Hello, friends! Our book today is We All Celebrate! by Chitra Soundar and Jenny Bloomfield, a fantastically fascinating round-the-world exploration of festivals, holidays, and celebrations.

Every culture in the world has something in common: we all celebrate! For instance, there are many different ways that people celebrate the new year – and even different times of the year when they do it! Through vibrant art and brief, informative paragraphs, readers will learn how spring is celebrated in Samoa and Sweden, how the harvest is celebrated in Zambia and New Zealand, and the winter holidays are celebrated in Peru, Colombia, and the Philippines, as well as many, many more.

Enlightening and fun. Skipping lightly through a myriad of national, cultural, and religious festivals worldwide, readers can get a grasp of both the differences and similarities in celebrations near and far to them. It’s not a comprehensive guide, but it’s not meant to be; stunningly colorful and expressive artwork weaves together multiple celebrations around a central theme across each full 2-page spread (for instance, comparing fasting as a religious rite in Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity). And in highlighting both diversity and similarities in the ways we celebrate as humans, it works very well. The length is best for older elementary aged or middle grade readers, as it is too comprehensive to be read in a single storytime, but JJ enjoyed exploring the different festivals and holidays. Overall, a very cool little title that brings the world a little closer, and we recommend it – Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by a representative of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)