Subjects:  1. Arbor Day    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 1-2    4. Holidays    5. Holidays & Celebrations - General    6. Holidays (non religious)    7. Juvenile Nonfiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. United States   

Reviews (1)

Great Period Resource
My business associate has this book and I want one for myself. We design and manufacture holiday decorations for commercial applications. I use this book to help me design Christmas themes for historic victorian towns in particular. I recommend it highly as a source for how Christmas was depicted and celebrated in 19th Century America. It even shows the first known Christmas card. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Art    3. Christmas    4. Clip Art    5. General    6. Holidays (non religious)    7. Pictorial works    8. Pictures, illustrations, etc    9. Art / Clip Art    10. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles   

Reviews (1)

Different from the Others!
This book provides a lot of information that hasn't appeared in other children's books.I really found myself interested in the story and understand the life of Squanto better than ever before.I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Children's 4-8 - Sociology    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    4. Children: Grades 2-3    5. General    6. Holidays & Celebrations - Thanksgiving    7. Holidays (non religious)    8. Juvenile Nonfiction    9. Juvenile literature    10. Squanto    11. Thanksgiving Day    12. Wampanoag Indians   

Reviews (1)

Thanksgiving feast for the eye as well as the brain
Dana Rau`s THANKSGIVING not only explains about the Pilgrims` first thanksgiving celebrations with the Native Americans, but with color photos and reproductions of paintings, attractively elaborates on its history as a holiday, its symbols, as well as different modern-day celebrations. Fullof facts, this concise, non-fiction picture book includes a vocabulary list, as well as an index and other resources for youthful researchers.While the text and length is appropriate for the suggested age group, the large print and colorful visuals make it fine for reading aloud to younger children. Rau should be commended for her excellent use of paintings, as well as her choice of photos which touch on the multicultural aspects of the USA. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    2. Children: Grades 3-4    3. Holidays    4. Holidays & Celebrations - Thanksgiving    5. Holidays (non religious)    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Social life and customs    9. Thanksgiving Day    10. United States   

Subjects:  1. Arts And Crafts    2. Christmas    3. General    4. Holidays (non religious)    5. Photography    6. Poetry    7. United States    8. Non-Classifiable   

Subjects:  1. Berbers    2. Holidays (non religious)    3. Islam    4. Middle Atlas Mountains    5. Middle atlas Mountains (Morocc    6. Morocco    7. Rites and ceremonies    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. Ethnography    11. Religious rites & ceremonies    12. Social Science / Holidays (non-religious)   

Reviews (1)

good but not for the layman
This book was good and very useful for research but a trite hard tounderstand.Overall I found it worth the read, and it has a very nicecalendar of the festivals of Athens. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Holidays (non religious)    2. Sociology   

Reviews (1)

Awesome--Fantastic
Even though I am not a member of the six nations but am Cherokee, I found this book to be very uplifting. Reading it in English is one thing but seeing it printed in a native tongue makes it all the better. The native words emit waves of feelings from worlds that have gone before. It puts into words what we as a people need to listen to and take to heart and practice in our daily lives. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    2. General    3. Holidays (non religious)    4. Religion   

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Other    2. Holidays (non religious)    3. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction   

Subjects:  1. Decorating    2. Holiday - General    3. Holidays (non religious)    4. Social Science    5. Sociology   

Reviews (3)

"Go outside and Play!" the wise and imperative words of my mother.
Al Gini's book is not about the nature and characteristics of Play, but rather, it is a `working' diatribe against work; with only scant attention given to `Play, Leisure and Vacation'.Paradoxically, Al Gini failed to grasp his own message.He needs to lighten up his message andplay more, either that, or change the title (a much easier solution).
Slow Lifestyle Primer
This well-researched book is a great place to start to learn about the slow lifestyle. Al Gini is Professor of Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago. He's also a business consultant. He previously explored a mixture of business, work, and philosophy, in his book My Job, My Self. Be warned, he describes himself as addicted to work.
Interesting concept.
Americans are overworked compared to their European partners. They work for "addicted organizations" that push them to work harder, produce more, and take less vacation time. The end results are unsatisfying workplaces, boring and repetitive jobs, and bitter employees. Read more

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - General    2. Holidays (non religious)    3. Philosophy    4. Popular Culture - General    5. Social History    6. Sociology    7. History    8. Philosophy / General   

Editorial Review

From apples to zucchini, if it grows, is born, or somehow arrived in the U.S., somebody,somewhere has probably devoted a festival to it. "The diversity of our cuisine is what makes it adistinctive national cuisine," writes Barbara Carlson in her introduction to Read more

Subjects:  1. 1971-    2. Cookery    3. Festivals    4. Guidebooks    5. Holidays (non religious)    6. Museums, Tours, Points of Interest    7. Regional & Ethnic - American - General    8. Social life and customs    9. Travel    10. Travel - United States    11. United States    12. United States - General    13. Canada    14. Food & Drink / Cookery    15. Reference works    16. Trade fairs & exhibitions    17. USA    18. Food   

Subjects:  1. Christmas    2. Holidays (non religious)    3. Juvenile literature    4. Santa Claus    5. Sociology   

Reviews (7)

A Brick of Scholarship
This book is not for a casual reader.It is, instead, a compendium of primary source information for those curious about the calendar year in Britain.It's fascinating scholarship and absolutely authoratative in its research, but not for "just reading"!At some points, the paragraphs are so thick with citations and details that my eyes began to gloss.In general, though, the prose remains readable, even when detailing minutia.
An excellent British scholar,
Hope this great book comes back into print here. It's wordy, but I always appreciate the detail and background he provides. It's out of print here, it's still in print in the UK, so I got it from there.

