Childrens

Binny's Diwali

Binny's Diwali

  • Downloads：8733
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-25 06:54:44
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Thrity Umrigar
  • ISBN：1338364480
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

Binny woke up happy but nervous。 It was her day to share about Diwali， the Festival of Lights！

Binny is excited to talk to her class about her favorite holiday。 But she struggles to find the words。Taking a deep breath， she tells her classmates about the fireworks that burst like stars in the night sky， leaving streaks of gold and red and green。 She shares with them delicious pedas and jalebis。 And she shows them clay lamps， called diyas， which look so pretty all the children ooh and aah。

Featuring a heartwarming story by Thrity Umrigar， enchanting illustrations by Nidhi Chanani， and detailed information about the Hindu festival of lights， Binny's Diwali is a holiday treat。

Download

Reviews

Kiara ，

Loved it

Marilyn ，

BINNY'S DIWALI， by Thrity Umrigar & illustrated by Nidhi Chanani， is the last of the children's books that I've read recently and intend to mail soon to a lucky little boy whose mom loves to read him all kinds of books！ I'm sending a few other books along with the six that I've listed on Goodreads， but no time for me to read them now。 And I've already started on Easter shopping for him！ But right now， I need to get this book reviewed and posted so it can start traveling several states away from BINNY'S DIWALI， by Thrity Umrigar & illustrated by Nidhi Chanani， is the last of the children's books that I've read recently and intend to mail soon to a lucky little boy whose mom loves to read him all kinds of books！ I'm sending a few other books along with the six that I've listed on Goodreads， but no time for me to read them now。 And I've already started on Easter shopping for him！ But right now， I need to get this book reviewed and posted so it can start traveling several states away from us， beginning tomorrow！ And then， too， I want to rate & review several non-kids' books read thus far this year， which I might do one day at at time （there are 6 of them， plus I am currently reading 2 books - a bio re the Dalai Lama & a memoir by a woman chef who's had many cookbooks published， 1 of which I own）。 Getting back to this review: First I must confess: While I took note of the beautifully illustrated cover jacket， it was the award-winning author's name that ultimately made me decide to open to its first pages， contemplating a potential purchase。 Thrity Umrigar wrote a couple of my favorite adult novels， and I read her memoir about a year ago as well。 I even have another novel by her on my To-Be-Read shelves。 So I figured a children's book by this author should be pretty awesome as well。 BINNY'S DIWALI could appeal to the same age-group （kindergartners） as MY FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR by A。E。 Ali （see my review of that， also posted today） but Umrigar's story seems to be about a child somewhat older than Ali's main character， plus her tale perhaps could be read independently by a first or second grader （perhaps with a little help re a few words） rather than having it read to him/her。 Of course， the theme is similar - a holiday that the child， Binny， loves - one that she will be describing to her classmates at school。 She's excited about sharing about Dawali and what she and her family do during that time， until she's in the classroom and freezes up！ But when her teacher suggests that she will be fine and that she take a deep breath， Binny remembers what her mother had reminded her about that morning - that the festival is about light and to think about "the oil lamps。" Then words about her fave holiday began to flow out of her， making her classmates get excited about the Hindu holiday too。 This book is， like its beautifully illustrated book jacket， beautifully written。 Binny even has her friends closing their eyes and imagining "a million twinkling stars。" I love that writer Thrity Umrigar， includes at the back of the book 2 pages that speak to the history and legends behind Diwali， as well as additional information about the 5-day festival， followed by a page containing 2 notes - one from the author （who grew up in India & celebrated the holiday， but was not Hindu） and the other written by the illustrator， who grew up in Los Angeles and celebrated the holiday with her family。BINNY'S DIWALI by Thrity Umrigar is a children's book about a 5-day festival that features lights of many kinds， including fireworks。 I am shining a light on this story via my rating of 5-stars， hoping it opens up some light on and about another culture， another spirituality， about the fact that even as we might hold different beliefs， eat different foods， celebrate different holidays - we are all part of the a larger human family。 We all share The Light。。。 and more。 It's important to start with the young， sharing stories like these， if we are ever to build a peaceful world community。 。。。more

Desiree ，

This picture book is a wonderful introduction to the hindu tradition of Diwali。 The illustrations are beautiful and the text matches with them perfectly。

