CELEBRATE IN SOUTH ASIA

This is truly a fascinating and highly accessible survey of religious holidays and community festivals in India (Holi and the Pushkar Camel Fair), Sri Lanka (Esala Perahera—an astonishing procession honoring Buddha's tooth relic—and Wesak—Buddha's birthday), Bangladesh (Baishakhi—the Bengali New Year), Pakistan (Eid-ul-Fitr—breaking the Ramadan fast), Bhutan (Paro Tsechu—a dance festival), Myanmar (the Shwedagon Pagoda Festival), and Nepal (Tihar—the Newari New Year). Relatively few children in the US will have experienced these celebrations. Viesti and Hall's concise descriptions are a vivid mix of respectful reporting enlivened by kid-pleasing details. In a typical entry, describing Holi, they observe: ``Unlike most festivals in Asia, during Holi everyone wears their worst clothes'' because ``people take to the streets and throw gulal [colored powder] onto one another's faces.'' Three full-color photos offer exhilarating glimpses of Indians of all ages gleefully celebrating. Curious readers will find even more information in the photo captions. Fact-filled, congenial fare. (map) (Picture book/nonfiction. 5+)