Get ready for the Thai New Year April, 13-15, by checking out this delightful picture book - Happy Songkran Day! The Thai New Year Celebration, written and illustrated by Dow Phumiruk. It's available at Amazon or Bookshop.org (Where proceeds go to the bookstore of your choice).
One of the most enjoyable ways to introduce students to other cultures is to explore their celebrations. This story explores the themes of forgiveness and washing away "sins" to start the new year, which are central to the Thai celebration. Rather than the heavy-handed notion of wrongdoing, the message is that we all make mistakes (both big and small) and have the chance to start over. The symbolism is conveyed through squirt guns, water balloons, and children pouring buckets of water on each other, reminding us not to take our blunders so seriously.
If you happen to be sharing this story in a location where it's still snowing in April, you might explore how your climate differs from Thailand's and how geography shapes culture.
Children's books often provide a quick and engaging way to share ideas, regardless of your students' ages. Happy Songkran Day is for ages 3-5, but the ensuing conversations can be adapted for any level. In addition, the author provides a list of resources, including children's books for older students, that may be used for comparison and further knowledge.
In my book, Story Frames for Teaching Literacy, Chapter 7 explores "From Story Writing to Expository Writing: Bridging the Gap With Narrative Nonfiction." Although Dow's book is a work of fiction, it explores a real-life celebration and includes many nonfiction elements that teachers can use to bridge the gap. There is a glossary, a list of resources for learning more about Thailand and Songkran, and an Author's Note with additional information. I had no idea the Thai calendar was 543 years ahead of the Gregorian Calendar. This April 13, 2026, Thailand is celebrating the year 2569.
Picture books also provide engaging ways to teach sentence structure, which I will discuss next week using an illustration from Happy Songkran Day.
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