Editorial Review

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.