Wednesday, December 23, 2020

😷🎄Six Christmas Picture Books

I love holiday picture books and here are some that came out this year. And a Christmas story book always makes a great gift for your young readers. I always found they were the perfect calming Christmas Eve answer to all that excitement that begins to build up once Thanksgiving is over. Here are six we really enjoyed reading.
Christmas is Joy
written and illustrated by Emma Dodd
Templar Books, 2020, 24 pages 
Emma Dodd always writes such sweet, gentle books for the youngest readers and this one is no different. It really is the most wonderful time of the year. A doe and her young calf explore the meaning of Christmas while wandering through a wintery woodland as large sparkling snowflakes fall around them. The trees are also laden with shiny snow and bits of green peeking out, and there are snowy mountains in the distance. Mother and baby snuggle before setting off to find the rest of their reindeer family. The text is a gentle rhyme in four line stanzas, all beginning with Christmas is... and teaching baby reindeer the different meanings of Christmas - giving, family, happiness, kisses. In the end, warm and safe in her mother's embrace, baby learns that "Christmas is peace/ stars twinkling above/ a night of sweet dreams/ and a heart full of love." The digitally created illustrations use a minimum of color, lots of white and silver, and brown for the reindeer and there's even a bright green appearance of the aurora borealis. This is another tender, heartwarming Emma Dodd book. 

Jack and Santa by Mac Barnett,
illustrated by Greg Pizzoli
Viking BFYR, 2020, 80 pages
Santa has two lists - one is for good kids, the other is for the bad kids. Jack isn't too happy about discovering he is on Santa's naughty list. Jack has a list, too, a long wish list of all the things he wants for Christmas. But when Santa arrives, he get caught in the snare Jack has set for him. And when Jack takes and opens Santa's bag, he discovers gifts for Rex the dog, and for the lady Jack lives with, but nothing for him. He frees Santa and before he leaves, he gives Jack a small gift box. But, to Jack's disappointment, there's only a lump of coal in it. Can Jack redeem himself in Santa's eyes? This is really a fun book, in fact, I found myself laughing out loud an number of time. Also, I had an incredible craving for a grilled cheese sandwich after I read it - maybe you will, too. It's also perfect for beginning readers. The story is divided into four short chapters, the text is simple, words are repeated, and illustrations convey a lot of the humor that might otherwise be missed by a beginning reader. I read this book to my young readers, some of whom do not celebrate Christmas, but nevertheless, they found Jack's situation very funny. In fact, I've had requests for more Jack books. This is the 7th one, so fans of Jack will certainly appreciate his Santa problems, and newcomers will no doubt end up fans. Which is just what happened with my young readers. 

