Lights, Camera, Diwali! - Paperback

by Amita Roy Shah (Author)

Light, Camera, Diwali! helps children gain a better understanding of Diwali, the Indian festivals of lights. Through this engaging story, children learn how Indian-American families celebrate Diwali in their homes. Dia receives a camera as a Diwali gift and uses it to capture her memories of this special day. She takes photos of her family decorating clay lamps, creating unique rangoli designs, preparing sweets called ladoos, setting off firecrackers and more! This captivating story also helps children learn why Diwali is celebrated. While Dia explores the rituals of Diwali with her camera, children learn about a Prince named Rama who was exiled into a forest for 14 years. After fighting off a demon, he is welcomed back into his city with a "row of lights." Children learn about how Diwali teaches us that light will overcome darkness and good will conquer evil.

Author Biography

Dr. Amita Roy Shah enjoys teaching children about South Asian American cultures. She has spent her career in multicultural education and curriculum development. Currently she is a professor at San Jose State University and serves as a consultant for various educational publishing firms. She is also the author of It's Time for Holi! which won the Kids Are Readers Too! (KART) award for creating memorable content that enhances the gift of learning for children. A review of this book was also published in the Journal Worlds of Words (Volume VIII, Issue 3) for highlighting issues of cultural authenticity.