Spooky Celebrations Around the World by Matt Ralphs (Sep 2024)

Welcome to the spookiest, and most fun, book of celebrations from around the world! You’ll have heard of Halloween, and maybe Día de Muertos, or Obon too, but did you know there are spooky festivals all over the world? Across every continent there are festivals that celebrate and honor spirits. Children will delight in discovering the stories behind these 21 amazing celebrations. With text that captures the joy in many of these festivals and the respectful nature of others, and stunning artwork with fun details to spot, children will learn all about the interesting ways these festivals are celebrated today.

This is a brilliant book for 5-8-year-olds that doesn’t just celebrate Halloween but can be enjoyed year-round. The text builds on children’s knowledge of recognizable festivals and introduces them to others they may not have heard of. With playful text that celebrates cultural traditions, this book encourages children to be curious about and respectful of the world around them.

Festivals featured: Awuru Odo (Nigeria); Basler Fasnacht – (Basel, Switzerland); Chuseok (South Korea;) Correfoc (Barcelona, Catalonia); Día de Muertos (Mexico); Fastelavn (Scandinavia, Iceland, Estonia and the Faroe Isles); Fèt Gede (Haiti); Fête des Masques (Mali); Gai Jatra (Nepal); Halloween (North America and Europe); Khamis al-Amwat (the Levant); La Festa di Ognissanti (Italy); Mari Lwyd (Wales); Matariki (Aotearoa New Zealand); Ouidah Vodun Festival (Ouidah, Benin); Pchum Ben (Cambodia); Pitru Paksha (South Asia); Samhain (Northern Europe); Setsubun (Japan); Walpurgis Night (Northern Europe); Zhongyuan (China).