Happy Birthday to Nico and Aidan M R To my mom for making my childhood birthday parties so magical A B This book would not have been possible without the help of real children around the world Many thanks to them and to others who provided information and help Acknowledgments Canada Michael and Geraldine Kusugak U S A Tammy Yee Leslie Hayashi Jamaica Judy Vizbar Peru Mercedes Romero Latvia Anita Walters Ieva Dravina Russia Angela Lebedeva Belgium Remco van Mourik Karen Van Brussel Vincent van der Heijden Ghana Sylvia Ampofo Enyo Harlley Lesotho Nthabeleng Lephoto India Ninoshka DSilva Japan Shinobu Murata Cambodia Im Chhourn Chhit Srey Peov Anne Mackie Vietnam Andrew Lam Australia Dana Menghetti
Contents Birthdays Around the World Map Canada U S A Jamaica Peru Latvia Russia Belgium Ghana Lesotho India Japan Cambodia Vietnam Australia Your Birthday A Note for Parents and Teachers Glossary 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42
6 Birthdays Around the World Everybody in the world has a birthday But birthdays are not celebrated in the same way everywhere Some people have big parties with special food gifts and a birthday song For others it’s more important to offer thanks or to give small presents to others Some people don’t celebrate their birthdays at all or don’t even know when they were born
7 Sometimes a person’s very first birthday is the most important And some children celebrate their third fifth or seventh birthdays during a special ceremony Let’s have a look at how children all around the world celebrate their birthdays Maybe they celebrate just like you do
