Children Around the World Celebrate Christmas

Rating:
Summary: This is biased-stereotypical text
Review: I do not recommend teachers purchasing this text if you work in a public shool. The age recommended is 3-8, but I do not think that this would suffice with my first graders. They are left hanging and wondering. I am sorely disappointed. I expected much more factual information about the true traditions of each country as opposed to actually Christmas, as Christmas is not the majority celebration for most of the countries listed.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Multi-cultural resource, enjoyable too!!
Review: I ordered this book several years ago for the "Christmas Around the World" unit for my Kindergarten class. The back cover of the book actually lists the ages 3-8. I think the book was very age appropriate (3-8). It is written very simply, yet gets alot of information out to the readers or listeners.

My Kindergardeners got alot out of it. The first year, it supplemented the "Christmas Around the World" unit that I had planned. The next year I used this book, of only 32 pages, to create my whole unit on Christmas around the world. Each day I would read about how a different country celebrates "Christmastime" (each country is only 2 pages). For each country, the author introduces a (fictional) child. The page tells the child's name, country they are from, about their family, their favorite Christmastime things to do, how they celebrate Christmastime in their country, and best of all - how to say "Merry Christmas" in their language. The illustrations are very cute and very friendly. The illustrations show the children in their native dress, their type of home, and other relevant details about the culture in their homeland.

I took the readings a step further and included a craft for each country (a craft similar to something mentioned in the pages about the country.) For instance: The child from Mexico mentions a pinata as part of their celebrations - we made a pinata, using the instructions in the back of the book. After reading about the child from Saudi Arabia, we made beautiful wreaths out of torn pieces of orange construction paper to represent wreaths of marigolds that they hang on the front door. This activity was not in the back of the book, just something I made up from the information the author provided and the illustrations of the little girl in her Arabian dress attire holding a candle and a beautiful marigold wreath that she and her sister made.

I would recommend reading about one child (country) a day and taking the time to discuss the what was learned. This makes it more meaningful. If you can add in an activity, making the learning hands-on, your child will understand and enjoy it even more.

There are also pages in the back of the book for your child to make his/her own page. There is room for your child to write (or you write for them)- their favorite Christmastime activities and about their families, etc.... Even space to draw or glue their own picture. If you are working with a whole class, this activity can be done by each student and then the students can share them with the rest of the class.

Again, it is a wonderful resource. I have gotten much use out of my copy. I am very protective over it and careful about lending it out to others or putting it in the book center.

My own daughters also enjoy it as well. One is eight years old and the other is three. They love repeating "Merry Christmas" in the langauages of the children they read about. Very cute and educational!!