Ming's Christmas Wishes by Susan L. Gong,
illustrated by Masahiro Tateishi
Shadow Mountain, 2020, 49 pages
In 1930s California, Ming Gong, the oldest child of immigrants from China, has three wishes - to sing in the school choir, to have a Christmas tree, and to feel like she belongs somewhere. She's not Chinese enough at home and not American enough at school. But Ming's mother is adamant about not have a tree - it's just not Chinese. To break the tension, Ming's Pop says he will take Ming with him when he visits the Lins the next day. After a long truck ride, the two arrive at the shack where Uncle Lin and his father live, old friends of Pop's father. Ming listens to their stories about living in Hong Kong, visiting Yosemite and Canada, and surviving San Francisco's big earthquake, as she looks around at the carvings all around the house. Carvings, Ming learns, made out of pine trees for long life and strong character. When they leave, Pop takes Ming to a grove of sequoias and one with an altar in its hollow base. Here, Ming learns about her father's life when he first came to America and receives some good advice from him. Before they leave, they find a way for Ming to have a Christmas tree that will be true to her Chinese culture. This is a nice historical fiction picture book that is more about what it was like to be Chinese in America and Chinese culture. It reminds us that we are a nation of immigrants, all of whom brought traditions with them and combined them with those in their new home land, much the way Ming's tree does. I really liked this story, and the old-fashioned color palette used for the illustrations, but some of the adult faces were a drawn a little too harshly, I thought. This is a picture book will probably lead to some lively conversations about how Christmas is celebrated in different homes.   
Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Tort, 
illustrated by Jarvis
Candlewick Press, 2020, 40 pages
This book was issued a few years ago in an oversized edition. Now, here is the same story in a smaller version perfect for younger kids. Back in 2017, I wrote "the anticipatory excitement of picking out a Christmas tree, buying it, and taking it home to decorate is captured perfectly in this story about a family of four as they set off on their tree buying day. At home, the furniture is moved around, the trunk of the tree is trimmed to fit the stand, and the decorations are brought down from the attic. When everything is ready, the family hosts a decorating party, inviting all their friends to help trim the tree with bright lights, jolly Santas, dancing elves, paper dolls, all kinds of ornaments. Finally, it's time for the crowning touch - a shiny golden star at the very top. The story is told in rhyme with spot on four line stanzas on each page describing every task that needs to be done for the spectacular finished tree that can be seen...at the end. Jarvis's simple pencil, chalk, and paint illustrations are done in a wintery palette outside, and a warm, cozy palette inside the house, and include diverse characters throughout." This is sure to become a yearly classic for many families, after all, it was wonderful in 2017, and it still is - it's just smaller.

Mouse's Night Before Christmas by Tracey Corderoy,
illustrated by Sarah Massini
Nosy Crow, 2020, 32 pages
This story opens with those oh so familiar words "Twas the night before Christmas..." but this is Mouse's story and he is definitely stirring. Looking at the Christmas tree, and all the presents, lonely Mouse notices the star atop the tree and remembering that star wishes sometimes come true, he wishes had a friend to give gifts to and have fun with. Suddenly, there's lots of noise outside. Santa and his reindeer have gotten caught in a storm and lost their way. When Santa sees Mouse, he asks if it was his wish he had just heard that knocked him off course. Mouse, realizing Santa needs help, and knowing his way around the area, offers to be his guide so he can deliver all his toys. The two set off together, with Mouse having a great time in Santa's company and helping. But what about his wish? Santa hasn't forgotten and gives Mouse two pair of ice skates and a map with a path marked on it for Mouse to follow. "Will the path lead the way to my wish?" he asks, to which Santa replied "Why not see for yourself?" There's nothing like a little Christmas magic, and sure enough, Mouse's wish comes true, but not quite the friend I expected. This was a fun take on the original Clement Moore tale, told in the same rhyme and it never falters. The mixed-media illustrations are colorful with a very traditional feel. I read this to my young readers a number of times who loved it, especially since Mouse found a friend who had made the same wish that night. 

The Christmas Feast by Nathalie Dargent,
illustrated by Magali Le Huche
Eerdmans BFYR, 2020, 32 pages
Christmas is coming and burrowmates Fox, Weasel, and Wolf have decided they want a nice turkey dinner for their holiday feast. Clever Fox goes off to steal a turkey and brings back one that looks good. But when Turkey sees the mess in the burrow, she insists that they clean it up, and oversees the job they do. When dinner time arrives, Turkey wants to know what they made for her to eat. After all, don't they want to fatten her up before eating her? After dinner, the four of them play cards and have a great time. And so it goes on like this with Turkey making demands and Fox, Weasel, and Wolf complying until Christmas Eve. How are they going to cook her, Turkey wants to know and tells them that she would liked to be flambéed.  But the three friends have hemed and hawed about the idea of cooking Turkey because they really don't want to lose their new friend. Seeing their discomfort, Turkey suggests that they spend the next year fattening her up for a really great feast. And so year after year, the four friends renew this arrangement of fatten Turkey up for the next year's Christmas feast, living a happy life in a joyful burrow in the meantime. But, uh-oh! Take a close look at that last picture of Turkey sitting in her rocking chair and reading a cookbook. Don't you just love a trickster tale? Especially a Christmas trickster tale? I know I do and I just loved the dry humor of this story translated from the French and originally called Le Festin de Noël. The fun cartoon style illustrations are just delightfully perfect for this story and, I know it is going to be a holiday favorite in my house for years to come.   












