A Year of Kites is the debut picture book of Monisha Bajaj, an author and professor of international and multicultural education at the University of San Francisco. As a child, she took part in kite traditions of South Asia, where her family's roots are, and later she discovered other international kite-flying celebrations through her travels.
She tells readers that kites have been used for nearly three thousand years: as children's toys, for science experiments, for creating energy, for navigation, for sports like kitesurfing, and as part of cultural rituals, "many of which involve communication with gods or ancestors through kites." During Día de los Muertos in Guatemala, for instance, children fly large handmade kites called barriletes, carrying loving and protective messages to help guide ancestors to their resting place.
Bajaj gives readers a window into 12 different traditions around the world, such as the January festival of Uttarayan in Gujarat, India; Kathara Deftera in early spring in Athens, Greece; and Matariki, the Māori lunar New Year, in Auckland, New Zealand. Each page spread gives a bit of history about kites' significance in a particular place and then gives a child-sized view, like this one from Cape Town, South Africa: "Nomsa and her family go to a kite-making workshop and then head down to Dolphin Beach to fly their kite. She can't wait to see all the kites dancing in the skies, and whose will nab a prize!"
Illustrator Amber Ren makes this book intriguing not only to four-to-eight-year-old readers, but also quite likely to their younger siblings, who will love seeing the extraordinary variety of kites, representing everything from dragons to penguins, butterflies, owls, fish, abstract designs, and more. Bright colors, representation of diverse families, and careful attention to the unique visual details of each festival add to the appeal.
The book closes with a glossary, instructions for kite making, and an Author's Note full of helpful historical context. It concludes: "We may all approach kites in different ways, but that so many cultures, nations, and peoples have engaged in this common practice of kite flying is a testament to the bonds we share as members of a global community."
