Celebrating Harvest

This educational primer, part of the Start-Up Religion series, presents why and how Christians and Jews celebrate harvest. Nason (Visiting a Mosque) combines short written descriptions with photographs and other illustrations on pages tinted with washes of pastel colors. A spread dedicated to “Harvest thanks,” for example, includes several photos: a close-up of sunflower seeds, a girl watering plants, a boy adding soil, a tractor plowing a field, and birds flying against a sunset. A drawing of a basket filled with produce appears beside the text, “What would you say thanks for?” Along a yellow ribbon at bottom run words in a vocabulary list: “harvest, thank you, God, believe, water, soil.” The “Harvest festival” page depicts children in front of a church sanctuary decorated with grapes, bread, and flowers, while the Sukkot pages show sukkahs from outside and inside, with information and questions. Ten aspects of harvest-related celebrations are treated on full-spread pages, while back matter gives information for parents and teachers including new words, suggested activities, and recommended websites. An informative and engaging introduction with interfaith application. Ages 3–5. (May)