ROMA_ -4? SPOSA ,,,,„It The Gift Of Reading You are cordially invited to our December Trunk Shows... New kids' books hit the shelves for Chanukah. Ines Di Santo PENNY SCHWARTZ I JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY Couture Bridal Collection Personal Designer Appearance December 3, 4, 5 Badgley Mischka Bridesmaids Couture Collection December 10, 11, 12 Monique Lhuillier Couture Bridal Collection December 17, 18, 19 708 N. Old Woodward • Birmingham, Ml • By Appt • 248-723-4300 • romasposa.com You Can Always Get What You Want We've been creating masterpieces in custom wood furniture and millwork since 1977. CALL FOR OUR BROCHURE 248.288.1500 VogueFurniture.net vra, J vamp FURNITURE THE ART OF LIVING P24 • DECEMBER 2009 • Pi platinum From all corners of the globe, to under the sea and above the skies, a new crop of children's books for Chanukah takes readers on a world- wide spin with delightful and infor- mative books for kids of all ages. Hanukkah Around the World Tami Lehman-Wilzig, illustrated by Vicki Wehrman Kar-Ben; $16.95 hardcover; $7.95 paper; ages 8-11 Move over latkes, make room for precipizi. And sufganiyot, debla cook- ies and burmelos. These are among the traditional sweets eaten in Jewish homes from Italy to Israel, Tunisia and Turkey during the eight-day Festival of Lights. Recipes for the treats are featured in Hanukkah Around the World by Israeli- American children's writer Tami Lehman-Wilzig. The illustrated trav- elogue takes young readers to eight faraway places around the globe. First stop, the Israeli city of Modi'in, the ancient biblical home of the Maccabees, where the Chanukah story began 2,000 years ago. Today the city comes alive to celebrate its beloved holiday with a relay race to Jerusalem and eight days of kid-friendly festivi- ties, Lehman-Wilzig writes in an e- mail from her home in Israel. Each of the eight cities featured includes a short fictional story that highlights local customs, historical notes, current events and easy-to- follow recipes. Back pages include Chanukah potpourri from other locales and a glossary. The custom that most impressed Lehman-Wilzig was in Turin, where a custom connects the summertime observance of Tisha B'Av, commemo- rating the ancient destruction of the Temple, with Chanukah, recalling the rededication of the Temple. "It's a wonderful way to close the circle and is a custom to be cher- ished," she writes. The Rabbi and the Twenty-Nine Witches Marilyn Hirsh Marshall Cavendish, $17.99; ages 4-9 This is a re-publication of a Jewish children's classic, by the late Marilyn Hirsh, an internationally acclaimed, award-winning artist and writer. Hirsh brings a light-hearted touch to this old legend from the Talmud about a cave full of witches, fright- ened villagers, the full moon and a wise rabbi. Her whimsical black- and-white line illustrations, with blue throughout, will delight read- ers; even the wicked witches are more slapstick than frightening. Hirsh, who died of cancer in 1988, was a consummate profes- sional and a uniquely talented artist, recalls the noted children's writer David Adler, who worked with Hirsh while he was an editor at the Jewish Publication Society. Adler recalls that in the early 1980s, though she was ill and hospitalized, Hirsh illustrated the JPS's 50th anniversary edition of The Adventures of K'ton Ton, the classic Jewish children's series by Sadie Rose Weilerstein. Menorah Under the Sea Esther Susan Heller Kar-Ben, $17.95; ages 4-8 Menorah Under the Sea is a photo essay-style book that follows the explorations of David Ginsburg, a marine ecologist from Los Angeles who takes readers on an adventure to McMurdo station in Antarctica. The