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ALPHABET BOOKCelebrateA Reading A–Z Alphabet Book

Word Count: 813 Celebrate

Written by Beverly Osborn

www.readinga-z.com

Written by Beverly Osborn

Celebrate

CelebrateAlphabet Book© Learning A–ZWritten by Beverly Osborn

All rights reserved.

www.readinga-z.com

Photo Credits:Front cover: © Sergio Moraes/Reuters; back cover: © Firefly Productions/Corbis; title page: © Frans Lemmens/zefa/Corbis; page 4: © Jan Pitman/Reuters; page 5: © Blaine Herrington III/Corbis; page 6: © Ersler Dmitry/123RF; page 7: © Dan Lamont/Corbis; page 8 (top): © iStockphoto.com/Andres Balcazar; page8 (bottom): © Natalia Litova/BigStockPhoto.com; page 9 (top): © Anne Lewis/Alamy; page 9 (bottom): © Alejandro Duran/123RF; page 10 (top): © Jack Kunnan/BigStockPhoto.com; page 10 (bottom): © Eray Haciosmanoglu/BigStockPhoto.com; page 11: © Nevada Weir/Corbis; page 12: © Jason Cohn/Reuters; page 13 (main): © iStockphoto.com/Jani Bryson; page 13 (inset): © Nikolay Okhitin/BigStockPhoto.com; page 14: © Anatoly Maltsev/epa/Corbis; page 15: © Tom Salyer/Corbis; page 16: © Mario Laporta/Reuters Pictures; page 17: © epa/Corbis; page 18: © Flip Schulke/Corbis; page 19 (top): © Remi Benali/Corbis; page 19 (bottom): © Artvil le; page 20 (main): © Sergio Bertino/Dreamstime.com; page 20 (inset): © iStockphoto.com/Sven Hoppe; page 21: © Fred de Noyelle/Corbis; page 22 (main): © Robin Utrecht/epa/Corbis; page 22 (inset): © Marianne de Jong/BigStockPhoto.com; page 23 (top): © Annie Griffiths Belt/Corbis; page 23 (bottom): © Paul Cowan/123RF; page 24 (top): © Justin Lane/epa/Corbis; page 24 (bottom): © iStockphoto.com/Susan Trigg; pages 25, 27 (top): © Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/Blend Images/Getty Images; page 26: © Martial Treezini/epa/Corbis; page 27 (bottom): © Bhupendra Singh/BigStockPhoto.com; page 28: © Monkey Business Images/Dreamstime.com; page 29 (top): © Dave G. Houser/Corbis; page 29 (bottom): © C Squared Studios/Getty Images; page 20 (top): © Richard T. Nowitz/Corbis; page 30 (bottom): © Kelly Cline/123RF; page 31: © Emmanuel Kwitema/Reuters

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Table of ContentsIntroduction .............................................. 5

April Fool’s Day ....................................... 6

Boxing Day ................................................ 7

Christmas .................................................. 8

Day of the Dead ....................................... 9

Earth Day ................................................. 10

Festival of the Sun .................................. 11

Groundhog Day ..................................... 12

Halloween ............................................... 13

Independence Day ................................. 14

Junkanoo Festival ................................... 15

Kite Day ................................................... 16

Lantern Festival ..................................... 17

Martin Luther King Jr. Day ................... 18

New Year’s Day ...................................... 19

Oktoberfest .............................................. 20

Puppet Festival ....................................... 21

Queen’s Day ........................................... 22

Ramadan ................................................. 23

St. Patrick’s Day ..................................... 24

Thanksgiving .......................................... 25

United Nations Day ............................... 26

Valentine’s Day ...................................... 27

Women’s Day ......................................... 28

Xylophone Festival ................................ 29

Yom Kippur ............................................ 30

Zanzibar Day .......................................... 31

Glossary ................................................. 32

Alphabet Book • 2nd Grade

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IntroductionHolidays are fun! We all have one holiday we like the best. Each country has a holiday they like to celebrate, too!

April Fool’s DayApril 1 is April Fool’s Day. It’s a day you can try to trick a friend. You don’t have to tell the truth. You can make up a story. If they believe what you say, you can yell “April Fool!”

A

Alphabet Book • 2nd Grade

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Boxing DayIt is the day after Christmas. Long ago, wealthy people had extra holiday food. They put extra food in boxes. The box of food was for hungry people. Now, Boxing Day is a day we help others.

ChristmasAt Christmas, there are so many things to do. There are gifts to wrap in paper. There is a tree to decorate with lights. And there are cookies to bake!

