Wendy Pfeiffer's A New Beginning: Celebrating the Spring Equinox demonstrates that in many cultures, the arrival of spring is (or historically was) in fact celebrated as the beginning of a new year (the Chinese New Year, the Persian celebration of No Ruz).

That said, I can see this one working very well in a classroom unit on the autumn, and would recommend it to anyone seeking picture-books that explore the idea of harvest festivals as a worldwide phenomenon.Informative, with a generally engaging presented narrative, this fun albeit also rather text-heavy picture book not only describes spring as a season (longer and warmer days, rebirth, the end of winter), it also highlights some of the many (and global) cultural celebrations and festivals that welcome and honour springtime.

My only criticism would be the fact that the Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is never explicitly named, even though there is a page devoted to it, which seems an odd oversight. I'm glad I finally did, as I found the text here informative, the artwork appealing, and the craft ideas fun. Having read all four of Wendy Pfeffer's books, which also cover these important days, I have long also been aware of the Jackson/Ellis series, and have meant to get to them. The book concludes with a brief retelling of a Sauk folktale, and with various craft ideas associated with each holiday or festival described.Īlthough The Autumn Equinox: Celebrating the Harvest is the first of Jackson and Ellis' four books exploring the cardinal points of the solar calendar that I have read, it will definitely not be the last. From the American Thanksgiving, which opens the book and is explored more fully later on, to the Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, from the Celtic Samhain (a precursor of Halloween) to the Iroquois Green Corn Dance, many different traditions are described.

Author Ellen Jackson and illustrator Jan Davey Ellis, who have also produced picture-books about the Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice, here explore the Autumn Equinox, and the many harvest festivals worldwide that coincide with it.

The Spring Equinox by Ellen Jackson