Editorial Review
Cultural Traditions in Brazil - Children's Literature

More than 200 million people live in Brazil, which is the largest country in South America. This nonfiction book describes the many holidays that are celebrated in Brazil. A few of these celebrations include Christmas, Carnival, Easter, Indian Day, and Feasts Day. In Brazil the weather is hot during Christmas. It is not uncommon for people to celebrate on the beach. Carnival is a big celebration that lasts four days and occurs 40 days before Easter, featuring parades, dancing, and singing. In the month of April, Brazil celebrates Indian Day, which honors the indigenous people of Brazil. This is one of the largest indigenous cultural events in the world. Feast Days, also called Festas Juninas, are held in June. This two-week ‘country-style’ celebration includes parties, music, and dancing. Men often wear straw hats and women wear their hair in pigtails with painted freckles. There are many more holidays described in this bright, colorful book. Large photographs fill each page, and the book includes a table of contents, a glossary, and an index. The text is eye-catching and interesting facts are included throughout the book. The “Cultural Traditions In” series includes five other books. Intended for the 9-12 age group, this book could easily be used in an upper elementary social studies or geography classroom. Reviewer: Cheryl Williams Chang