 


Monday, December 21, 2020

😷🎄Unplugged Gifts for the Young and the Young at Heart in My Family (Part 2)

The books I've included in this roundup of gift suggestions are a little more sophisticated than the last unplugged roundup, but they are every bit as exciting and interesting, and since they will appeal to readers of all ages, they may very likely generate some lively conversations between kids and the adults in their lives. And they have all been kid tested and received their 'seal of approval.'  

One of a Kind: A Story about Sorting and Classifying
written and illustrated by Neil Packer
Candlewick Studio, 2020, 48 pages, age 7+
At first, a book about sorting and classifying may seem like an odd gift choice, and more like a topic kids might study in school. But once readers open this book, they will meet Arvo and travel with him throughout his day. learning how Arvo and the individual objects he comes into contact with belong to much larger but related groups. For example, Arvo belongs to a whole family tree that goes back generations and includes a diverse number of people. Arvo's cat Malcolm belongs to a large family of all kinds of cats, and Arvo's violin belongs to a whole group of instruments. The book goes on like that, until the end when it circles back to the one-of-a-kind individual. By the end of Arvo's day, readers will definitely appreciate the idea of sorting things as a way to making sense of the world. As the author says, imagine trying to find a library book without the benefit of classifying them. I thought the mixed media illustrations in this oversized book were wonderfully quirky with a kind of old-fashioned feeling to them and spent quite a bit of time exploring them, especially the wide variety of apples Arvo found in the farmers' market until I found my individual favorite, the honeycrisp. This is surely a book that young and old readers will enjoy alone and together.

Gridiron: Stories From 100 Years of the National Football League
written by Fred Bowen, illustrated by James E. Ransome
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2020, 112 pages 8+
I do not know much about football and yet, I found the stories in this book to be more than just interesting. The book covers 100 years of the NFL, and is set up like a football game. After the introductory Pregame Show, it is divided into four quarters with each quarter covering 25 years of football history. Did you know that the NFL had some humble beginnings, formed in an car dealership by the managers of some important midwestern football teams?  Or that the Super Bowl wasn't always called that, and that it wasn't always to popular games it is today? Originally, it was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, but thanks to Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, it's name was changed to Super Bowl and how he came up with that name is worth reading about. This is a book that is mostly about fun anecdotes like that, but Bowen doesn't ignore problems of racism within the league, or CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) injuries, either. Back matter includes an extensive bibliography and articles. What really makes this book special are the many beautiful, wonderfully detailed watercolor illustrations by James Ransome. I bought two copies of this book - one for an 11-year-old fan and the other for my 95-year-old uncle who literally grew up with the NFL.

The Language of the Universe: A Visual Exploration of Mathematics
written by Colin Stuart, illustrated by Ximo Abadía
Candlewick: Big Picture Press, 2020, 80 pages 8+
When I was a kid, if someone had given me a math book for Christmas, I would probably have been pretty disappointed. So why am I recommending this math book? Because it's fun and different and interesting and useful. The book is divided into four sections: Math in the Natural World; Physics, Chemistry, and Engineering; Space;  and Technology. Using visuals, readers will discover "how, as [they] go about [their] life each day, everything around [them] is buzzing with math." They will also learn some basic scientific principles and mathematical terminology, covering areas like atom patterns, Einstein's energetic equation, a great explanation of the Fibonacci sequence, and even a section on Cryptography and Encryption. Each concept is clearly defined and explained, and then visually illustrated. This is an ideal gift for math lovers, but even people who aren't into math will appreciate this book, and who knows, it may even spark a dormant interest. I'm a diagnosed dyslexic who has avoided math all my life like the plague, so I can honestly say this is an exceptional book.
 
