|
| The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice | 
| Author: Wendy Pfeffer
Creator: Jesse Reisch
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99
Buy New: $9.28
You Save: $7.71 (45%)
New (33) from $9.28
Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 5208
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 40
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 10.3 x 9.3 x 0.5
ISBN: 0525469680
Dewey Decimal Number: 394.261
EAN: 9780525469681
ASIN: 0525469680
Publication Date: September 22, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 11 | | NEXT » |
 Much good, a couple of problems November 8, 2008
Beautiful book that does a good job of explaining about the Winter Solstice. Activities for teaching are provided. Various solstice celebrations throughout time are described.
Couple of issues: The mentioning of celebration of harvests is confusing in that it appears to be connected to the winter solstice when instead harvest celebrations were generally near the autumn equinox. I'm not sure why harvest celebrations are mentioned at all.
And I seriously doubt that people feared that the sun wouldn't shine on them anymore, maybe in an eclipse event that was once in a life time, but really, ever since each individual was born they experienced that the sun came back and spring came and their parent experienced the same and could tell them about it. More likely the celebrations had to do with keeping track of time and celebrating the mystery of the cycle of life and death. I don't get into the quivering ignorant caveman idea. If you study about prehistoric man you will find a sophisticated people.
I do wish they had mentioned how that some burial mound openings are lined up with the rising sun on the solstice, certainly to the renewal of life that would grow in the earth or a mother and be born in the spring.
 Much to recommend July 31, 2008
The solstice is not an easy concept to explain to children. To do it well, an author needs to explain the movements of the Earth relative to the Sun and how these movements create the seasons. Probably the best way to convey the concept is to use a globe or an orange to represent the Earth and a flashlight to represent the Sun. In this book, Wendy Pfeffer suggests an activity that involves a lamp as a stand in for the Sun, but she forgets to mention that the activity must be done in a dark room (and not all lamps will work as a beam of light is really required). Still she's made a good try.
Most of the book is excellent. The illustrations are clear and kid-friendly, and the author covers a lot of ground. The activities at the end of the book are all pretty standard, but for the most part the author explains them well.
The nicest thing about this book is the simplicity of the language and the clarity of the explanations.
Ellen Jackson, author
THE WINTER SOLSTICE
www.ellenjackson.net
How nature fits into our Winter celebrations December 21, 2007
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I purchased this book after reading reviews here at Amazon and then previewing the book at our local library. I was looking for a picture book for my 6 year old that explains the Winter Solstice as well as the human traditions with which it is associated. This book fits the bill better than anything else I found, and the delightful illustrations are a nice bonus.
It may come as a surprise to many people that a book about Winter holidays does not mention Christmas or Hannukah. However, this book reaches back farther in time to festivals and celebrations based on natural phenomena that occur in the Winter (shorter days, plants losing leaves). These very early celebrations gave rise to many of the customs that we still follow (bringing evergreens into the home, giving gifts, lighting candles). I love the anthropological perspective (I'm trained in this field), and was thrilled to find the suggested activities at the end of the book for children to make simple scientific observations and hold a secular celebration of the Solstice.
This book would make a wonderful classroom resource as well as a read-aloud picture book to read as a family. It may be a bit too easy a read for children at a 2nd grade reading level or higher, but I enjoy the simplicity even as an adult. I also find the secular perspective refreshing. I understand that many Christians believe the only winter holiday of importance is the celebration of Christ's birth, but this book shows how it is possible to celebrate Winter for it's own sake and to recognize why so many festivals are held in winter.
 Could have been better December 13, 2006
This book has lovely illustrations, but the text and content could have been so much better. It says for ages 4-8, but really I wouldn't recommend it for anyone over 6. It is pretty simplistic, and won't hold the attention of a child much older than that. I wish it had included a lot more detail about the history of the Solstice.
How I like this story December 13, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
(Review from 9 year old girl, dictated to mom)
A great book! With a great amount of knowledge.
This little book has science and history and is fun. I like this story so much, I want to read it every year while I am a child.
|
|
|
Wildlife, nature and the Environment
Sponsored Links
Learn how to get your own Amazon Book shop | |
