Celia Gurevitch Jewish Community Library

Adler: A picture book of Hanukkah

David A. Adler’s “A Picture Book of Hanukkah” tells the story behind the holiday in almost all its gory detail. It is a surprisingly accurate retelling of the events, including covering the fact that thousands of people were killed before and during the Maccabeen war. I found that intriguing for a book written for 2-4 graders. The drawings (in sepia tones by Linda Heller) fill more than half of the 32 pages. Most of the book is about the history lesson, while the last three briefly mentions candles, latkes, dreidel and gelt.

Kimmelman: Hanukkah lights, Hanukkah nights

“Hanukkah lights, Hanukkah nights”, having only a line or two texts (by Leslie Kimmelman) on each page is ideal for reading up to 3 year old children. The full, sometimes double page images are the warm heart of this book, drawn by b John Himmelman. They, together with the text, tell the story of a family celebrating each day of the holiday. Each day gets its own double page. Every day something else happens, showing different aspects of the holiday. I particularly enjoyed that ate the bottom right of the pages, you can see a little Menorah, and every time you turn the pages a new candle is added to it. It is a rather joyful book, just like the content it celebrates. The last, 24th page has a quick summary of the major customs related to the holiday. That text is set in small enough font to fit 25 lines or so, while the rest of the text in the book is in large font, so capable young readers could follow it too.

Goffstein: Laughing latkes

M. B. Goffstein’s “Laughing latkes” is the most unusual, or modern if you will Hanukkah book I have seen. Each of the 31 pages have a square drawn and in them a very simple line drawing, sometimes containing only two stylized latkes. The visual style mostly evokes counterculture, anti-artistic cartoons. So does the text, exploring the ever-so important question why latkes might laugh during Hanukkah. Almost every page gives a possible answer in a few words, until we learn the real one on the last page. It is a weirdly enjoyable weird book. Some suggest this book for 4 to 8 years old, but I wonder whether it is really for adults. You decide.

Schotter: Hanukkah!

In Roni Schotter’s “Hanukkah!” a family with five children gears up to celebrating Hanukkah. Then they do it too. Each member has its role, including the youngest, Moe, who must be about 4-5 years old. He is in the age group of the target audience. The good news is that by the end he manages to pronounce the name of the holiday properly. There is no bad news in this sweet little book, illustrated with very vivid colors by Marylin Hafner. The last page, as usual, includes a short description of four of the terms mentioned in the book: dreydel, menorah, latkes, and shamash. I enjoyed just looking at the pictures, because they are so much fun to flip through. The text rhymes the way adults imagine little kids would like it. But it worked on me too.