JC Herrell – These Beads and Marbles are Fantastic!!

Let’s just start this post with JC‘s description of the beads she’s making…”Stringer intensive tube beads inspired by the prairie designs of Frank Lloyd Wright. Built on transparent colors and shaped into short, thick tubes these lines design are great to geek out on. I used box based line patterns to reflect the shape of the bead. I really dig the visual math and rhythmic patterns created by the lines.” She has these beads posted on Facebook.

I’ve written about her before and I know I’ll write about her again. Between the enamel work and the stringer control she possesses…such skill at this glass bead making thing. She’s preparing for the Best Bead Show that is coming up in early February in Tucson. Part of the larger Tucson Gem Show fiasco that takes over Tucson, AZ for 2-3 weeks each February. I’ll be writing about that soon. If you’re going go to the Best Bead Show. It is what it’s called, The Best Bead Show. Buy JC’s beads!!!!! Got to her web site…http://www.jcherrell.com/.

As if Diwali weren’t colorful and fun enough, The Festival of Lights: A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Darshika Varm, makes it even more fun to read about with flaps and things to lift and pull to see more information or details in the illustrations.

The book is a story about a family getting ready for Diwali and what happens on the different days of the five-day celebration. There’s cleaning, shopping, crafting, food preparation and getting the home altar ready for the big day.

It covers decorating the outside of the house with rangoli, diyas and lanterns, buying sweets to share with family and friends, the sights and scents of the mandir (home temple), getting dressed up in new fancy clothes, the story of Diwali and celebrations with relatives.

Flaps (there are more than 140 in all) give you vocabulary words for different foods and definitions, as well as fun things like what’s inside the shopping basket or where the cat is hanging out. They also help illuminate the story of Diwali, which is the triumph of good over evil as Lord Ram defeated the demon Ravana to save his wife, Sita.

This pretty and colorful book helps kids understand what Diwali is and how it is celebrated, regardless of whether they practice it at home. This would be a nice book to keep in a classroom (it’s rated for kids ages 3-7) or to have at home to teach kids about Diwali even if it’s not something you celebrate. Where I live there are a lot of people from India so we are probably exposed to Diwali more than some other regions of America, but it’s a nice holiday to know about wherever you live.

Combine with the book Diwali and check out some fun lantern crafts and printables for kids to round out your experience.

About the book: 24 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail prices $22.99.

Have you read?