The Age of Glass or is it The Glass Age?

REGIS DUVIGNAU / REUTERS

Glass is the most important substance to mankind. That’s a pretty bold statement but oh so true. Over at The Atlantic this is one of the things they are pointing out to the rest of us. Corning tells us about it via the Mythbusters guys…but people over look it. So we’re here to shed some light on the subject. You surround yourself with glass. You look through it, eat and drink out of it. How about your phone. Gorilla glass. Almost indestructible, and oh so thin. Fiber optics, fiberglass, art glass, beads, lighting, I could go on. Check out the article. When you read the details of each of the developments and then what they trigger in the way of discoveries. Little things like self awareness with mirrors and viewing the cosmos or the tiniest of lives via lenses. Look around. Enjoy! Glass rules!

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?