Here Come the Brides

From Syrian brides with their red-dyed hands to the brides of Java with their headdresses made of leaves and flowers, brides from around the world and their traditions are presented to young readers in a colorful look at international wedding customs.

PLB 0-8027-8469-0 It is hard not to get fussy and a bit sentimental when talking about wedding mores and customs, as is the case here. Jackson (The Book of Slime, 1997, etc.) is full of wonderful bits of wedding lore, from many different times and cultures, illustrated in exquisite detail by Heyer's richly colored portraits. She explains that white wasn't a traditional color for wedding dresses in the west until the 19th century (leaving out that it was because Queen Victoria wore white to her own wedding): Today, Norwegian brides may don green, and Arab brides red. Sharing food between bride and groom is nearly universal: Japanese couples eat from the same plate of rice, while other newlyweds bite into the same piece of candy. Rings, veils, attendants, and flowers are discussed, and the groom makes a mere cameo appearance. Gary Soto's Snapshots From the Wedding (1997) is more fun, but this will fit the bill for those looking for a drier, fact-based approach. (bibliography) (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-9) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 3^-5. This oversize, heavily illustrated picture book discusses brides and wedding customs from around the world. Full pages of text introduce a topic such as bridal attire, hair and makeup, or family and friends; each of the following two-or four-page spreads features illustrations and snippets of text that show how these customs are carried out in different cultures. For instance, after an overview of symbols and traditions, the spread shows a medieval bouquet of various herbs to ward off evil spirits. Boxes of "factoids" add trivia but clutter the layout. The problem with information in such overviews is that it's often too general. The book notes that in a Jewish ceremony "the groom puts the veil on the bride before she walks down the aisle," but this is not common in most Jewish American weddings. Much of the text is written as if the customs described happen at every wedding in a particular society. The art varies from quite handsome, as in the case of a Malaysian bride, to stiff and awkward, as in a cameo of a bride's parents. Despite the book's flaws, girls will probably enjoy reading it--if ever there was a book for girls, this is it. Ilene Cooper