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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I like the variety of information, both historical, modern, and scientific. However, some of the language is rather dated, and it may have some information in it that has since been updated/corrected/redacted.
A good overview, although the discussions of indigenous practice and belief was... Not great.
I really enjoyed the stories about different rituals from long ago. We already talk a lot about what is myth vs reality so it wasn't a problem to read this out loud with my 6 yr old.
Not at all what I was hoping for - the text is far too advanced for what the illustrations let me think the book was about. And it's just a collection of traditions that talks about how "ancient" people were afraid of the darkness, and that's why we have Christmas.
There's a decent way to explain the seasons included, and a legend about evergreen trees, but I'm not sure I'll be able to use the book in storytime.
There's a decent way to explain the seasons included, and a legend about evergreen trees, but I'm not sure I'll be able to use the book in storytime.
Loved all of the cultural stories and beliefs about what the winter solstice meant to different people. We read this together as a family and talked about how interesting it was for people to be scared of the winter and attribute it to "bad spirits" and how they would create their own makeshift clocks for when the sun would return and the plants can produce vegetation. Learned something new in this book!
I was thinking this might be a story, well it is a story of the winter solstice the world over, but it’s more a non-fiction piece on how different cultures around the earth use to think of the solstice. The Romans would trade places for a day and the servant would be attended by the master and the Romans gave gifts. Bonfires were built and feasts were had and people would watch for the return of the sun. Even Stonehenge was built so they knew when the light would return.
They do not talk about what Asian or African cultures did during this time. It’s a good book, but it’s more facts. There is a nice Cherokee legend at the end told as a story. The artwork is lovely and it is about one of my favorite times of year.
The nephew found this mildly interesting. He liked the animals in the story and some of the things people did like sacrifice animals and stand with antlered helmets interested him. The boars head feast grossed him out and he loved that too. He gave this 3 stars and said it could have been more exciting.
They do not talk about what Asian or African cultures did during this time. It’s a good book, but it’s more facts. There is a nice Cherokee legend at the end told as a story. The artwork is lovely and it is about one of my favorite times of year.
The nephew found this mildly interesting. He liked the animals in the story and some of the things people did like sacrifice animals and stand with antlered helmets interested him. The boars head feast grossed him out and he loved that too. He gave this 3 stars and said it could have been more exciting.
I was thinking this might be a story, well it is a story of the winter solstice the world over, but it’s more a non-fiction piece on how different cultures around the earth use to think of the solstice. The Romans would trade places for a day and the servant would be attended by the master and the Romans gave gifts. Bonfires were built and feasts were had and people would watch for the return of the sun. Even Stonehenge was built so they knew when the light would return.
They do not talk about what Asian or African cultures did during this time. It’s a good book, but it’s more facts. There is a nice Cherokee legend at the end told as a story. The artwork is lovely and it is about one of my favorite times of year.
The nephew found this mildly interesting. He liked the animals in the story and some of the things people did like sacrifice animals and stand with antlered helmets interested him. The boars head feast grossed him out and he loved that too. He gave this 3 stars and said it could have been more exciting.
They do not talk about what Asian or African cultures did during this time. It’s a good book, but it’s more facts. There is a nice Cherokee legend at the end told as a story. The artwork is lovely and it is about one of my favorite times of year.
The nephew found this mildly interesting. He liked the animals in the story and some of the things people did like sacrifice animals and stand with antlered helmets interested him. The boars head feast grossed him out and he loved that too. He gave this 3 stars and said it could have been more exciting.
This was much more than I was expecting! It was sort of a juvenile nonfiction compendium (meaning, in less than 20 pages) about how the winter solstice was celebrated or acknowledged in other times & cultures, followed by a page on some basic earth science that really helped to clarify for the person I was reading to how the seasons happen. (Albeit, that person was not a child but an adult with a not-so-great grasp on earth science.) Definitely a good seasonal read!
Beautiful illustrations enhance this nonfiction survey of the solstice traditions and beliefs of different cultures. Very well done. One folk tale included at the end to explain why some trees stay green in the winter. I especially appreciated this while doing a folk tale unit with my some of my students.
Cute, simple & interesting book. Great way to get kids to look beyond Christmas. One small thing that annoys me: there's a line that says, "Priests dressed as animals or birds..." Birds ARE animals. Blah.