The Holiday Handbook - Softcover

Carol Barkin, a graduate of Harvard University, has written more than forty books for both adults and children. A native Midwesterner, she has lived outside New York City for twenty years.

Gr. 5-8. Everyone loves a holiday, and this new book, arranged by seasons, offers a comprehensive accounting of celebrations, centering on the secular but including many major religious holidays. Each seasonal section begins with a short introduction, followed by holidays specific to the season, with fascinating background information, tidbits, and creative activities and culinary projects. Newer holidays, such as Kwanzaa (1966) and International Lefthanders Day (1976), are tucked in with those traditional and well-known holidays for which resources abound. Surprises come to light, too, as readers learn that Johnny Appleseed Day is March 11, his death date, rather than in the fall, as many think. There actually is a National Grouch Day (October 15), established by a student in a middle school in Michigan. The authors handle controversial issues head-on: for example, in their discussion of Columbus Day, they acknowledge the death and destruction that followed the explorer's landing, and propose a day in which multicultural sharing can take place. Small black-line drawings decorate each beginning holiday page. This is a great resource for students and teachers. A long bibliography of books and articles and an appendix with addresses for various celebrations round out the guide. Deborah Abbott