Here Comes Diwali : The Festival of Lights

Rating:
Summary: There are better books available.
Review: 'Here Comes Diwali' was a huge disappointment.
The illustrations, which are mono-chromatic and poorly executed take up 6 entire pages of the 21 pages allotted to narration.
The text is written unevenly, shifts between first and third person and provides only minimal information about the traditions of Diwali. For example, "The kitchen smells so..o..o. good. Mom is making lots of sweets and snacks."(sic)
The four-page 'crafts' section consists of very vague instructions for making rangoli, wicks and diyas--with no illustrations. These are the diya instructions: "Using clay have each child make a small container or a bowl by using his or her hand as a base."(sic)
There are also a glossary, word-search and four recipes included which I will not test as I am returning this book.

Instead of this title I would recommend:
Diwali by Chris Deshpande (bright photographs and informative text)
Lights for Gita by Rachna Gilmore (a fictional story)
Ravi's Diwali Surprise (a fictional story with a few photographs and, again, weak illustration)
Rama and the Demon King by Jessica Souhami (lushly illustrated children's version of the Ramayana)

The bright, cheerful jacket of "Here Comes Diwali" belies a dull and uninspiring interior.

Rating:
Summary: Explore customs & traditions associated with this festival
Review: Diwali, the festival of lights, is probably the most celebrated ethnic Hindu festival around the world. In Meenal Pandya's Here Comes Diwali: The Festival Of Lights, young readers explore the customs and traditions associated with this festival beginning when the family begins cleaning the house, through a five day journey. Now in a completely revised and expanded second edition, Meenal Pandya's colorfully illustrated picturebook story is enhanced with easy recipes and fun crafts and activities designed for children. Here Comes Diwali is a welcome and unique contribution to any personal, school, and community library multicultural collection.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent job!
Review: This style of writing is so easy for a young child to enjoy. Books like these make it a bit easier to keep our culture alive thru our children.