Teaching in a smaller, suburban town in the Northeastern U.S. it is easy to get into your own bubble. You get comfortable with your own traditions and ways of life. Yet every year my educator colleagues and I search for ways to increase our students' knowledge about the Earth and those who live in other lands. The only way to overcome the divisiveness of this world is through these kids. "Christmas" is an easy access point to use in a classroom to show students that there is often a common thread that unites all of us. With rich, clear, colorful photos and illustrations, it covers thousands of years of history and thousands of miles of travel. Students will love to hear about how Ancient Egyptians celebrated winter holidays, and about the evolution of the Yule Log. With lengthier bits of text it is better for middle elementary students (ages 7-10), although if done is smaller chunks it could be a wonderful read-aloud for younger kids. Highly recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and Orca Books for this advanced read.

This may be the most in-depth exploration of Christmas traditions that I've ever read. We get not only the details of the traditions and what they mean to the celebrants but also where they came from. Pagan rituals, religious festivals, all sorts of things. Each exploration is not terribly long but fairly complete. It's a quick reference for the curious, a starting point for deeper research.

It's important nowadays to understand other cultures and beliefs. Books like this one are a huge part of that. It's well laid out, bright and colourful, simple enough for young children to understand and meaty enough for older children to enjoy on their own. I learned a few things I didn't know, and I'll be coming back to it closer to Christmas to get some more ideas. A great read.


Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.