Festival of Colors

by Surishtha Sehgal, Kabir Sehgal, Vashti Harrison (Illustrator)

Overview

Youngsters can learn all about Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors, in this lush picture book from a "New York Times"-bestselling mother-and-son duo. Full color.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534478176
Publisher:	Little Simon
Publication date:	01/05/2021
Series:	Classic Board Books
Pages:	36
Sales rank:	189,752
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	1 - 5 Years

About the Author

Surishtha Sehgal was a university professor for many years and now enjoys reading to children during story time. She is the founder of a nonprofit organization that promotes social responsibility among students, and she serves on the boards of two universities and a national arts center. Surishtha and her son, Kabir Sehgal, are a mother-son writing team whose books include Festival of Colors, illustrated by Vashti Harrison, and Seven Samosas and the New York Times bestselling A Bucket of Blessings, both illustrated by Jing Jing Tsong. She lives in Atlanta. To learn more about the Sehgals’ books, visit Bucket.art.

Kabir Sehgal started his class newspaper in second grade and has been writing ever since. A bestselling author of several books, he is also a jazz bassist and Grammy Award–winning producer. Kabir and his mother, Surishtha Sehgal, are a mother-son writing team whose books include Festival of Colors, illustrated by Vashti Harrison, and Seven Samosas and the New York Times bestselling A Bucket of Blessings, both illustrated by Jing Jing Tsong. He lives in Atlanta. To learn more about the Sehgals’ books, visit Bucket.art.

Vashti Harrison, author and illustrator of the bestselling Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History, is an artist, author, and filmmaker with a passion for storytelling. She earned her MFA in film and video from California Institute of the Arts, where she snuck into animation and illustration classes to learn from Disney and DreamWorks legends. There she rekindled a love for drawing and painting. Now she uses her love for both film and illustration to craft beautiful stories for children.

Editorial Reviews

03/01/2021

PreS-Gr 2—This board book adaptation captures the beautiful illustrations and evocative descriptions of the original. Young readers are introduced to the Hindu Spring festival of Holi through the eyes of two young siblings, Chintoo and Mintoo. The siblings collect the colorful flowers of hibiscus, orchids, marigolds, and irises that they then dry and press into powders. When their powders are ready and they go off with their family toward the celebration, there are vibrant bursts of powder and shouts of "Holi, Hai." The colors used are vivid throughout but they especially pop after the bright powder is thrown. The short sentences and repetition will make this appealing to young readers. The use of color within the text also highlights the words used, creating deeper associations between that color and its spelling. It's also wonderful that the illustrations depict the various shades of brown skin tones of the siblings and others, highlighting that different races that can exist among family members and within a community. An author's note gives further information. VERDICT A lovely addition to share about this joyful holiday that would be a great choice for a diverse spring programming or displays.—Kristyn Dorfman, The Nightingale-Bamford Sch., New York City

School Library Journal

11/06/2017
The Sehgals, the mother-son duo behind A Bucket of Blessings, offer a fittingly vivid introduction to Holi, the springtime Hindu festival of colors, as seen through the eyes of Indian siblings Chintoo and Mintoo. The children collect flowers from their garden to turn into brightly colored powders (“They gather orchids, because orchids make purple”), then gather with everyone they know in the town square to celebrate by throwing the powders on each other. Harrison (Little Leaders: Bold Women), working in a distinctly Disneyesque style, fills a spread with laughing and dancing celebrants, their skin and white clothes covered in dustings of red, yellow, blue, and purple. But the Sehgals also remind readers that “Holi is a festival of fresh starts. And friendship. And forgiveness.” Those already familiar with Holi may wish that the authors had devoted less space to powder preparation (in real life, the afterword notes, “most people buy these powders from the local bazaar”) and more on other aspects of the holiday. But there’s enough brightly colored fun to prompt readers to seek out local Holi celebrations. Ages 2–8. Illustrator’s agent: Carrie Hannigan, Hannigan Salky Getzler. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

