Festival of Colors (Classic Board Books)

Holi, Hai! Holi, Hai! It’s time to prepare for the Indian springtime Festival of Colors in this delightful Classic Board Book!\nIt’s time for the Indian festival of Holi, a celebration of the start of spring, of new beginnings, and of good over evil. Friends, families, and neighbors wear white clothing and toss handfuls of brightly colored powders at one another until they’re all completely covered from head to toe!\nYoung readers will love following the young siblings gathering flowers to make the colorful powders for the big day until—poof!—it’s time for the fun to begin.\nFrom School Library Journal\nPreS-Gr 2-This board book adaptation captures the beautiful illustrations and evocative descriptions of the original. Young readers are introduced to the Hindu Spring festival of Holi through the eyes of two young siblings, Chintoo and Mintoo. The siblings collect the colorful flowers of hibiscus, orchids, marigolds, and irises that they then dry and press into powders. When their powders are ready and they go off with their family toward the celebration, there are vibrant bursts of powder and shouts of "Holi, Hai." The colors used are vivid throughout but they especially pop after the bright powder is thrown. The short sentences and repetition will make this appealing to young readers. The use of color within the text also highlights the words used, creating deeper associations between that color and its spelling. It's also wonderful that the illustrations depict the various shades of brown skin tones of the siblings and others, highlighting that different races that can exist among family members and within a community. An author's note gives further information. VERDICT A lovely addition to share about this joyful holiday that would be a great choice for a diverse spring programming or displays.-Kristyn Dorfman, The Nightingale-Bamford Sch., New York Cityα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.