Celebrate!

Written by poet Laura Mucha and illustrated by Hannah Tolson, this is one of a series which includes Welcome to our Table, also by Laura Mucha and published in 2023, and Welcome to our Playground (written by Moira Butterfield, 2024), all published by Nosy Crow. Nosy Crow’s collaboration with the British Museum is producing some very exciting cross-cultural texts, as examples: Goddess: 50 Goddesses, Spirits, Saints and Other Female Figures Who Have Shaped Belief (Dr Janira Ramirez, 2022) and HerStory: 50 Women and Girls Who Shook the World (Katharine Halligan, 2018), both illustrated by Sarah Walsh and part of the Inspiring Lives series.

This book takes two approaches: one looks at worldwide festivals, festivals that are specific to a religion or place but are celebrated around the world; the other looks at festivals that are specific to a particular country and are organised by continent. With only six or seven festivals per continent, this is inevitably a selection but an interesting one, including very old traditions and some much newer festivals, some religious, some arising from other traditions or customs.

Festivals are a way of sharing cultures, giving a voice to peoples from around the world, or from different religions. There is no hierarchy here so each is treated respectfully and equally. Laura Mucha says in her introduction that festivals provide people with time out,with space to think and to enjoy and to be part of a community, to belong. This is so important in our world, and this book/series should be in every school library.