Abigail ，

Binny wakes up on the first day of Diwali with a happy consciousness that this is the day she will be sharing the Hindu Festival of Lights with her classmates， through Show and Tell。 She enjoys the special clothing her parents give her， and the special breakfast they prepare， but when it is time for her to stand up and tell the other students what Diwali is， she is silenced by a sudden shyness。 Fortunately， her teacher Mr。 Boomer comes to her aid， and inspired by the diyas， or oil lamps used to Binny wakes up on the first day of Diwali with a happy consciousness that this is the day she will be sharing the Hindu Festival of Lights with her classmates， through Show and Tell。 She enjoys the special clothing her parents give her， and the special breakfast they prepare， but when it is time for her to stand up and tell the other students what Diwali is， she is silenced by a sudden shyness。 Fortunately， her teacher Mr。 Boomer comes to her aid， and inspired by the diyas， or oil lamps used to mark Diwali， she manages to describe all of the wonderful things that go along with the festival， from fireworks to treats。 The book closes with an afterword giving more information about Diwali， including a retelling of the myth of Rama and Sita， as well as a note from both author and illustrator。。。Binny's Diwali came out in September of this past year （2020）， some two months before Diwali， but I am only reading it now as it has been on order at my library until very recently， and my request for it has only just been fulfilled。 In any case， although it is not the time of year for Diwali， I enjoyed both story and artwork。 Author Thrity Umrigar is better known for her novels for adults， although she has produced one prior picture-book， When I Carried You in My Belly （2017）。 I was interested to learn from her afterword that she is not a Hindu herself， but a Zoroastrian - I had a very good friend in college who was Zoroastrian - but that， like Indians of all religions， she celebrated Diwali as a child。 I hadn't realized hitherto that Diwali is as much a national and cultural celebration， as it is a religious one。 Leaving that aside， the accompanying illustrations from Nidhi Chanani， whose work I have encountered before in Bea Birdsong's I Will Be Fierce， were colorful and cute， done in a cartoon-like style。 All in all， a sweet little picture-book， one I would recommend to anyone seeking children's books about the celebration of Diwali， or about the experiences of Indian-American children。 。。。more

Pam ，

Binny shares about Diwali with her class。 She captures the joy of this holiday after conquering her fear of speaking。Informative text included at the end。

Debra ，

This is an adorable book of a young girl explaining the holiday of Diwali to her classmates。 Traditions are much of the focus and includes: light， art， and snacks。 The fears of public speaking are prominent and her teacher and her mother help her through those fears to share a holiday she loves。 Certainly worth adding to a collection for elementary students。

Andrew ，

Meet Binny as she shares and celebrates Diwali with her classmates。 Great intro to the Festival of Lights， lovingly done by #ownvoices author Thrity Umrigar and Illustrated adorably by Nidhi ChananiThis is a great read-aloud for a story time or classroom audience。

Robin ，

A delightful story of a young girl sharing her favorite holiday with her classmates， followed by a retelling of the story of Prince Rama's victory over the evil Ravana。 A delightful story of a young girl sharing her favorite holiday with her classmates， followed by a retelling of the story of Prince Rama's victory over the evil Ravana。 。。。more

Jill ，

I used this book for my Holidays Around the World Diwali lesson this year。 It was a well-written story that clearly and simply describes one family's Diwali traditions and how they celebrate。 There is one page spread that I honestly skipped。 One of Binny's classmates is super rude to her and makes fun of the word Diwali （if I'm remembering right） and it throws her off and she has to regain her composure。 I'm not really sure what that was doing in the story， since it was set up that the teacher w I used this book for my Holidays Around the World Diwali lesson this year。 It was a well-written story that clearly and simply describes one family's Diwali traditions and how they celebrate。 There is one page spread that I honestly skipped。 One of Binny's classmates is super rude to her and makes fun of the word Diwali （if I'm remembering right） and it throws her off and she has to regain her composure。 I'm not really sure what that was doing in the story， since it was set up that the teacher was asking lots of kids to share their cultural holidays and it was never really established that any of the kids were rude about it。 I mean I'm sure kids can relate to it， but it was such a nice， uplifting book about Diwali that I felt like it kind of got too off-topic from where we were going。 So I skipped it and the story didn't suffer at all。In conclusion I would definitely read it again。 Good info and nice illustrations。 。。。more

J。D。 Holman ，

This is a pretty book， about a girl who gets nervous when telling her class about her favorite holiday。 It's a nice， organic way to introduce youngsters to a fun set of traditions that some people celebrate。 The illustrations are lovely。 This is a pretty book， about a girl who gets nervous when telling her class about her favorite holiday。 It's a nice， organic way to introduce youngsters to a fun set of traditions that some people celebrate。 The illustrations are lovely。 。。。more

