Lots of Lights: Lots of Lights

I got this book for a preschool lesson on Diwali. We wanted to make sure our Hindu/Indian students felt included, but none of our teachers had personal experience with this holiday. This book made it really easy to draw up lesson plans and explain it to a class of preschoolers in terms that they could relate to. Since we were using it in a school setting, we also wanted to steer clear of religious background (we observe holidays at our school, but do not endorse any certain religion). The book did a nice job of explaining the premise for the holiday ("light winning over darkness").

As a first generation Indian American, it was always difficult to understand a celebration when the people around me did not understand it or even know about it. As a kid, my explanation for Diwali was a simple as "its our New Year." This book really provides a comprehensible yet simple explanation to children that provides more context. It is presented well illustratively so that kids will want to re-read it and remember the explanation well enough to repeat it to others who are unaware. My family is buying books for all children in the family! The benefit doubles because we know the purchase will support Pratham, the organization that is really helping to educate all children in India.

The illustrations and the book itself are nice for the most part. My complaint with it is about 2 things mainly.Inaccuracy:1. The page about Choti Diwali which talks about a special rite under the full moon is inaccurate. Diwali falls on new moon (Amavasya).2. It says Diwali is celebrated on different days in different parts of India which is also wrong.3. There is something about setting up a tent and everybody gets a gift on Diwali morning....this is also not entirely true. Gifting is mainly in the form of sharing sweets with friends, family and neighbors. After reading their text, the child associates Diwali with a sort of Indian Christmas and expects gifts...not what I was going for.Families often indulge in shopping and may buy gifts for some, but this is not an expectation.Not enough historical story / context:1. The book lists activities for 5 days of Diwali..which is great for kids to know.But they don't address why it is celebrated. The story of Ram's victory over Ravana or the killing of the asura (demon) by Kali...would have provided some context.

This is a great story to introduce Diwali to young children. The pictures are colorful like a water color painting, and the descriptions are simply stated for young children who may not celebrate Diwali.

This book is a great introduction to Diwali for kids and families who aren't of Indian origin. I bought this book to read to a Kindergarten class for Diwali; the book is a good size (not like a small board book) and the print and illustrations are colorful and easy to read. It is an easy explanation of Diwali for kids and I'm glad I bought this one and all proceeds from the sale go to charity.

Really cute story about a pair of siblings. The water color illustrations are lovely and the story kept our 3.5 year old engaged. Nice introduction to the holiday and its traditions.

I love this book. It explains Diwali without being overly complicated. I read it to a class of four year olds and another class of three year olds. It was great for both without going too much into complicated religious aspects of Diwali

The book is a feeble attempt to describe the rituals commonly performed on the five days of Diwali. It is factually inaccurate: If Diwali is traditionally celebrated on the new (no) moon, how can Chhoti Diwali (the night before) be held "under the full moon?" The free verse is often awkward-- "Please accept our humble invite to celebrate with us the festival of light" and slightly inappropriate (the father stuffs himself until he has to unbutton his pants). A book targeted towards children would have benefited from a consistent meter or rhyme. There is no reference to Ram, Kali or Laxmi. The watercolor illustrations are nice, however the use of an elephant (instead of human) family is confusing to children familiar with the image of Ganesha. Overall, I am disappointed with the book, and I do not recommend it. Buy "A Diwali Adventure" by Sana Sood instead.

Lovely book to read to pre-schoolers. Explains the festival in a simple way.Gorgeously illustrated.

Paper quality not good

Lovely book on Diwali.

Poor quality in he kindle format where pages are mixed up and text missing. It is a shame though as the colours and drawings are beautiful

great for my pre-school