Book Description
for Sawdust Carpets by Amelia Lau Carling
From The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)
Each year during Lent the people of Antigua create ornate carpets of dyed sawdust and fresh-cut flowers to line the streets for the Good Friday proces sion. The narrator, a Chinese girl raised in Guatemala, tells of her family’s visit to relatives in Antigua to attend the baptism of her baby cousin on Easter Sunday and to observe Holy Week with them. A neighbor invites the children to create their own sawdust carpet from his leftover materials. Soft illustrations beautifully depict the weeklong celebrations for the families that blend both religious and cultural traditions. A glossary is included. ca
Bridges to Understanding: Envisioning the World through Children's Books. © USBBY, 2011. Used with permission.