Carnival

by Alice K. Flanagan, Roberta Collier-Morales (Illustrator)

- Table of contents, index, and glossary
- Additional resources
- Activities

31 pages, Library Binding

First published August 1, 2003

About the author

Alice K. Flanagan has written books on many subjects. Exploring Parks with Ranger Dockett is just one of her books about jobs. Many children enjoy her books about birds. She has also written books telling about different Native American groups.

Reviews

[Celia Buell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of my feelings about the text of this one are similar to my review of Flanagan's Chinese New Year book that I read last month: it is pretty wordy and would be best for older readers.

I will say that Carnival was quite a bit more accessible and diverse than Chinese New Year in many ways. I like the depictions of celebrations across multiple cultures and locations, as well as the history to each place. I will say I actually learned a lot from this one about the specific histories in various places. I hadn't realized that Carnival was so closely tied to Epiphany and how those Christian traditions tie together in relation to the birth of Christ rather than just with Easter and Lent. Of course, it is also a Christianized version of a pagan holiday to celebrate spring (because let's be real, what isn't a Christianized version of a pagan holiday to celebrate the changing seasons), and I do wish that more of this was touched upon here, instead of glossed over.

Carnival highlights various celebrations and their meanings in various places. Italy, France, the US (primarily New Orleans), Brazil (primarily Rio), Canada, and Trinidad & Tobago are each given a page that depicts their customs.

As with Chinese New Year, my favorite part of Carnival was the illustrations. I like the diversity depicted as well as the colorful images to accompany the less exciting text forms. I also appreciate the extensive back matter, especially including the real places you can visit to learn about Carnival (the Mardi Gras museum in Texas and Mardi Gras World in New Orleans).

*Read for: Children's Book group (Picture Book Club) - February 2023 Holidays Scavenger Hunt - Mardi Gras / Carnival

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough while still being easy to read. It covers many aspects of the festival in different countries, although it is definitely written for readers in the United States. It was very child-friendly (no mention of toplessness or alcohol). My 1st grader enjoyed listening to it, and ask about a few of the vocal words, so we flipped to the glossary at the end. The book inspired her to make a Mardi Gras mask when we were done reading. My 3-year-old had zero interest in the book.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to introduce kids to the season known as Carnival / Mardi Gras.

[Stephanie Klaren]

This book would be good for middle to lower elementary students. The pictures are full of color and the text tells about when Carnival started and what it has turned into over the years. This book has good vocab usage and it tells about the different traditions that go on in the different countries that all celebrate carnival.