Holi

K-Gr 2–A young Hindu girl named Basanti narrates the story of what it means to celebrate Holi. Basanti, whose name means spring, and her twin sister are excited for the holiday. Basanti explains that Holi, a part of their Hindu culture, is an annual tradition that celebrates the beginning of spring, as well as love and friendship by throwing beautiful colors on each other. The colors are made with flowers and vegetables, which are boiled and juiced and added to cornstarch to create gulal, a colored powder. Basanti walks readers through the evening before Holi, which is called Holika Dahan. She and her family dress in their best outfits and go to the park where the festival is taking place. Then, on the day of Holi everyone dresses in white so the gulal colors can be seen. The families all celebrate, dancing and throwing the gulal on each other. Chapman’s (The Bedtime Boat) text and Bora’s (All the Mamas, and Their Mamas, Too!) illustrations align perfectly, showing descriptively page by page the rundown of events before and during the holiday. A detailed glossary offers readers a more in-depth understanding of Holi, and additional back matter includes a guide to a few of the gods and goddesses important to the holiday, a summary of the story behind the gulal throwing, instructions for making paper chains, and more.