C

B

Alphabet Book • 2nd Grade

9 10

Day of The DeadIn Mexico, it is a fun, family holiday. It is a day to clean graves and plant new flowers at the graveyard. You can wear a skeleton mask and eat skull candy!

Earth DayEvery country has Earth Day. We learn how to clean our rivers and air. And learn why the polar bear might lose her home. Earth Day is for every person on Earth.

D

E

Alphabet Book • 2nd Grade

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Festival of the SunPeru is a country in South America. Long ago, Indians in Peru were called the Inca. The festival teaches us about the the history of the old Inca culture.

Groundhog DayA groundhog sleeps all winter. He wakes up if he feels warm. People watch to see if he will stay awake and eat. Then they think it will soon be spring.

F G

Alphabet Book • 2nd Grade

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HalloweenHalloween is for silly fun. You can wear a mask! You can look like a green lizard. Or be a Super Hero! Halloween is one of the best holidays!

Independence DayIndependent means a country can write its own laws. It is not ruled by anyone else. On this big holiday, there might be a parade, bands, and lots of fireworks!

I

Alphabet Book • 2nd Grade

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Junkanoo FestivalThe Bahamas are islands off Florida. On December 26, they celebrate their Junkanoo culture festival. There is a parade. Dancers wear beautiful costumes. They try to win prizes.

Kite DayKite Day is a contest day in the country of Afghanistan. Each kite tries to knock the other kites from the sky. The contest ends when only one kite is left!

J

K

Alphabet Book • 2nd Grade

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Lantern FestivalIn China, this festival starts the new year. Bright paper lanterns hang on every street. Lanterns can be any shape. They can be any size. Some are as big as a house!

Martin Luther King Jr. DayThe birthday of a brave man. He wanted people to care about all other people. To respect all people. And to change things that were wrong or unfair.

L

M

Alphabet Book • 2nd Grade

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New Year’s DayA new year can start with a tradition. In Bali, people wash their feet in the sea. In China, you get a red envelope, with money inside.

OktoberfestIt is the biggest festival in the world. Thousands of people come to enjoy the food and music. It has big tents, like a circus, and lasts for three weeks!

N

O

Alphabet Book • 2nd Grade

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Puppet FestivalThe puppets are in town! Thousands of people come to see them. They cheer the puppet parade. And they wait to see which show will win the prize.

Queen’s DayThe Netherlands is a small country in Europe. On the queen’s birthday, there is a party in every town. She visits many towns, so she must have lots of cake!

P

QAlphabet Book • 2nd Grade

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RamadanRamadan lasts for a month. It has many old Islamic customs. People study their lessons and don’t eat until night. Some special foods are made only for Ramadan.

St. Patrick’s DayThere are lots of parades! And everyone seems to wear a green hat. Some people hope to find a four-leaf shamrock. Many think that finding one is very lucky.

S

R

Alphabet Book • 2nd Grade

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ThanksgivingIn America, this is a big family holiday. Every family cooks their favorite dinner. Many will roast a big turkey. But others like pasta or fish. What would you like best?

United Nations DayPeople from many countries work for the United Nations. They help all countries fix problems. They have a music concert every year. It celebrates a year of working together.

T

U

Alphabet Book • 2nd Grade

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Women’s DayOn Women’s Day, women share their good ideas. They talk about what they have done all over the world. Their ideas help us do many things in a better way.

V W

Valentine’s DayWe give a valentine to our friends. You can make one from red paper. Cut out a big heart shape. Give it to your friend, and say, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Alphabet Book • 2nd Grade

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Yom KippurYom Kippur is a serious holiday. There are special foods to make, like challah bread. And old Jewish customs to follow. If you have hurt anyone, today you must say you are sorry.

Y

XXylophone Festival

A xylophone makes music when you tap the keys. Players come to the festival to learn new songs. They teach other people how to play their music.

Alphabet Book • 2nd Grade

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Zanzibar DayZanzibar is a beautiful island off Africa. It has many birds, butterflies and monkeys. Every January, there is a big holiday for the whole island. It celebrates being independent.

Glossarycelebrate (v.) to do something

special to honor an event (p. 5)

contest (n.) a race or other event that involves a struggle to win (p. 16)

customs (n.) accepted ways of doing something in a culture (p. 23)

decorate (v.) to make something more attractive by adding color or an ornament to it (p. 8)

graveyard (n.) a cemetery; a burial location (p. 9)

wealthy (adj.) having a large amount of money or possessions (p. 7)

Z

Alphabet Book • 2nd Grade