Lost in the Imagination: A Journey Through 
Nine Worlds in Nine Nights
written by Hiawyn Oram, illustrated by David Wyatt
Candlewick Studio, 48 pages 8+
If you are looking for something different for the fantasy lover on your list, look no further than this beautifully executed book. The conceit is that it is the notebook of a fictional theoretical physicist named Dr. Dawn Gable after she had visited nine imaginary worlds in nine nights. She did this with the help of Hyllvar, a dragon descended from ancient Norse dragons, and his flying machine. The first world they visited was the lost city of Kôr. But when Dr. Gable protested that they could not be there, Hyllvar merely said "Be curious. Curiosity will take you further than you can dream." And it does, including Camelot (my favorite), Lilliput, Atlantis, and four more worlds. Each world has illustrations showing what they look like, the animals and beasts that inhabit them along with vegetation and other interesting bits. It isn't a book that goes into great detail, but it will inspire readers to seek out more imaginative worlds and perhaps develop a love of fantasy and science fiction if they don't already. Diehard fans of fantasy will no doubt appreciate having this lovely book as part of their library. I'm giving a copy of this book to a 10-year-old fan who has coveted my review copy since it arrived. Oh, yes, there's a coded message in the books edges. Can you decode it? Hint: read Dawn's introductory letter.
How We Got to the Moon: The People, Technology, and Daring Feats of
Science Behind Humanity's Greatest Adventure
written and illustrated by John Rocco
Crown BFYR, 2020, 264 pages 10+
Space may be the final frontier, but it is a mystery that we have already begun to explore, beginning with man's first trip to the moon in 1969. And for anyone who has wondered how it was done without the benefit of today's technology, Rocco has provided all the answers from the beginnings of NASA's space program, and including the step-by-step work of the engineers, mathematicians, and scientists involved in that successful moon landing. Rocco leaves nothing to the imagination, giving realistic explanations and descriptions of every step in the process of what he calls humanity's greatest adventure. He clearly loves his subject, and has done all the detailed illustrations himself. His goal was to produce the kind of book he would have wanted and poured over as a boy. The result is both informative and riveting. What makes it really work for young readers interested in science is that it isn't dry or boring, but written in a reader-friendly narrative style. Rocco has also included many of the diverse people who worked on the moon landing and who don't generally get the credit they deserve. Back matter includes A Note About Research, Sources, Documentaries, websites, Places Visited, and suggestions for Further Reading, and more. If you have a young or old reader who is interested in space, this is the book for them. It will keep them occupied for a long time and I wouldn't be surprised if they returned to it again and again. I'm giving a copy of this to a friend's son, as well as to my 95-year-old uncle who will love it. 



Friday, December 18, 2020

Sophie Washington: Secret Santa (Sophie Washington #7) written and illustrated by Tonya Duncan Ellis

This is the 7th Sophie Washington book, but it is the first one I've read (but won't be the last). Sophie, 11, is a middle school African American girl who lives in Houston, Texas with her parents and younger brother Cole, 8. Dad is a dentist, mom works as his office manager, and both kids attend a private school. 

It's three weeks before Christmas and the kids are looking forward to Granny Washington's upcoming visit. But before that happens, a package filled with all of her favorites candies arrives for Sophie and is simply signed Your Secret Santa. But who could that be?

The next day at school, friends Mariama, Chloe, and Valentina think it must be from a boy at their school, but who? After school, another Secret Santa present arrives, this time it's a gingerbread house and Granny Washington arrives just in time to put it together.

Meantime, Cole, who loves to play basketball after school, comes in with a black eye. Two boys from down the street, Rhythm, 8 and his brother Blu, 7, Brown (yes, their dad is a jazz musician, but he's never around) have been picking on Cole and finally decked him. Sophie helps him cover his black and blue eye while promising to figure out what to do about the brothers and still trying to solve the Secret Santa mystery.

