Harvest Days: Giving Thanks Around the World (World of Celebrations)

On the initial spread of this whirlwind offering, a look at rituals practiced and food served during harvest holidays globally, a group of children, portrayed with varying skin tones, gather food pending bountiful celebrations. As the pages turn, DePalma uses rigorously rhyming couplets for a tour of varied locations: A spread on Tamil Nadu, India, shows people dressing up their cattle and feeding them treats as thanks for their hard work; another depicts Spanish citizens flooding the streets for La Tomatina, a town-wide tomato food fight, to use up overripe fruit. Pronunciations and sidebars detailing each celebration’s significance feature throughout: “At Homowo, the Gã people of Ghana laugh at hunger and remember when they overcame starvation.” Peluso’s digitally rendered, naïflike illustrations primarily foreground characters rejoicing with their loved ones. Contextualizing back matter provides information about the myriad harvest events discussed. Ages 4–10. (Sept.)