Hispanic Heritage Month / Mes de la Herencia Hispana

* Reviews *

Series Review: Celebraciones y festivales en Latinoam?rica
"These volumes showcase major holidays and festivals. The first book describes the different ways that carnival is observed and briefly touches on the celebration in the United States. The author gives a brief history of the events, tying their origins to early Christian Europe. The rest of the text describes the sights and sounds of the modern celebrations: the parades, costumes, dancing, drumming, fireworks, beads, and confetti. The second book discusses the significance and history of Hispanic Heritage Month. It touches on D?a de la Raza (Day of the Race), talks about the current U.S. Hispanic population, suggests ways that young people can gain more knowledge of their heritage, and introduces Latinos who are well known within popular U.S. culture. The third volume explores varied ways that Latinos celebrate the Christmas holidays across the Americas from the foods and feasts, to the use of lights, to the making of family nativity scenes, to which days children open presents. It touches briefly on Las Posadas, where people travel to neighborhood homes, singing and asking if there is room in the inn for Mary and Joseph, and the anticipated coming of the Three Wise Men. The Spanish translations accurately portray the English prose. Throughout the texts, words highlighted in bold print are featured in the glossaries. Full-color photographs appear on each spread."
--Cristi Jenkins, Fort Vancouver Library District, WA, School Library Journal