When Sophie discovers that Nathan, a school friend, has also been receiving Secret Santa gifts, she can at least rule him out of the suspects list. But when he mentions something he noticed in the last present he received, they wonder if that could be a lead to the real Secret Santa. Will they finally be able to solve the mystery? 

Sophie Washington: Secret Santa is a great holiday chapter book for kids in the lower middle school grades. Sophie is a great role model, a girl who has a nice relationship with her brother, looking out for him and helping him when he needs it, but getting annoyed when his sweet tooth is aimed at her sweets. Sophie gets along with her parents and Granny Washington, but isn't spoiled. She also isn't perfect which makes her realistic.  

As I said, Sophie Washington: Secret Santa is the seventh book in the Sophie Washington series and that I had not as yet read any others. So, you may be wondering, did it work as a stand alone story? Yes, it did, simply because anything you needed to know from prior stories was explained just enough to keep the reader from being confused and getting lost. 

If kids enjoy this story, they might want to circle back to the beginning of the series and catch up on all of Sophie Washington's adventures, beginning with Sophie Washington: Queen of the Bee. I should mention that these chapter books would make a great stocking stuffer, along with the Sophie Washington Super Fun Activity Book, filled with crosswords, word searches, coloring pages, mazes, writing prompts and more. 
Meet the Author:
Tonya Duncan Ellis loves to travel and has visited 49 American states, 20 countries, and three continents, but some of her best journeys have been between the pages of a novel. As a girl she could always be found with a book in her hand, and reading is still one of her favorite hobbies. When she's not reading or writing, the author likes to ride her bike, swim, and spend time with her husband and three children. She lives in Hauston, TX

You can find out more at https://tonyaduncanellis.com/

This book is recommended for readers age 8+
This book was gratefully received from the author and Penny Sansevieri at Author Marketing Experts 

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

😷🎄Unplugged Gifts for the Young and the Young at Heart in My Family (Part 1)

If you feel like the kids in your family are still spending too much time in front of their screens, may I make some gifts suggestions that might help them unplug and have fun at the same time? 

First up are activity books. I always put activity books, coloring books and crayons in the kid's stockings. That week off from school sounds like fun, but it can also mean a lot of time watching TV, playing video games, or falling into a internet rabbit hole. Here are some activity books I have purchased this year.

Activity Books
These are all filled with holiday related activities - word games, puzzles, dot-to-dot and more. I don't give sticker books because they take no time to use and once the stickers are finished, the book is tossed aside. I have a nephew who loves Legos, so for him I found The Lego Games Book, and I just might have to join him in some of the challenges, after all, they really look like fun to do.

Puzzles
One of the things I've noticed is that if you open a puzzle and begin working on it, kids will join you. It's a great time to just chat and find pieces. Good conversations about secrets, wishes, dreams, problems, and even the names of a few crushes have occurred over a puzzle. These are three of our recent favorites. They aren't the most well-made puzzles, but they are fun because of the book name recognition and there were some nostalgic conversations about well-loved old favorites. 

National Geographic Kids
Another of my nephews loves National Geographic Kids books and these are the ones I have chosen for this year. They are full of interesting facts, games, quizzes, and of course, National Geographic signature fabulous photography. They keep him busy for hours, and he will return to them again and again because there's just too much to take in all at once. But don't get the impression that these are "boy's books" because girls love them just as much and brothers and sister have been known to sit together and pour over one of these books. 

Nature Books
I began giving one of these Kate Messner books to my youngest nature-loving niece every year since she was 5 (she's 8 now) for Christmas. This year, I will be giving her the newest addition, Over and Under the Rainforest. It is written in the same format as the first three - an adult and child visit an environment and talk about what they observe. They are informative and have inspired us to take a few similar walks of our own locally. 

