Queen of the Hanukkah Dosas

September 1, 2017
Hanukkah can be celebrated in many different and delicious ways. As Hanukkah approaches, a young boy is reluctant to let his little sister, who loves to climb, help make dosas, a fried Indian delicacy. The boy attends Hebrew school--his father is Jewish--and shops for Indian food with his Indian mother and grandmother. The only way to get his little sister, Sadie, down from chairs at home and stacks of canned food in the market is to sing a variation of the dreidel song: "I had a little dosa; I made it out of dal." He is happy in his blended family, happy to help with the food preparations, and happy to keep singing the song to Sadie. A warm-spirited double-page spread of the family unfolds with the many pots and pans needed to fry the dosas sitting on the stove and little Sadie wearing her dreidel costume. When the family goes outside to greet guests, the door locks behind them, and only one small girl can get inside to open the door. The illustrations are bright and cheerful with endpapers that are a mouthwatering display of ingredients for Indian food. A delightful culinary adventure celebrates traditional Indian food as part of a Jewish holiday. (recipes) (Picture book. 3-6)

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September 4, 2017
Instead of frying latkes on Hanukkah, the family in Ehrenberg and Sarkar’s sweet cross-cultural story makes dosas (a savory pancake served with condiments and side dishes) to honor Mom’s heritage. “Making Indian food that my mom ate as kid for a Jewish holiday that my dad grew up with—that was a lucky combination,” says the boy who candidly narrates. But he is also being sorely tested by his younger sister’s mischievousness: if she won’t behave will they ever get the dosas made—and get to eat them? Ehrenberg’s storytelling leaves little to readers’ imaginations, but there’s something comforting about the steady step-by-step trajectory of the text and Sarkar’s stylish cartooning. Readers will also appreciate how the narrator turns a customized version of “I Have a Little Dreidel” (“I have a little dosa...”) into a sister-wrangling tool. Ages 4–7. Author’s agent: Carrie Howland, Empire Literary.

October 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 1-Cultures merge in this holiday story about a boy with an Indian mother, a Jewish father, and a mischievous little sister named Sadie. Instead of traditional potato pancakes, this family celebrates Hanukkah by making dosas, a fried Indian pancake of rice and beans. From buying ingredients at the Indian market, to grinding the dal and rice and frying the batter in coconut oil, the process feels both different and familiar, and creates an opportunity for the author to explore the mingling of traditions. Unfortunately, the first-person narrative is bogged down by a contrived plot focusing on Sadie's penchant for climbing on things and her brother's random discovery that he can make her get down by singing a modified version of "I had a little dreidel," which comes in handy when the family gets locked out of the house during their Hanukkah party. The colorful illustrations are festive and bright, including wonderful endpapers that highlight common ingredients used in Indian food, yet the visual appeal of this book does not compensate for the weakness of the text. Furthermore, references to the holiday itself at times seem offhanded: "Just like the Maccabees, my mom rubbed oil in a pan called a tawa, where we cook the dosas." VERDICT An additional selection for large holiday collections.-Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2017
Grades K-2 Hanukkah is approaching, and our biracial, unnamed narrator and his family are preparing to make Indian dosas for the celebration. There's just one problem: his little sister, Sadie, won't stop climbing everything! At Little India Market, Sadie climbs up a pyramid of coconut milk cans and won't come down. But they've been learning The Dreidel Song in Hebrew school, and her brother changes the words, singing, I had a little dosa; I made it out of dal, and Sadie is so delighted, she climbs down. This variation of the song works wonders, and the boy uses it every time they need to calm Sadie down. But when the first night of Hanukkah arrives and the family accidentally gets locked outside the house, Sadie's climbing skills may be just the thing to save the day. Playful cartoonlike illustrations capture the bustle of this half Jewish, half Indian family as they prepare for their holidays. It's a nice portrayal of a blended family; that the focus remains on a very natural sibling relationship is even better.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)