Margriet Ruurs shares birthday traditions of children from 17 different countries around the world. . Each two-page spread introduces the child and where they are from. It tells how to say Happy Birthday in their native language, and then describes their birthday traditions. These traditions always include food served and whether or not their are gifts given or received. It was interesting to see that there are many countries that do not celebrate the actual day of their birth. In some countries they do not know their actual birthday, and in others everyone celebrates on the same day. The text is not too difficult or detailed, there is just enough to hold the interest of children and give them some basic information. There is also a wonderful map of the world at the beginning of the book showing where the children are from so you can see where these countries are. There are some fun illustrations by Ashley Barron done in a beautiful cut-paper collage artwork that adds interest to the book.

This is a great book for showing children that everyone in the world has different traditions/customs that they live by, and that there is no one particular 'normal'. It introduces a variety of different countries which some young people may not have heard of. This is a great book to use in primary grades when they are learning about celebrations and traditions. As the description says, this book provides cross-curricular applications in language arts, global studies and geography. The back of the book contains a two-page spread with various activities that facilitate a closer reading of the text and a glossary containing translations and pronunciations. This is a great book for public, school and class libraries. There is a lot to learn here as well as peaking the interest of the reader to search out more about the countries and customs mentioned. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. ( )

This is a perfect multicultural introduction to birthday celebrations around the world. ( )

This is a perfect multicultural introduction to birthday celebrations around the world. Ruurs introduces seventeen children and describes their customs and traditions. Therefore ,the book has a personal, yet global feel. Included is a parent/teacher idea section, a glossary, and a website that has links to birthday songs being sung in other languages. The illustrator chose paper-cut collage that adds to the homey celebration! This book could also be used with older children to introduce a research project. I know I want to learn more! The best thing we can celebrate is how interesting we earthlings are! ( )

I saw this title and thought "Ugh, another around the world book" but this one was different. I felt like I was reading short stories for children instead of boring facts about birthdays around the world. Each country represented has a specific child from that country that tells what celebrating birthdays is like where they live. I was disappointed there were no pronunciation guides in each section, but there is a pronunciation key for the difficult words in the glossary at the back of the book. There is also a section with ideas for teachers and parents. This non fiction book on birthdays around the world was very entertaining. ( )