It is spring and Chintoo and Mintoo are excited; it is time to prepare for Holi, the Indian festival of colors. Together, the brother and sister roam their verdant garden, collecting the flowers they will turn into brightly colored powders. “They gather hibiscus flowers, because hibiscus flowers make red.” Orchids, marigolds, and irises come next. Chintoo and Mintoo dry the flowers before separating the petals and finally pressing them into powder. Once their petal powders are complete, it’s time to celebrate. All dressed in white, the siblings join their parents, friends, and neighbors outside where the powders will be tossed about. The Sehgals—a mother-and-son duo—use short, repetitive sentences and color-coded words, which nicely pair with Harrison’s genial scenes emphasizing the vibrant, sunny colors of the festival and
the delight of getting ready with family. This lively, informational read reinforces primary and secondary colors and showcases this jovial Hindu festival as a time to celebrate fresh starts, friendship, and forgiveness, and have lots of fun in the process. An authors’ note offers more context. — Anita Lock

Nov 1, 2017 - Booklist

It is spring and Chintoo and Mintoo are excited; it is time to prepare for Holi, the Indian festival of colors. Together, the brother and sister roam their verdant garden, collecting the flowers they will turn into brightly colored powders. “They gather hibiscus flowers, because hibiscus flowers make red.” Orchids, marigolds, and irises come next. Chintoo and Mintoo dry the flowers before separating the petals and finally pressing them into powder. Once their petal powders are complete, it’s time to celebrate. All dressed in white, the siblings join their parents, friends, and neighbors outside where the powders will be tossed about. The Sehgals—a mother-and-son duo—use short, repetitive sentences and color-coded words, which nicely pair with Harrison’s genial scenes emphasizing the vibrant, sunny colors of the festival and
the delight of getting ready with family. This lively, informational read reinforces primary and secondary colors and showcases this jovial Hindu festival as a time to celebrate fresh starts, friendship, and forgiveness, and have lots of fun in the process. An authors’ note offers more context. — Anita Lock

Nov 1, 2017 - Booklist

It is spring and Chintoo and Mintoo are excited; it is time to prepare for Holi, the Indian festival of colors. Together, the brother and sister roam their verdant garden, collecting the flowers they will turn into brightly colored powders. “They gather hibiscus flowers, because hibiscus flowers make red.” Orchids, marigolds, and irises come next. Chintoo and Mintoo dry the flowers before separating the petals and finally pressing them into powder. Once their petal powders are complete, it’s time to celebrate. All dressed in white, the siblings join their parents, friends, and neighbors outside where the powders will be tossed about. The Sehgals—a mother-and-son duo—use short, repetitive sentences and color-coded words, which nicely pair with Harrison’s genial scenes emphasizing the vibrant, sunny colors of the festival and
the delight of getting ready with family. This lively, informational read reinforces primary and secondary colors and showcases this jovial Hindu festival as a time to celebrate fresh starts, friendship, and forgiveness, and have lots of fun in the process. An authors’ note offers more context. — Anita Lock

Nov 1, 2017 - Booklist Online

2017-09-18
The Sehgals' newest picture book introduces young readers to Holi, a Hindu spring festival, through color, repetition, and onomatopoeia. As the book opens, Chintoo and Mintoo—nicknames often given to young children in India or in Indian homes—are preparing for Holi, a holiday during which, among other things, celebrants douse each other with colored powder and water. The children collect flowers, such as hibiscus ("because hibiscus flowers make RED") and irises ("because irises make BLUE"), and then crush the dried petals into powders to use to play with their parents, friends, and neighbors. "POOF!" the colors pop, and the revelers chant, "Holi, hai! Holi, hai!" ("It's Holi! It's Holi!") Unlike the Sehgals' text, which lacks rhythm and is quite dull, Harrison's textured and cinematic illustrations are vivacious and dynamic, with renderings of humans that reflect her background in animation. Refreshingly, she represents children and adults with a wide variety of skin tones; India's many browns are also on display here. This is the mother-and-son authorial team's third collaboration (after A Bucket of Blessings, illustrated by Jing Jing Tsong, 2016, and The Wheels on the Tuk Tuk, illustrated by Jess Golden, 2014), and while it is sharper than the duo's previous books, it still falls flat. The book includes an authors' note that provides further historical and cultural context about Holi, which may provide some classroom relevance.Anodyne but useful. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews