, but the always changing format with each content makes it also hard to go back to a certain section, as you may not find it easily. The recipes are confusing, ingredients are not listed in the order added, measurements are not clear and not well adapted for the US market. Altogether, I appreciate the book and will keep using it at occasions. I am certain the authors wanted to keep the style of the book simple and not flashy, but if the goal is to reach more people and invite them to celebrate our seasons with nature and family in mind, then I would have structured it a bit better - and really keeping it simple that way all around.