Barnes & NobleSpooky Celebrations Around the World by Matt Ralphs

Entertaining and informative

The amazing variety of across the world and some of the interesting...'spooky'...customs are presented in a fun way in these pages. From Africa to Asia and across every other continent, the various celebrations, which circle around the afterlife or spirits, are visited and explored. It begins with the most popular one in the States, Halloween, heads toward Europe, and then takes off...well, to everywhere. Each festival holds a two-page, bright and bold spread. It begins with the name of the holiday, where it is celebrated, and a short paragraph, which gives a general idea surrounding its purpose and, very nicely, adds atmosphere. Several more paragraphs are placed in colorful bubbles throughout the page, which add more tidbits and information, which hook in and highlight the different aspects and curiosities of each one. These are interesting, kept general enough to hold interest, and are sure to leave an impression. While this one is sold for ages 5 to 8, I'd even shove it up all the way to age 10, since the text is also well-suited for this older age group. For the younger end, it acts as a nice way to offer information as a rough read-aloud...not all in one go thanks to the length, but tidbits here and there. For those wanting to explore it along, it's appropriate for readers, who do know their words. The information isn't boring but delivered in a relaxed way, which sparks interest. I do wish there'd been a Table of Contents or an index at the end to help find information more easily, especially since there doesn't seem to be a specific order to the holidays. It is enjoyable to have them go from one culture to the next, since it makes sure that similar festivals aren't all bunched together. It's enjoyable to flip through these pages and learn a little here and a little there. The variety is large, and there were more than a few holidays, which aren't well known. It does a lovely job at presenting how interesting and different cultures can be...even when things head into the spookier direction. It makes a lovely addition to the Halloween season, and I do even recommend this one for classrooms or group settings...or even to shoot off some ideas for fun projects surrounding the theme. I received a DRC, am giving it 4.5 and rounding up.