My Kiddo is also a nature-lover. Right now, she's teaching in China, where she goes on nature walks similar to the walks we took when she was young, and that I take with my niece now. I don't usually send presents to China, but I did this year because she can't come home yet. I chose the backpack because it's great for day trips, and I loved the nature print. There's plenty of room for everything including lunch and a water bottle. I added the notebook, which helps the reader draw what they see, and the Windsor & Newton watercolor paintbox to add color to the drawings, then I included a new pair of binoculars because she said her old ones are broken. 

Cookbooks
Some of the kids in my family love to cook, and like puzzles, being together in the kitchen is a great way of getting closer to a child. They are also fans of shows like MasterChef Junior, the Kids Baking Championship, and Chopped Junior, as well as adult cooking shows (because even a kid knows that Ina Garten is a cooking goddess). This year, I found two cookbooks I like. Cooking Class: Global Feast! is perfect for one of the beginners in the family, and one that I hope will introduce her to new tastes and flavors even if some the the recipes aren't super authentic. The other book, by Christina Tosi of MasterChef Junior fame, is full of the kinds of rich, gooey treats she is known for, and sometimes we all just need a dessert made from breakfast cereal. The tween I am giving it to follows Christina Tosi's Bake Club on Instagram almost as religiously as I follow Neal Katyal's Courtside.

Origami
Do you have a Star Wars fan to buy a present for? Well, I do and last year, I gave him the first Star War Origami book and a pack of origami paper. It proved to be a lot of fun and even though he didn't make everything, it did keep him busy. So this year, I am giving him Star Wars Origami 2. There are 34 more projects and it is perfect for a 12-year-old fan. Beside clear and easy-to-follow instructions for all the projects and basic origami terms, there is also Star Wars trivia throughout as well as Matchups to test your movie knowledge, and detailed descriptions of characters or objects for each project. In addition, the projects are listed in order from easy to very difficult, and a big bonus is the 72 uniquely printed papers to really bring your origami Star Wars world to life. 

The Baugh's are nothing if not a large family, so I'll be continuing my unplugged gifts for the kids of all ages that I am related to in another post. I love picking out the perfect gift for people, and even if it isn't as perfect as I think it is, if it's close enough to make someone happy, that's good enough for me.   

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Four Picture Books For Hanukkah


This has been a particularly hard year for everyone so I'm really glad the holidays have arrived. I don't like it when the days are so short, so I really love to see all the Hanukkah and Christmas lights. But what I really love are the holiday books that I can read with my young readers. Right now, we are reading Hanukkah picture books and I would like to share some of them with you now.

The Ninth Night of Hanukkah by Erica S. Perl,
illustrated by Shahar Kober
Sterling Children's Books, 2020, 40 pages
It's the first night of Hanukkah and Rachel and Max are very excited. But the family has just moved into a new apartment and no one can find the box marked Hanukkah. That means no menorah and candles to light and no dreidel to play with. Each night of Hanukkah, Rachel and Max decide to make do, but soon discover something else they are missing from their usual celebration. Luckily, they have neighbors who can help them out - one offers birthday candles, another offers french fries in place of latkes, still another has chocolate chips in place of Hanukkah gelt with which to play dreidel, and the funny papers are offered to wrap presents, and, one neighbor makes jelly sandwiches in place of the traditional jelly donuts. On the night after the eight night of Hanukkah, Rachel, Max and their parents invite all the neighbors in to thank them for their all their help throughout their celebration. But there's a surprise delivery and only one thing left to do - celebrate a ninth night of Hanukkah. This is a sweet story about neighbors helping neighbors. And it is a delightfully diverse building that the new family has moved into, so you know there will be many diverse holidays celebrated there. I loved that Rachel and Max never felt sorry for themselves, and got right into trying to celebrate their holiday despite the obstacles and being flexible with making do.  

