Four Illuminating Holiday Books
By PENNY SCHWARTZ
The warmth and glow of the Hanukkah menorah figure brightly in this
year’s new crop of holiday books for children, by award-winning writers and
illustrators from around the world. Enjoy.
HANUKKAH HAIKU
By Harriet Ziefert
Illustrated by Clara Gudeon
36 pages. Blue Apple Books. $14.99.
Ages 4-8
“For eight days and
nights,
special candles we will light.
It is Hanukkah.”
Each night of Hanukkah is graced with one of Ziefert’s clever, festive
three-line haiku relating to the holiday. The design and layout will delight
young readers. There’s a double-page layout for each of the eight nights
featuring a large menorah. As the pages are turned, one more brightly colored
candle is added. Lively, detailed drawings on the left flap of each page
correspond to the haiku, with spinning dreidels and frying latkes. Hanukkah
blessings are printed in back, transliterated and in English translation.
Families may be inspired to create their own haiku.
NATHAN'S HANUKKAH BARGAIN
By Jacqueline Dembar Greene
Illustrated by Judith Hierstein
32 pages. Pelican Publishing Company. $15.95.
Ages 4-8
Young Nathan knows his
mind. He’s saved his quarters and sets out with his grandfather to buy his very
own menorah for Hanukkah. But who knew there were so many styles—from electric,
to oil, to modern-art versions. And oh so expensive. But then Nathan spots just
the right menorah in the window of the neighborhood second-hand shop. Dembar
Greene has created an endearing story of a timeless bond between grandfather
and grandchild. Young readers will easily relate to Nathan’s double dose of
disappointment when at first he can’t find the menorah of his dreams and then,
when he finally discovers just the right one, it costs more money than he’s
saved. A story from his grandfather’s childhood offers Nathan the inner courage
to bargain with the old shopkeeper for a satisfying ending. This book was first
published in 1986, with two-tone illustrations, and went of print after 11
years. This newly published edition has shorter text and an entirely new
format. Author Jacqueline Dembar Greene, a two-time recipient of the Sydney Taylor
Honor Book Award and a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award, tells
JBooks.com that she has a varied collection of menorahs ranging from
traditional to one handmade by her mother. But like her storybook character
Nathan, she holds out hope that she’ll find a truly traditional oil lamp that
could hang outside on her front porch. “Maybe one day in an antique shop....”
she muses.
JODIE'S HANUKKAH DIG
By Anna Levine
Illustrated by Ksenia Topaz
32 pages. Kar-Ben Publishing. $7.95.
Ages 4-8
Jodie’s a young, freckled-faced Israeli girl who dreams of
being an archaeologist, a famous archaeologist. Just like her dad. For young
readers who don’t know the word "archaeologist," Jodie provides the
context. She longs to use big tools, dig and crawl in the dark, and to employ
her keen sense of sight to uncover the secrets of the past. But she’s too
little, and not strong enough, so her older brothers tease her. When her dad
takes her yearnings to heart, Jodie finds herself on the site of an
archaeological dig in Modi’in, the biblical site of the Hanukkah story,
searching for ancient clues. When the grownups realize they are too big to
crawl into the tunnel to search for clues, and are about to give up hope, Jodie
offers to be lowered into the tunnel. Putting aside her fear of the dark—and
her fear of spiders—she climbs into a special bucket and is lowered into the
small tunnel, emerging with an arrowhead that might be from the times of the
Maccabbees. Award-winning Israeli children’s author Levine presents readers
with a spunky, friendly Israeli girl along with a child’s-eye view of what it
means to explore Israel’s historical past. The contemporary story, that does
not retell the Hanukkah story, also offers an opening for parents and children
to talk about Israel, narrowing the distance between American and Israeli
children. Topaz’s realistic and lively illustrations portray the Israeli
countryside, an archaeological site and hidden caves and tunnels, along with
the tools of the trade—buckets, flashlights, and shovels.
THE HANUKKAH MICE
By Steven Kroll
Illustrated by Michelle Shapiro
32 pages. Marshall Cavendish Children's Books. $14.99.
Ages 4-8
Steven Kroll brings his long-standing reputation for fun,
frolicking storytelling to a warm-hearted Hanukkah story about a young girl,
Rachel and an endearing family of mice who take up residence in her new doll
house—Rachel’s present on the first night of Hanukkah. To the delight of the
mouse family, each night, as the Silman family lights another candle in the menorah,
Rachel adds a new piece of miniature-sized to the doll house. As Rachel sleeps,
the mouse family takes up residence enjoying the comforts of the cozy home. But
who, they wonder, is setting the table with Hanukkah goodies for the mice to
enjoy? Vibrant illustrations by Michelle Shapiro, recipient of the 2007 Sydney
Taylor Honor Award for Rebecca’s Journey
Home, enliven Kroll’s playful tale. Kroll, a prolific, award-winning author
of more than ninety books tells JBooks.com that Hanukkah Mice is his first book about Hanukkah. "I always
loved the story, especially the way the miracle of the eight nights is
translated into the generosity of gift-giving."