Editorial Review
A noteworthy review of World Traditions from Booklist on April 1, 2013

In this title in the World Traditions series, we’re celebrating birthday customs around the globe. In Ghana, birthday boys and girls eat oto for breakfast, a mix of sweet potatoes and onions, along with hard-boiled eggs. Later they play a game called ampe, which involves clapping and jumping. In Central and South America, birthdays are celebrated with a piñata, a papier-mâché animal filled with candy and toys. Twelve countries in all are featured here, with some covered in a single paragraph of text, and others in several. Images include maps, photos, and the occasional painting. Piñata-making instructions conclude, along with birthday songs in four different languages; in Korean, it begins ‘Sang-il Chookha-Hapneeda.’ Kids love blowing out their own birthday candles, so they’re sure to find this interesting.
—Ann Kelley