The Hanukkah Magic of Nate Gadol
by Arthur A. Levine, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
Candlewick Press, 2020, 40 pages
Nate Gadol is a larger than life figure in this story whose main task is to make things last longer than they are expected to. Big things like making the little bit of oil last 8 days and nights long ago or turning the small lump of chocolate saved by Mrs. Glaser for her children to celebrate Purim into three larger pieces as they sail to their new home in America. And the Glasers are just as friendly and helpful, especially when it comes to sharing (with a little help from NateGadol) with their neighbors, the O'Malleys. One year, Christmas and Hanukkah arrive on the same day, along with a terrible blizzard. Poor Santa and his sleigh are completely off kilter. It seems people are having trouble believing that year. Helping out, Nate Gadol takes the chocolate Santa has, and in return, sends him off with a sparkling sleigh full of Nate magic. Next morning, there are presents for everyone - a box of goodies for each of the O'Malleys under their Christmas tree, and big bags of Hanukkah chocolate for each of the Glasers. And that is how gift giving became a Hanukkah tradition. After all, Nate Gadol's name says it all - just as it does on two of the four sides of a dreidel: נג nes gadol = a great miracle. This is a fun book that imagines the answer to the question: why are gifts are given for Hanukkah. But, like most Santa and Rudolf stories, which don't change the true meaning of Christmas, this one doesn't change the real Hanukkah story about the Maccabees and the miracle of the oil that last so long.  
  
The Eight Knights of Hanukkah 
by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Galia Bernstein
Holiday House, 2020, 48 pages
It's the last night of Hanukkah and Lady Sadie has invited the whole kingdom to celebrate with her and her eight children - all knights - but a dragon named Dreadful is roaming around, ruining the people's Hanukkah preparations. So, she tells her knight children to "fix things with some deeds of awesome kindness and stupendous bravery." Sir Alex carves a new dreidel for a young boy's after Dreadful scorched the one he was playing with. Sir Gabriel helps a lady peel potatoes for the evening's latkes, after Dreadful scared off her helpers. Sir Margaret helps a group of field hands pick apples for applesauce after Dreadful baked the apples they had already picked with his dragon breath. Sir Julian's mitzvah was to bring chicken soup to the sick and lonely, while Sir Lily helped the baker make more jelly donuts after dreadful ate what she had already made. Sir Henry cleaned the castle from top to bottom for the evening's celebration. And finally, Sir Isabella and Sir Ruglach chase down the dragon, and what a surprise - it's just a baby named Rosie. Finally, everyone is ready for the last night of Hanukkah, including baby Rosie who has a unique talent for lighting menorahs. This is such a fun book and really helps the reader understand what making a mitzvah means. And the wordplay, the gender blurring and the community spirit really make this a lively Hanukkah story. 

The Golem's Latkes by Eric A Kimmel,
illustrated by Arron Jasinski
Marshall Cavendish, 2011, 40 pages
It wouldn't feel like Hanukkah without a book by Eric Kimmel and this one one of my favorites. After Rabbi Judah of Prague took a piece of clay and formed it to look like a man, he put a magic word on its forehead and the giant clay man, which he called Golem, came to life. Golem could work hard and long and always do a great job. So when Hanukkah comes around, and Rabbi Judah is very busy, he puts his housemaid Basha in charge of Golem, to clean the house and then to make lots of latkes for his guests that night while he goes out. But, he cautions Basha to never leave Golem alone and always say "Golem, enough" to get him to stop working. But Mary decides that since Golem is such a good worker and has to make so many latkes, she has time to visit her friend Mary. But, Basha loses track of time, and Golem keeps working, peeling potatoes and making latkes. Soon, there are so many latkes they fill the house, then spill out the door, into the street until they top the city walls. When Rabbi Judah and Basha finally get home and yell "Golem, enough" there are latkes everywhere. What to do? Invite everyone to come and enjoy them - for eight days and nights. This is a fun book and a nice rendering of the Golem from Jewish folklore, but with a clear nod to The Sorcerer's Apprentice. The acrylic illustrations are very detailed, and done in a palette of muted earth tones. The Golem, though a giant, is not scary and in fact has a bit of a sense of humor.   

