Review - Holi Hai!

Holi Hai!
by Chitra Soundar
illustrated by Darshika Varma
Date: 2022
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Gauri is excited to splash colors on everyone for Holi. But when she doesn't get her favorite color, Gauri gets mad. Will she find a way to overcome her anger and join in the festivities?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This a relatable little holiday story about a girl named Gauri. As her family prepares for Holi, each person is assigned a colour and must make a coloured powder. But Gauri doesn't get the colour she wanted, so she sulks all day and doesn't get anything done. Later, Grandpa tells the kids the story of Holika and Prahlada, and Gauri realizes maybe she's been acting with too much anger in her heart. So she works hard all night to try to make things right.

I've read a few Holi picture books. This is one of the stronger ones. The story is engaging, and isn't just about the festival. I enjoyed how Gauri's childhood anger and entitlement was portrayed, and how the issue was eventually resolved. There's a great author's note at the back that explains more about Holi, and there's even some recipes for making coloured waters, just in case you feel like getting joyfully messy.

Overall, this is a nice picture book about Holi with strong themes of family, compromise, and making the best of things when they don't turn out exactly as you wanted.

Premise: 5/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 5/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4.33 out of 5

Review - Festival of Colors

Festival of Colors
by Kabir Sehgal & Surishtha Sehgal
illustrated by Vashti Harrison
Date: 2018
Publisher: Beach Lane Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: hardcover
Source: library

Learn all about Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors, in this lush picture book from bestselling mother/son duo Surishtha Sehgal and Kabir Sehgal.

Spring is here, and it’s almost time for Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors. Siblings Mintoo and Chintoo are busy gathering flowers to make into colorful powders to toss during the festival. And when at last the big day comes, they gather with their friends, family, and neighbors for a vibrant celebration of fresh starts, friendship, forgiveness, and, of course, fun!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is the second picture book about Holi that I've read, the first being the underwhelming Holi Colors by Rina Singh. Unlike that book, which was basically just a bunch of photographs of children with coloured powder on their faces and some insipid rhymes, Festival of Colors has more of a story, with siblings Mintoo and Chintoo preparing for the festival by gathering flowers.

Flowers, you say? Well, as it turns out, those coloured powders are traditionally made from dried and powdered flowers. (I thought it was just coloured powder that was bought at a store!) So the beginning part of the book is basically a book that teaches colours as the siblings go about collecting the flowers to make their powders: irises for blue, marigolds for orange, etc. Then, when they have their powders, they join with their family, friends, and neighbours (all dressed in white) and begin the celebrations.

There's an author's note at the end that explains more about the festival, but the book itself already does a decent job of showing what goes on during Holi. And the illustrations are cute, intensely colourful, and immensely appealing.

I would definitely recommend this book for young children (or anyone, for that matter) who's interested in learning about Holi and what happens. It's also a colourful feast for the eyes, so people who appreciate good illustrations in picture books might want to take a look as well.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.83 out of 5

Review - Holi Colors

Holi Colors
by Rina Singh
Date: 2018
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book non-fiction
Pages: 24
Format: e-book
Source: library

Experience Holi with every color of the rainbow! This Hindu celebration known as the festival of colors and the festival of love signifies the end of winter, the arrival of spring and the victory of good over evil. A time to laugh, play, visit friends and get messy! Little ones will love exploring the colors of Holi through the vibrant photographs and Singh's playful rhymes in this brilliant concept book.

By the author of Diwali (Orca Origins), which has been called "an exceptionally valuable resource" by Kirkus Reviews and "a standout volume" by School Library Journal.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This library book has been on deck for weeks as I waited for the actual day to arrive. I have to say, given that buildup, I'm pretty disappointed. This book is simple--perhaps too simple--and is rather lazy when it comes to its aesthetic. In other words, I really don't like books that are illustrated using stock photos.

The text is presented in rhyming verse, which is at times clunky. It's basically just reciting the colours and illustrating them with chosen photos. Unfortunately, in some of the photos, the colour in question is kind of hard to see, so the reader must rely on the colour of the little flower that serves as the text background.

I'm not a fan of the pictures, either. Some are not pleasant to look at (like the kid on the green page, who has powder caked in her teeth), and some just had me questioning why they were used. On the page for red, the text reads:

Hush, baby,
hush.
Please don't
cry.

Mama got
RED from the
sunset sky.

This is accompanied by a picture of a child with no discernible red powder on him. But he is crying. The text should probably read:

Hush, baby,
hush.
I made you
cry.

Mama got
powder in your
poor little eye.

While the book looks diverse (since there are a number of little blond kids shown covered in coloured powder), I question how authentic this really is. I don't know anyone who celebrates this holiday (this area's Indian culture tends more toward the Sikh tradition than Hindu), let alone any white people who celebrate it! This is the problem with just going and finding stock photos. I would've much preferred it if someone had gone to some actual Holi celebrations specifically to take photos to be used in this book. (I realize there are Holi celebrations all over the world now, but that starts to call into question cultural appropriation. For this book, I would've rather seen the celebration depicted as it was traditionally celebrated, by the people who originally celebrated it.)

The reason I pick up books like this in the first place is so that I can learn something. Unfortunately, I learned more about Holi from its Wikipedia page than I did from reading this. Readers won't learn much from the rhyming text, and the author's note is very basic.

Overall, this is a very underwhelming book. For a celebration so visually stunning, I was hoping for more than just some stock photos of little kids with coloured powder all over them.

Premise: 2/5
Meter: 3/5
Writing: 2/5
Illustrations: 2/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.29 out of 5