Lara Samuels ，

Not only would I consider this a must purchase but it must be read aloud and shared。 The art work is stunning！ The story provides clear explanations of how Diwali is celebrated by many。 Additional back matter explains the reason for the festival。 Wonderful introduction。 We need more stories and art by this artistic duo。

John ，

Binny is nervous about school today。 The multicultural class has been assigned a class presentation on one of their culture's holiday celebration。 She chooses to present Diwali or the five-day Hindu's festival of lights。 The book states that Diwali symbolizes the spiritual conquest of good over evil， light over darkness， etc。 As I was reading this book， which I could do standing， I made a connection to Christianity's celebration of Christmas with the birth of Christ who states that he is the lig Binny is nervous about school today。 The multicultural class has been assigned a class presentation on one of their culture's holiday celebration。 She chooses to present Diwali or the five-day Hindu's festival of lights。 The book states that Diwali symbolizes the spiritual conquest of good over evil， light over darkness， etc。 As I was reading this book， which I could do standing， I made a connection to Christianity's celebration of Christmas with the birth of Christ who states that he is the light and whose return at the end of time will result in good conquering evil。 Yesterday on the 1st Sunday after Christmas we read in the prologue of the Gospel of John， "The true light， which enlightens everyone， was coming into the world。" I am continually fascinated in the connections I can make between Christianity and other religions， such as Hinduism。 。。。more

Nicole ，

Beautiful art work。 Great story for kids to learn about Diwali。

Helen ，

This was a good book。It follows Binny as she tries to tell her class about Diwali

PottWab Regional Library ，

A

Kimberly Wright Oelkers ，

This book is definitely going into my School Library - even if I have to purchase it myself！

Krissy ，

A bit didactic since it's based on Binny making a speech about Diwali to the class。 More text than I thought。 A bit didactic since it's based on Binny making a speech about Diwali to the class。 More text than I thought。 。。。more

Diane ，

"The spirit of Diwali was real。 The story of the oil lamps had chased away her own fears。"It is Binny's turn to share her favorite holiday with the class。 She is excited to share Diwali， the Festival of Lights， which is celebrated by Hindus and others of different faiths around the world。 Binny is so excited to wear the new Indian outfit that her parents laid out for her。 And at breakfast， they have the special treat of jalebis and pedas。But when it's Binny's turn to share， her mind goes blank。 "The spirit of Diwali was real。 The story of the oil lamps had chased away her own fears。"It is Binny's turn to share her favorite holiday with the class。 She is excited to share Diwali， the Festival of Lights， which is celebrated by Hindus and others of different faiths around the world。 Binny is so excited to wear the new Indian outfit that her parents laid out for her。 And at breakfast， they have the special treat of jalebis and pedas。But when it's Binny's turn to share， her mind goes blank。 It is then that she remembers about the diyas， the oil lamps。 People put them in their doorways to act as a guide for good luck to enter their homes and get rid of the darkness。 "All over the world， Diwali marked the victory of goodness and light。" This gives Binny the courage to speak to her class with joy and enthusiasm。A note in the back gives more specific information about the origins of Diwali and how it is celebrated。 The illustrations are bright， vibrant colors to enhance the idea of a festival of light。 。。。more

Ella ，

A fantastic book about a child's story of Diwali。 Binny is telling her class all about the festival of lights， Diwali that she， as a Hindu， celebrates with her family。 The book is very informative yet told through a story which makes it more engaging and easier to follow than lots of non-fiction books。 The book would be perfect to use when teaching about Diwali， I would use the book in KS1 and lower KS2 but I also think it also has the potential to be looked at in upper KS2 as it gives a clear a A fantastic book about a child's story of Diwali。 Binny is telling her class all about the festival of lights， Diwali that she， as a Hindu， celebrates with her family。 The book is very informative yet told through a story which makes it more engaging and easier to follow than lots of non-fiction books。 The book would be perfect to use when teaching about Diwali， I would use the book in KS1 and lower KS2 but I also think it also has the potential to be looked at in upper KS2 as it gives a clear and understandable explanation of the celebration。 The story not only explores Diwali， but also Binny's feelings as she tries to talk to her class， many children are likely to have experienced similar feelings to Binny and would therefore be able to relate to her character。 The book brings inclusion to the classroom， making children aware of other children's experiences and lives。 A fantastic book which I will have in my classroom。 At the back of the book， there is extra information on Diwali including information on 'the story of Diwali' and 'the 5 days of Diwali'。 。。。more

