Light the candles! Ring the bells! Dance and sing! Cultural and religious holidays are very important to children, marking festive occasions both at home and at school. This bright nonfiction picture book serves as the perfect introduction for the very young to celebrations around the world. Many of the holidays like Thanksgiving and Halloween are familiar to American children. Others, such as St. Lucia's Day and Diwali, may be new to them. Each of the twenty-four holidays is illustrated with cut-paper pictures full to bursting with brilliant colors and bold shapes. Along with simple descriptions, they convey the mood,symbols, and incredible diversity of the festivities. Detailed notes at the end of the book tell more about each holiday.
Ann Morris's many books include Families, Bread Bread Bread, Hats Hats Hats, On the Go, and Loving. She lives in New York City. As a children's book writer, Ann Morris has been able to successfully integrate her varied experiences in teaching young children, travel, writing, and editing. Having grown up in the polyglot public schools of New York City, where each child's ethnic heritage was revealed by his name or by the contents of the lunch box from home filled with sausages, egg rolls, matzos, or pizza, she developed a strong Interest In cultures other than her own. "I'm a gypsy by nature," she says. "I always have my suitcase packed."
She and photographer Ken Heyman once traveled across the United States to document the lives often different families. Both she and the teacher's pupils liked the snake charmer/teacher who taught class in a circus trailer with her favorite boa around her neck. Although Ms. Morris has never tried this stunt he herself, she has taught children in public and private schools in New York City, and adults at Bank Street College, Columbia Teachers College, New York University, and Queens College of the City University of New York. More recently she has been teaching writing for children at The New School.
Ann Morris left teaching to become editorial director of Scholastic's early childhood department. Now she devotes her professional time to writing and all her other time to people watching, music in any and all Forms, cat care, cooking and eating, and travel. All of these experiences, she says, provide material for her books.
In Israel Ms. Morris was caught up in the enchantment of the place as well as the conflicts that are a consequence of its history. One of her books, When Will They Stop Fighting? (Atheneum), reflects her concern about children who have become the victims of these conflicts.