A Great Source
This book is a great source for information about British customs andlore.Hutton is excited about his subject and holds it in deep regard allthe wile telling us the way it really is.I learned a lot from this bookand I consider it essential reading for everyone (especially neo-pagans)who has an interest in this subject.Read more

Subjects:  1. Customs & Traditions    2. Festivals    3. Folklore    4. Great Britain    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Holidays    8. Holidays (non religious)    9. Social Science    10. Christian rites & ceremonies    11. Cultural studies    12. Customs    13. Social history    14. United Kingdom, Great Britain   

Subjects:  1. America    2. Children's 4-8 - Sociology    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    4. Children: Grades 1-2    5. Children: Grades 2-3    6. Columbus Day    7. Columbus, Christopher    8. Discovery and exploration    9. History - Other    10. Holidays    11. Holidays & Celebrations - Other, Nonreligious    12. Holidays (non religious)    13. Juvenile History    14. Juvenile Nonfiction    15. Juvenile literature   

Subjects:  1. Holidays (non religious)    2. Sociology   

Reviews (1)

From A Christian Perspective
I am always looking for books about the history & lore of Halloween, so I took a chance on this one.It was written a very long time ago, which made it seem even more appealing to me.However, this book did not appeal to me because the author was an apparently very devout Christian, and he spent a great deal of effort glorifying the Christian god and the Christian bible.I have NOTHING against Christians or their religion; I just don't happen to be Christian, so all of this had no meaning for me.The description of the book never mentions this aspect of the book, and I was not familiar with the author, so I didn't realize the nature of the book.The author has the opinion that we celebrate Halloween because we have separated ourselves from Jesus, etc.This sentiment is found throughout all the chapters.
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Subjects:  1. Holidays (non religious)    2. Social Science    3. Sociology   

Reviews (6)

Glib approach to southern culture
Sadly, this book is "more of the same": poke fun of the hillbillies. It seems written from an MFA grad-student approach with an NPR polish applied. Light and witty, urban, no real feel for the subjects. Humor is great, of course, but here it doesn't quite work: there's a disconnect. A bit of a snotty tour of the South.
Excellent, insightful read.
Roger Lyle Brown has successfully penetrated the mass psyche of the Southern festival culture. At first glance, one might not consider "festivals" to be an engaging topic, but Brown explores thissubject like a psychoanalyst, providing real insight into the southern mindvia one of its most cherished traditions - the festival.A unique piece ofwork.

From the Associated Press:
"Every so often, a book comes out that is entirely, refreshingly new-- not just in approach and style, but in idea, scope and theme. RodgerLyle Brown, while doing doctoral work at Emory University, decided to weavehis journeys to Southern festivals into a tale that has most ambitioustask: to show that the way Southerners celebrate history and heritage ispart of a tapestry of melancholy that illustrates the fading of community.He succeeds mightily....For anyone interested in the South, social historyor the human condition, this is a book that is not to be missed."--Ted Anthony, Associated Press National Writer. April, 1998. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Description and travel    2. Festivals    3. Holidays (non religious)    4. Social conditions    5. Sociology    6. Southern States   

Reviews (1)

Small World Celebrations
This is a great resource book for educators (and others) interested in providing childen with accurate information about holidays celebrated around the world.It's wonderful for teachers to use in classrooms toprovide multicultural lessons to their students.This book provides usefulbackground information about numerous holidays (some familiar, some not)and suggestions for activities.It is suitable for young children(toddlers and up).A wonderful resource for every classroom! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activity programs    2. Children's 4-8 - Sociology    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    4. Early childhood education    5. Holidays (non religious)    6. Multicultural education   

Reviews (2)

A GLIMPSE INTO CHRISTMASES LONG PAST
Christmas is a bit of an odd holiday.As Americans we never long for a good old fashioned Easter or a good old fashioned Independence Day, we always pine for a good old fashioned Christmas in the belief that those were simpler, less stressful times.As writer Joanne Martell shows in her book "American Christmases" however, those days of Christmas past may not quite be the Currier & Ives picture perfect holidays that we may think they were.Martell has collected some 250 writings, culled from newspaper articles, memoirs, journals, letters, songs, etc...on the subject of Christmas dating from the earliest colonies in Plymouth right up through 2004.These writings give readers a unique and historical insight into the Christmas holiday that we've rarely had a chance to see.
Excellent compilation!
This book is excerpts from diaries, interviews, newspapers and other written sources.For anyone who loves history and stories to go along with it, this is a must for the holidays. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christmas    2. Customs & Traditions    3. History    4. Holidays (non religious)    5. Holidays - Christmas    6. Religion - Christian Life    7. Social History    8. Social Science    9. Social life and customs    10. Sociology    11. United States    12. United States - General