HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Sesame Street characters gather together to celebrate select turn-of-the-year holidays.

Rather than describe specific practices or origins in his clumsily constructed rhyme, Manning hammers on the titular theme and on general feelings of love and togetherness all the way to an inevitable “there’s no place like home.” He leaves it up to the “grown-ups” addressed in closing crib notes to identify the eight holidays highlighted in turn in Kwiat’s set of cartoon feasts and frolics. Throughout, secular customs and symbols get far more play than religious contexts, and the entry for the Lunar New Year (following a description of the calendrical one) retains the parochial header “Chinese New Year.” However, the gloss for “Thanksgiving” does acknowledge similar celebrations in other parts of the world, and the inclusion of Eid al-Fitr, Kwanzaa, and Diwali alongside Christmas and Hanukkah in the roster likewise signal a generally multicultural outlook. Cameos from stars like Pino (Big Bird’s blue Dutch cousin), Lily the Chinese tiger cat, and hijab-clad Zari expand the already-diverse Sesame Street cast. Younger audiences may be less drawn in by the topic than the challenge of naming all the puppets that put in appearances here (there’s no key), but the festive tone is at least appropriate for the season.

Points for offering a broad picture even if the presentation is nothing to write home about.