We Celebrate the Light

by Jane Yolen (Author) Jieting Chen (Illustrator)

We Celebrate the Light
Reading Level: K − 1st Grade

A celebration of seven different winter holidays observed in the US and the traditions that unite them all.

Diwali, Solstice, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, and Lunar New Year are visually depicted in turn, accompanying a stunning, read-aloud text that speaks of the traditions that link them all together. The warm yet accurate imagery is explained in simple secondary text on each spread, and further in the backmatter. Beloved author Jane Yolen and daughter, author Heidi Stemple, have crafted a loving and poignant story with true reverence for our shared traditions of celebrating light, love, food, and family. An empowering, informative, and inclusive holiday book for families of all traditions.

Select format:
Hardcover
$18.99

Publishers Weekly

"When the days get shorter/ and the night sneaks in early," write mother-daughter collaborators Yolen and Semple, "we celebrate the light." The creators pay tribute to seven luminous holidays: Diwali, winter solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, and Lunar New Year. Chen's velvety digital images allow each observance to shine across two spreads, visiting a variety of domestic settings, as well as, for solstice, a meadow lit up with a campfire and twinkle lights. Brief, lyrical lines, meanwhile, link holidays through common threads of close bonds, heritage, acknowledgement of a higher power, and a shared continuum of existence that encompasses "the good, the bad, the losses, the gains... and the hopeful days to come." Characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 3-6. (Oct.)

Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Jane Yolen
Jane Yolen has received numerous awards for her writing, including the Golden Kite Award, two Christopher Medals, and both the Kerlan Award from the University of Minnesota and the Regina Medal for her body of work. She has four other books scheduled for Spring 2013: a middle grade novel, a graphic novel, a nonfiction picture book, and a poetry book for the very young. She lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts, and St. Andrews, Scotland.

Rebecca Kai Dotlich is the author of more than a dozen poetry and picture books, including When Riddles Come Rumbling and Lemonade Sun. She gives presentations and poetry workshops to students, teachers, librarians, and writers across the country. She lives near Indianapolis, Indiana.

Matt Mahurin is the illustrator of My Beautiful Child by Lisa Desimini. He is also a photographer, whose work is in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a filmmaker, who has made over 100 music videos and three feature films. He lives in Northport, NY.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780593752296
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Rise X Penguin Workshop
Publication date
October 08, 2024
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF019000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Family | General
JNF026000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Holidays & Celebrations | General
Library of Congress categories
-

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