Fire and light are essential components of many significant celebrations, illuminating Chinese New Year, Cinco de Mayo, Diwali, Christmas, and Ramadan as well as numerous occasions in between. In Lighting Our World, author Catherine Rondina includes 31 celebrations from various cultures around the globe, each one aglow with bonfires, fireworks, candles, or lanterns.            

Luscious illustrations by Ontario College of Art and Design instructor Jacqui Oakley move through the months as fictional children introduce their culture’s festive traditions. Miguel, a Mexican-American, describes the sense of pride that infuses Cinco de Mayo, while Ly, from Vietnam, explains the significance of a spinning lantern in Tet Trung Thu festivities (it symbolizes the earth circling the sun). A coloured sidebar on each spread highlights an additional occasion, while July’s spread focuses on six different Independence days.

Via her young narrators, Rondina explains centuries-old festivals, such as Inti Raymi, the Incan Festival of the Sun; Nowruz, an ancient New Year celebration in Iran; and Halloween, which many young readers may be surprised to learn dates back to the Celts. An introduction to calendars and a useful glossary round out the information.

There are numerous books about individual celebrations and still others on festivals of light, so Lighting Our World isn’t breaking new ground. However, the child’s-eye view lends a friendly tone, helps to make the celebrations relevant, and encourages an appreciation for the wealth of cultures and traditions that surround us. What really helps to set this book apart, though, is Oakley’s striking artwork. It has a vintage sensibility with a bold, modern edge, and the illustrations seem to burst from the page as vibrantly and festively as the varied observances they bring to life.