Fireworks, right up there with flags and apple pie as an iconic image of July 4th celebrations! Yonkers Public Library is no exception as it brings you Fireworks in a Jar (bowl) on June 28th during the STREAM Storytime at Crestwood Library! Each child will have the chance to see this colorful chemical reaction! (Don’t worry, another version will happen on Saturday, July 5’s STREAM Storytime!)
Now, to see Fireworks in the sky! Yonkersians and others are looking forward to 4th of July Fireworks at the Waterfront | Yonkers, NY! All along the Waterway Walk you can view fireworks on the river and there’s music too!
Westchester magazine has put together this list of events, Where to Watch Fourth of July Fireworks in Westchester County.
Fireworks were first introduced in China in the first century BC when, the story goes, someone threw a piece of bamboo into a fire and it exploded because of the air pockets found in this plant. Travelers in China started carrying bamboo to light it and scare off wild animals. In the 9th century BC, gunpowder was invented and Chinese fabricators began filling the hollow bamboo with it. Fireworks continued to grow in popularity to celebrate special events like weddings. It was John Adams who suggested that Independence Day be celebrated with pomp and parade and grand illuminations! By the 19th century, chemicals were added to make brilliant colors. Now, the highly advanced pyrotechnic shows are a bit different than the bamboo, but the fireworks are still often made by hand. (Thanks to NPR for this information, The history of fireworks, from ancient China to Revolutionary America : NPR.)
Here is a guide to the “Mineral elements [that] provide the color in fireworks. Additional colors can be made by mixing elements:
Color Produced | Element(s) | Primary mineral ore(s) |
bright greens | barium | |
deep reds | celestite | |
blues | chalcopyrite | |
yellows | sodium | halite (rock salt) |
brilliant orange | strontium + sodium | celestite, halite |
silvery white | ilmenite, rutile, zircon, dolomite, magnesite, brucite, carnallite, olivine | |
lavendar | chalcopyrite, celestite |
Gold sparks are produced by iron filings (magnetite, hematite) and small pieces of charcoal.
Bright flashes and loud bangs come from aluminum powder (bauxite).”
Yonkers Public Library has some great books on fireworks and Independence Day, of course! Try these:
- The explosive story of fireworks! By Kama Einhorn
- Independence Day By Molly Aloian
- Fireworks By Matthew Burgess
- Lampo, bum, iiih! =: Flash, bang, wheee! By Karen Clark (Italian and English)
- Wūsh buwūm bāw =: Flash bang wheee! By Karen Clark (Arabic and English)
And some eBooks from Hoopla with your library card and other libraries in print:
- How is a Firework Made? By Grace Hansen
- Flags and Fireworks By Theresa M. Shea
- Fourth of July Fireworks By Patrick Merrick
Wherever you go for your fireworks, in a jar or in the air, have a fun and safe Independence Day!
Nancy Wissman is the part-time Children’s Librarian at Crestwood Library. She has fond memories of annual fireworks or sparklers with her family! Nancy is especially excited about bringing science to Crestwood with the Saturday STREAM storytime, which combines her love of story reading and storytelling with her new passion for science. Nancy has been a librarian for over 30 years, working in several libraries in different library departments, but most enjoys connecting children with literacy.