Let's Celebrate 5 Days of Diwali! (Maya & Neel's India Adventure Series, Book 1) Kindle Edition

Chintu the squirrel made it special! I asked my daughter what she remembered from the book and little Chintu is what came to mind (okay wish the answer was Lord Rama saving Seeta, but I'll take what I can get)Simple is structure to help kids understand some of the background and rituals of Diwali. Good pictures to keep kids engaged.Only complaint... Seriously, we ARE brown in skin tone. It's okay, you don't have to lighten us up to make yourself (or your readers) feel better about themselves. I teach my daughter to take pride in her unique beauty and get darker shade of skin. It's good for her to see us represented in our own books!

In this book, Maya & Neel, two Indian American kids, living in US, travel back to India for Diwali, to visit & celebrate Diwali with their aunt.And the book, while written from Maya & Neel's POV, is essentially designed as a beginner's guide on Diwali - covering everything from Dhanteras, Choti & Badi Diwali to Naya Saal & Bhai Dooj celebrations.It seems to be geared more towards a non Indian (or even NRI) audience, as a crash course on Diwali for beginners, complete with a pictorial summary page of the 5 days at the end, and a notes section where the kids can write their own Diwali story & share their Diwali drawing.The only thing I found odd about this book was that the whole story was being shared in a vacuum of sorts, where 2 little kids travel from US to India (seemingly alone) to visit their aunt (who is seemingly alone too), and no other family is mentioned, while Diwali is a festival that is meant to be celebrated with families gathering together.That being said, I still feel that a book like this has merit for the total beginner, or even for someone who knows very little.It's an especially great read for NRI kids, and a great book for NRI parents to take & read to their child's class to introduce them to the festival. Makes for a cool gift too!

Love this book series!!! So great to teach our Indian culture to Indian-American kids! It would be awesome to see more festivals represented (e.g., Christmas in India, Sankranti, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc.). Also, what would really be cool is if Neel and Maya visited each state in India and learned about their food, culture, clothing, language, important sights to see, etc. India is such a beautifully diverse country, and it would be great to showcase the diversity of each state in this book series so that Indian American kids can be proud of their heritage!

The authors have written this book for ages 3 - 7 and P - 3. I will readily admit that I am so far beyond those years. And, I will also admit that this was a fascinating, educational and entertaining book for me to read.Having no idea what this celebration entailed, this book explains each and every day of the 'Festival of Lights' in India. I could certainly use the First Day in my house to get myself new pots and pans. Each day holds such wonderful traditions for the children to behold. For me, the favorite of all days was the fifth. That is the one in which brothers and sisters promise to take care of each other.An absolutely wonderful book for children to be exposed to today. Learning the traditions of another country exposes them to so many things. And, this exposure will lead them to accept others more easily.Well done to the authors and I have already 'followed' you on Amazon so I can be kept up to date on new books. The drawings are also bright, colorful and well done. The little ones will be gazing at the pictures that accompany the text. And, the parents will be able to point out the story line easily with the drawings. Questions can be easily answered by the parents.Most highly recommended.

Let's Celebrate 5 Days of Diwali! (Maya & Neel's India Adventure Series, Book 1) by Ajanta ChakrabortyHave no idea what Diwali is and interested to learn all about it.Children's color book about this celebration.Some pages are hard to read as the print is small and not of same height at times.Love hearing of the traditions of this feast. Very bright colors and dress.Very cool map at the end depicting what the holiday is all about.About the authors is included at the end.

I really enjoyed this book! I'm unfamiliar with the holiday and know very little about the religion, so this book was a perfect introduction. The pronunciation guide helped a lot and so did the info recap graphic at the back. If you're already immersed in Indian culture this book might not be as useful, but for an English-speaker who has never been to India, all of the information was interesting and clearly presented.

I found this book to be a great hit with my 3 year old. This books captivates young children through the end with descriptive illustrations. This has become a favorite book to read. My child now knows and understands 5 days of Diwali and is looking forward to it 😊This does not touch the religious aspect too much which was what we were looking for for starters.

Excellent book - first of its kind - on very popular Hindu festival of Diwali. Must have for every Hindu family with young kids living outside of India. The authors did an amazing job to summarize the series of festival. Illustrations are beautiful. My kids aged 3 and 9 absolutely love it. What I like most is the focus on culture aspects of how it is celebrated than why. Even though authors explain the why very crisply, the focus is clearly on the celebration, the festivities and fun. That also reduces the burden on fact checking. Highly recommend it if you are looking for a way to explain Diwali to your NRI kids and want to do it through a fun medium.

I read this book to a 3- and a 7-year old, and both kids were well entertained and very eager to learn about the "festival of lights". To be honest, even I did learn a lot of things... Not only the individual 5 days of Diwali but also the origin of it were explained in a very fun, yet warm manner. The illustrations are very cute, as well. I really think this book is not yet getting the attention it deserves. For instance, it's perfect for reading and learning about Diwali in a classroom setting. I'd highly recommend this book.

This is the 2nd book I’ve read about Maya and Neel’s adventures in India, and I enjoyed finding out a little bit about the festival of Diwali. These books have wonderful, vibrant illustrations, that will grab the attention of young readers, and they give simple facts and details that are age appropriate. I like the addition of a summary section at the end, so that kids can go back over what they’ve learnt. A great way to introduce young children to a different culture.

Great little book to help kids learn and understand importance of Diwali festival. Highly recommend.

Product as described. Good children’s read.

Nice book to read to kids and explain about Diwali. Simple and to the point with lovely illustration to keep kids engaged. My 4 year old enjoys reading the book to her and I would recommend this to others.