Holi, the Festival of Colors
Holi is the Hindu Festival of Colors. According to The Times of India, Holi is celebrated to mark the beginning of Spring, and involves the entire community coming out and smearing each other with beautiful colored powders.
Children's Books about Holi:
Here are some children's books of interest available at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library if you celebrate Holi, or want to know more about this important holiday celebrated by Hindu communities around the world:
Festival of Colors by Khabir Sehgal
Sibilings Chintoo and Mintoo collect flowers and press the petals into a fine powder as they prepare for Holi, the Indian springtime Festival of Colors. Includes author's note.
Holi Colors by Rina Singh
Experience Holi with every color of the rainbow! This Hindu celebration known as the festival of colors and the festival of love signifies the end of winter, the arrival of spring and the victory of good over evil. A time to laugh, play, visit friends and get messy!
Amma, Tell Me About Holi by Bhakti Mathur
Klaka asks his Amma to tell him about the traditions of Holi, the Hindu festival of colors.
Blastoff Readers: Holi by Rachel Koestler-Grack
"Relevant images match informative text in this introduction to Holi. Intended for students in kindergarten through third grade"
India Collection:
Families may also be interested in our special collection of books donated by the Consulate General of India, New York through Mr. K. Devadasan Nair, consul, community affairs. The India Collection includes well over 1000 books, more than 200 of which are written in several Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Punjabi, Telugu, English, Marathi and Urdu. The materials, including biographies, Gandhi's complete works, folklore and picture books on India’s culture and customs, are housed at the Amherst Public Library at Audubon, Clarence Public Library and the downtown Central Library. All Library card holders can borrow the books through the Library System catalog at www.BuffaloLib.org.