Chinook ，

We loved this！ A story about being shy， learning about Diwali and Kait was super interested in the story of Rama at the end， so much so that she asked for help with writing sentences about it in her notebook after。

Bethe ，

5 stars。 Bright and cheerful illustrations set the tone for this look at the Hindu Festival of Lights， Binny’s favorite holiday。 Love the story， back matter including an Indian folktale， and the author and illustrator notes。 Perfect addition to your holiday collection。

Abby Johnson ，

Binny is excited to share about her favorite holiday Diwali with her classmates at school。 She tells them about the oil lamps and the sparkling fireworks that celebrate the Hindu festival of lights。 This is a beautiful book and a good choice to introduce this holiday to children。

Syntha Green ，

A great introduction to Diwali

Ron Turner ，

I love that Diwali is becoming an American holiday。 Even the Trump White House celebrated it。

Jerome Gnanaraj ，

Thanks for DIWALI BOOKGreat for our Indian AMERICAN kiDs， not religious yet story is included， love it。 Much needed， thanks again， our stories matter！

Becca ，

One of the better offerings about the Hindu festival of lights holiday。 Binny wants to tell her classmates about her favorite holiday， but struggles to find the courage and the words。

Jessica ，

It's Diwali， the Hindu Festival of Lights， and Binny's teacher is giving her the opportunity to tell about it in class。 She's a little nervous at first， but then she remembers the encouragement her mother gave her， and she successfully shares the traditional elements of Diwali with her class。 It's a success！Teaching points: Hindu culture， comparing celebrations， MC-POCGrade level: 1-3Location: LES libraryRelated reads:Light the Lights！ by Margaret Moorman It's Diwali， the Hindu Festival of Lights， and Binny's teacher is giving her the opportunity to tell about it in class。 She's a little nervous at first， but then she remembers the encouragement her mother gave her， and she successfully shares the traditional elements of Diwali with her class。 It's a success！Teaching points: Hindu culture， comparing celebrations， MC-POCGrade level: 1-3Location: LES libraryRelated reads:Light the Lights！ by Margaret Moorman 。。。more

Mandy ，

Informative picture book。 Binny is a young girl of Indian descent who is excited to tell her classmates all about Diwali。 She dresses in a new Indian outfit， ate jalebis and pedas for breakfast， and went to school。 She briefly froze with the attention of the class on her but was able to recover when she thought of the spirit of Diwali-- the victory of goodness and light。 Binny shared her love of fireworks， sparklers， diyas （ clay lamps）， and colorful drawing powder。 Binny's excitement for the ho Informative picture book。 Binny is a young girl of Indian descent who is excited to tell her classmates all about Diwali。 She dresses in a new Indian outfit， ate jalebis and pedas for breakfast， and went to school。 She briefly froze with the attention of the class on her but was able to recover when she thought of the spirit of Diwali-- the victory of goodness and light。 Binny shared her love of fireworks， sparklers， diyas （ clay lamps）， and colorful drawing powder。 Binny's excitement for the holiday and love of her family's tradition shines through。 Not much of a plot， but an effective way to learn about a holiday that many （myself included） are not familiar with。 Chanani's illustrations are bright， colorful， and effective at capturing the joy of the hoilday。 。。。more

Annamarie Carlson （she， her） ，

Binny is excited to share her favorite holiday， Diwali， with her classmates， but she is nervous about speaking in front of the group。 With some encouragement， she talks about the Festival of Lights including the fireworks， the delicious foods， the colored powders， and more。A simple explanation of Diwali， told through a child's eyes to her young classmates。 Binny is excited to share her favorite holiday， Diwali， with her classmates， but she is nervous about speaking in front of the group。 With some encouragement， she talks about the Festival of Lights including the fireworks， the delicious foods， the colored powders， and more。A simple explanation of Diwali， told through a child's eyes to her young classmates。 。。。more

Michele Coombridge ，

A child gets to talk to her class about the meaning and celebrations of her favourite holiday; Diwali， the Hindu festival of lights。 Love these bright， gorgeous illustrations set alongside an excellent description of the five days of celebrations and the food and traditions that go with it。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Binny's Diwali

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Binny's Diwali&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Binny's Diwali&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0