Chanukah books for kids
SYBIL KAPIAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
While doing research on the chanijJdyah, I have pored over many art books and holiday books to learn about the history of this eight-branched menorah. Most people (and many of the books below) erroneously call it a menorah, the Hebrew word for lamp, but, in fact, the menorah was the seven-branched candelabrum of the Temple while the chanukiyah is the ci^t-branched light used specifically for the holiday. Chanukah is the only historical festival not in the Bible but part of the Apocrypha, those books not incorporated into the Bible, and its stoiy is recounted in Book I and Book II of the Maccabees. The stoiy of the oil lasting for a miraculous ei^t days was a creation of tal-mudic rabbis, along with rulings about celebrating the holiday with the lighting of candles - all more or less embellishing the basic stoiy.
This year has produced a large number of books with a few new twists on the holiday which is, in reality, a holiday celebrating a militant victoiy over an oppressor, as well as freedom of religion. (All prices arc in U.S. currency.)
This is the Dreidcl by Abby Levine. (Albert Whitman and Co., $14.95 hardcover, 32 pages.) Youngsters three to sbc will meet impish Max in rhymed couplets as he introduces the reader to the various aspects of Chanukah. Paige Billin-Frye provides colored pencil, acrylic and gouache illustrations of the young man and his family's celebrations. Hebrew/Yiddish words are defined at the end. This is a good first reader book as well as a reminder to children about the important aspects of the holiday. The author/illustrator team has produced two other books with Max that were not Jewish in content.
A Blue's Clues Chanukah by Jessica Lissy. (Simon Spotlight, $3.99 paperback, 24 pages.) This book is part of a scries (and a TV show) starring Blue, a blue caricature of a dog, and a real young man, Joe, with whom she shares an invitation to a Chanukah party from Orange Kitten. Orange Kitten introduces Joe and Blue to the symbols being made by her and Purple Kangaroo to celebrate Chanukah. The traditional activities such as making and lighting the
chanukiyah, latkes and dreidel are eiyoyed by Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper, Magenta, CSnnamon and Periwinkle as a family. Children three to seven will be reminded of the symbols such as how to light the chanukiyah, play dreidel and sing a Chanukah song
Pearl's Eight Days of Chanukah by Jane Brcskin Zal-ben. (Simon & Schuster (Aladdin), $6.99 paperback, 48 pages.) Pearl is absolutely one of my favorite children's book char-
Pearls Eiij;ht J)a\s of Chanuknli'
[am:. brI'SKIn /ai hkn
actors because she and her family are all sweet, darling Jewish sheep dressed in people clothes and doing things to celebrate Jewish holidays. First, mother informs Pearl and Avi that cousins Sophie and Harry will be with the family for Chanukah, a subject that concerns Pearl because the cousins are rather mis-' chievous. Each of the eight chapters in this book for three- to eight-year-olds provides, an activity to celebrate the holiday and keep Pearl, Avi, Sophie and Harry happy. "The chanukiyah is the theme of chapter one with blessings over the candles along with instructions for making two chanukiyot. There is also the making of cards and the story with the legendaiy miracle slant; latkes, applesauce and jelly nugget recipes; Chanukah songs with music; dreidel history and rules; making wrapping paper and puppets; and a glossary. Zal-ben provides the illustrations in gold leaf, colored pencils and wa-tcrcolor on parchment When she is not creating utterly delightful plots for Pearl, she lectures on how to write picture books and writes books for older readers with a character named Beni.
Wholl Light the Chanukah Candles? by Dandi Daley Mack-Please sec CHANUKAH BOOKS on page 10
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