Are your young readers sad that the holiday season is over? Point them to these titles, featuring holidays celebrated throughout the year around the world.

The Light from My Menorah: Celebrating Holidays around the World by Robin Heald. illus. by Andrea Blinick. Pajama Pr. ISBN 9781772782899. 
K-Gr 2–A family is gathered together, and a young boy references the long-ago miracle that they are remembering, then experiences something wondrous himself. The light from the menorah travels and carries him with it. The light may be shining for Diwali, Kwanzaa, St. Lucia Day, Loy Krathong, Christmas, or Hanukkah, but the boy sees hope and happiness wherever that special light takes him. VERDICT Emphasizing hope, beauty, and unity, this quietly powerful story demonstrates that people honor traditions in unique ways, while all are recognizing comfort and love as symbolized by light.

Celebrate with Me!: Recipes, Crafts, and Holiday Fun from Around the World by Laura Gladwin. illus. by Dawn M. Cardona. Magic Cat. ISBN 9781419763014. 
Gr 2-6–This celebration of holidays in several cultures is diversity at its finest. Twenty-five holidays are presented in order of the Western calendar year, January to December, with a different contributor for each writing about favorite ways to celebrate. VERDICT Bursting with color and joy, this book vibrantly shines with life, hope, and diversity. Recommended for purchase.

 Come and Join Us!: 18 Holidays Celebrated All Year Long by Liz Kleinrock. illus. by Chaaya Prabhat­. Harper­Collins. ISBN 9780063144477. 
K-Gr 5–On the opening page, a teacher and her students sit in a circle. They take turns describing holidays they celebrate with their families. The uniqueness of this book is that it is not holidays around the world. Instead, it is holidays celebrated by families of different cultures, religions, and traditions. VERDICT A beautiful book meant to be shared and inspire discussion. Purchase for all library shelves.

Let’s Get Festive!: Celebrations Around the World. by Joanna Kończak. tr. by Kate Webster. illus. by Ewa Poklewska-Koziello. NorthSouth. ISBN 9780735845701.
Gr 3-7 –A book that takes audiences on a journey around the world to celebrate thematic holidays derived from various religions, seasonal transitions, myths, traditions, and legends, as well as some born from folklore and fear. VERDICT This book successfully makes connections to widely known holidays around the world and introduces events of great significance to enlighten readers on the origins of local festivities and observances.

Feasts and Festivals Around the World: From Lunar New Year to Christmas by Alice B McGinty. illus. by Tomoko Suzuki. little bee. ISBN 9781499812176. 
PreS-Gr 3–Across the span of a year’s four seasons, readers learn about how 12 different countries observe a traditional holiday. Each holiday is described as a way to give thanks, honor loved ones, and come together as a community. VERDICT For any collection in need of more books on international celebrations, this will suffice; but without a table of contents or index, students conducting research projects on specific countries may overlook this one.

[Read: 3 Picture Books About Global Holidays, Festivals, and Other Celebrations]

Spooky Celebrations Around the World by Matt Ralphs. illus. by Veronika Kotyk. Phaidon. ISBN 9781838669102. 
Gr 4-6–Starting with Halloween, Ralphs takes readers on an adventure, exploring eerie celebrations from regions, including Northern Europe, Benin, South Asia, and Nigeria, with festivals like Samhain, Vodun, Pitru Paksha, and Awuru Odo. He dives into the origins and traditions of 21 distinct celebrations, with an additional 10 getting quick mentions at the end. VERDICT Purchase to fill a hole in coverage of international celebrations and for readers who enjoy a good scare.

We All Celebrate! by Chitra Soundar. illus. by Jenny Bloomfield. Tiny Owl. ISBN 9781910328897. 
Gr 3-5–This nonfiction picture book introduces and explores celebrations and holidays from around the world. The book is broken up into seasons and gives a great deal of information on diverse celebrations from all over the globe. Soundar includes religious and secular holidays and festivals. VERDICT This collection of diverse celebrations is a welcome addition to a library’s holiday collection.

Around the World Celebrations by Evi Triantafyllides. illus. by Nefeli Malekou. Worldwide Buddies. ISBN 9798988932628.
K-Gr 2–This book beautifully describes several celebrations from various cultures around the world. It aligns with the Gregorian calendar year, going from January to December, beginning and ending with a New Year’s celebration. Readers will see more familiar holidays, including Halloween and Thanksgiving, as well as some potentially lesser-known celebrations, such as Midsummer’s Day and Matariki. This title is geared toward younger readers, who will appreciate seeing the illustrations and reading the descriptions of the fun celebrations. VERDICT A fun addition to nonfiction areas about celebrations in parts all over the world.

My Wheel of the Year: A Celebration of Nature’s Magic by Nikki Van De Car. illus. by Kiki Kita. Running Pr. ISBN 9780762485277. 
Gr 1-4–A magical nonfiction book that takes readers on an annual journey through the revolution of seasons known as the Wheel of the Year. Eight spokes on the Wheel represent the eight holidays of Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lammas, and Mabon that mark the different seasons. VERDICT The title serves as an introductory resource to expand knowledge about holidays and seasons celebrated around the world, and could be successful in helping readers discover more about the topic.

 We ­Celebrate the Light by Jane Yolen & Heidi E.Y. Stemple. illus. by Jieting Chen. Penguin Workshop/Rise X. ISBN 9780593752296. 
K-Gr 3–The common themes of family and celebration are woven through this masterfully illustrated glimpse into seven fall and winter holidays. Diwali, Solstice, Christmas, Chanukkah, Kwanzaa, Bohdi Day, and Lunar New Year are each given two spreads, showing differing friend and family units celebrating and a one sentence summary of each holiday. VERDICT This sweeping embrace of winter and fall celebrations is a visually stunning addition to holiday book collections.