CHANUKAH LIGHTS. TEXT COPYRIGHT © 2011 BY MICHAEL J. ROSEN. ILLUSTRATIONS COPYRIGHT © 2011 BY ROBERT
SABUDA. REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER, CANDLEWICK PRESS, SOMERVILLE, MA.
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Chanukah, Oh Chanukah
Give your kids the gift of reading: great new (and one classic) books for the holiday .
Lynne Konstantin | Arts & Life Editor
Misha, a poor artist, has no one to
celebrate Chanukah with — until he
finds a lucky little cat, whom he names
Mazel, in his barn. In A Hanukkah with
Mazel (Kar-Ben) by Joel Edward Stein
and illustrated by Elisa Vavouri, set in
the outskirts of an Old World shtetl,
Misha finds creative ways to celebrate
the Festival of Lights using his paints
and brushes — and readers will have
fun finding Mazel in every scene.
First introduced in Tashlich
at Turtle Rock, Annie and her
family are back to celebrate
Chanukah in Potatoes at Turtle
Rock (Kar-Ben) by Susan Schnur
(a Reconstructionist rabbi),
Anna Schnur-Fishman (her
daughter) and illustrated by
Alex Steele-Morgan. Embarking
on an outdoor nighttime
journey through the snowy
woods around their small farm,
the family creates their own
Chanukah rituals.
38 December 22 • 2016
Dreidels on the Brain
(Penguin Random House)
by Joel ben Izzy is a very
funny, very touching story
about 12-year-old Joel trying
to survive Chanukah in a
1971 Los Angeles suburb.
A nerdy magician and the
only Jew at his school, Joel is
betting everything on these
eight nights to see whether
it’s worth believing in God,
miracles or anything at all.
ABOVE: Chanukah Lights (Candlewick)
was published in 2011, but it remains a
stunning classic to be included on any
gift-giving list. Pop-up master Robert
Sabuda’s intricate and inventive paper
engineering brings to life the solemn
words of acclaimed poet Michael J.
Rosen, guiding the reader through a
journey of the Festival of Lights in dif-
ferent places and times — from Herod’s
temple to a shtetl in Russia.
Michigan-native Rick Morrison was
inspired to co-write (with his daughter,
Shana) The Hug Store (Veronica Lane
Books) when Shana, then 5, told her
grandpa she was all out of hugs. After
searching at shops to buy a hug for him,
she makes an important discovery. The
Hug Store also features a list of reasons
why hugs are healthy — plus a warning
about “safe” hugging.
Whimsical bunnies invite
their animal friends to cel-
ebrate Chanukah with them in
Hanukkah Delight (Kar-Ben), a
charming rhyming board book.
Award-winning writer and poet
Leslea Newman and illustrator
Amy Husband create a warm
introduction to Chanukah tradi-
tions.
Clean Jewish humor still deliv-
ers in The Silly World of Chelm
(Two Lights) by Shepsel and
Avraham. Introduce the kids
to the beloved town of Chelm,
the fabled town where solv-
ing life’s practical problems
always becomes a rollicking
journey. For decades, the tales
were printed in the pages of
the Jewish Press — for the first
time, more than 150 stories are
collected in one book.
The Original Tale of Sara n’
Dippity by J.S. Silverstein —
who has family in Metro Detroit
— tells the tale of a lonely girl
who meets a hapless young
duck and how the pair become
guardian angels. The allegorical
tale is available on iBook and in
book form. Sarandippity.co.