Book Review: Diwali

October 15, 2024 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

It may just be because I live in a part of the country with a lot of people from India, but I feel like Diwali has been gaining in awareness in the past few years and is becoming a holiday that more people acknowledge if not celebrate on their own.

If you want to learn more about Diwali to share with your kids, there are a lot of great books on the subject. Diwali by Sital Gorasia Chapman, illustrated by Darshika Varma, is a cute picture book that follows siblings Sonali and Jay as they prepare for the holiday.

To give an overview of the holiday and the story, Diwali is known as the festival of lights and is celebrated over five days (the exact days vary). The book walks through the days and different things that are done, such as cleaning to invite wealth into the home, making rangoli and diyas (this book calls them divas, though I generally see the spelling with a y in English), preparing sweets and other food, going shopping for new clothes and decorating the home.

Because Diwali is celebrated on the new moon, lots of lights and colorful decorations are involved, as well as lots of food. It’s a time for family to get together, celebrate and eat. The celebration ends with fireworks representing the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.

The next day is the new year, time to wear those new outfits, have a special meal and open presents. They visit the temple and give food offerings to the gods. There are more gatherings with food, family, friends and gifts, and sharing treats with neighbors.

The final day is a celebration of the bond between siblings, and they exchange gifts and spend time together.

After the story wraps up, there is more general information about Diwali and its meaning, the use of the lunar calendar and the stories that are told at Diwali (different parts of the country tell different stories about different demons being defeated). There are instructions for making a diva out of salt dough and a rangoli made with beans and grains, as well as a recipe for shrikhand, a yogurt dessert made with saffron and pistachios.

There’s also a quiz at the back so you can test your knowledge of Diwali.

This book is really cute and should engage kids to learn about the holiday. The crafts and recipes are easy and would be fun to try in the classroom or at home.

About the book: 48 pages, hardcover. Published 2024 by words & pictures. Suggested retail price $14.99

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Diwali Printables for Kids

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Book Review: Las Mañanitas

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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