Is It Hanukkah Yet?

September 14, 2015
Barash and Psacharopulo return to the pastoral, benevolent world of Is It Passover Yet? (Mar. 2015), where even the animals have rosy cheeks. Snow has arrived, and the animals that aren’t hibernating are feeling frisky; the siblings from the previous book have plenty of company as they sled down the hill. Soon, relatives arrive to help “stir, fry, and bake/ The applesauce, latkes and cookies we’ll make,” as well as play dreidel, sing songs, and light the first candle. Psacharopulo’s digital landscapes and doll-like characters are as sweet as can be, but because Hanukkah moves around the secular calendar (it famously coincided with Thanksgiving a few years back), it’s not as closely tied to sense memories of snow and cold; the evocation of a winter wonderland ends up feeling a mite too Christmas-y. Once the action moves indoors, however, it’s haimish all the way. Ages 4–7.

September 1, 2015
Wintry scenes form the background for anticipation of the upcoming weeklong celebration of Hanukkah. A young family enjoys the pleasures of playing in the snow then comes inside to a warm house, where the traditional preparations for Hanukkah begin, from creating and displaying decorations to the making of latkes to the counting of candles for the menorah. A celebratory eagerness is present in the simple rhyming text. "When glitter and paper are spread on the floors / And we hang decorations on windows and doors... / Hanukkah is on its way. / When cousins come over to stir, fry, and bake / The applesauce, latkes, and cookies we'll make... / Hanukkah is on its way." The sweet, charming illustrations, many in double-page spreads, depict how the family works together to celebrate with food, songs, and a game of dreidel. Unfortunately, there is no mention of the holiday's significance or the reasons for the traditions outlined, perhaps indicating an assumed secular audience. Other aspects of the depicted celebration confirm this. They prepare decorated cookies rather than doughnuts, the traditional, oil-fried sweet treat offered after latkes, and the last scene, in which the family gazes through the window on a cold winter night, does not include the all-important lit menorah as it is placed in many traditional Jewish homes (though it is present in several interior scenes). Though it is not for every Jewish household, this Hanukkah book for the very young has its place. (Picture book. 3-5)

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October 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 2-A simple rhyming holiday book that celebrates the coming of Hanukkah. While the opening scenes, which focus on a snowy clime, may not ring true for all young readers, once the action moves indoors there are plenty of predictable preparatory activities included such as making decorations, getting out the menorahs, cooking traditional foods, and counting the number of candles needed for that evening's lighting. The text actually says very little about Hanukkah: "When glitter and paper are spread on the floors/And we hang decorations on windows and doors/Hanukkah is on its way." Nor is there any explanation of Hanukkah's historical origin or the reason it is celebrated with lights. Still, the cheerful illustrations provide some context, featuring a multigenerational family hanging up Jewish stars, making latkes, lighting the menorah, and playing dreidel, culminating with the statement "Hanukkah is here!" VERDICT A pleasant, visually appealing book for those focusing more on celebratory rituals than the religious aspects of the holiday.-Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library

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