Saturday, December 5, 2020

🕎A Dreidel in Time: A new Spin on an Old Tale by Marcia Berneger, illustrated by Beatriz Castro

 
It's the last night of Hanukkah and Devorah, 12, can't to finally open her present. To make it happen faster, she convinces her brother Benjamin, 9, that it will be alright if they light the eight menorah candles and say the blessing while they wait for their parents to come home from work. But Mom isn't too happy to see what they have done, and Devorah isn't too happy when she learns she will have to wait even longer to open her gift - grandparents Bubbe and Zayde are coming over with a very special gift. 

But Devorah's excitement turns to disappointment when she learns it is a gift she must share with Benjamin, and she feels letdown even more when the present turns out to be a large, lopsided old dreidel with red and gray speckles. Encouraged to play the dreidel game with it, Devorah and Benjamin don't notice when they surroundings being to fade as the dreidel spins. But when the stops, the dreidel falls on the Hebrew letter Shin ש. Devorah knows it's not a good spin, Shin means the player loses what is in the pot. 

And indeed, they have lost something. No longer at home, Devorah and Benjamin suddenly find themselves in an unknown place. When they meet siblings Simon and Shoshana, they learn they are in ancient Modi'in and that the Macccabees are leaving to escape the cruel Syrian ruler King Antiochus so that they can practice their Jewish religion in peace. Antiochus had ordered his soldiers to kill anyone observing Jewish traditions. 

Arriving at the Maccabee camp, Devorah and Benjamin, mistaken for Antiochus' spies, are taken to the leader of the Jews, Mattisyahu. Already knowing what happens, they warn Mattisyahu of a coming attack. Mattisyahu orders the children held while his sons Judah and Jonathan investigate this information. Luckily, the old dreidel appears again, and this time, the spin lands on Nun נ, meaning the player neither loses nor gains from the pot. 

Everything looks the same as before, but two years have passed. Simon is now 15 and Shoshana is 12, yet Devorah and Benjamin haven't aged at all. When they learn that the Maccabees are losing to the Syrian soldiers because they are outnumbered, Benjamin remembers how George Washington fooled the British into thinking he had more soldiers than he actually did. Washington's plan is relayed to Mattisyahu's sons Judah, now the leader of the Maccabees after the death in battle of his father. Judah accept the plan, but when Benjamin is too impatient to see if it worked, he gets captured by the Syrians. The original plan is called off and a another strategy is found, one that would rescue Benjamin. 

In the midst of battle, Devorah spins the dreidel, which lands on Hey ה, meaning the player gets half of what would be in the pot. A year has passed, and the Maccabees have been victorious and are now returning to their temple in Jerusalem. But when they get there, they discover everything in the Temple has been destroyed. They spend days cleaning it up, and finally the saved menorah is brought out for the Temple's rededication.  But there is no oil for the menorah. A search is made and Devorah finds a small jar of oil, enough for one night. But the dreidel has once again appeared and it is time for another spin. 

The last spin lands on Gimmel ג, meaning the player gets everything in the pot. For Devorah and Benjamin, it means a return to home in the present and a much better understanding of the history and meaning of their Hanukkah traditions.  

A Dreidel in Time is a fun retelling of the Hanukkah story. And a great way to remember that holidays like Hanukkah and Christmas are not only about the gifts, but are more about the reason why we celebrate them in the first place. Berneger has included all the important parts of the Hanukkah story including how the Jews brought gifts to the rededication of the Temple, which is how the tradition of gift giving began. 

How the dreidel game is played isn't explained at first, not until 15-year-old Simon asks about it and, hearing Devorah's explanation and that the meaning of the four Hebrew letters is "a great miracle happened there," to which Simon responds "Your story is nonsense. There's no holiday called Hanukkah." 

It is a well-written book with humorous black and while illustrations that should appeal to young chapter book readers.  

This book is recommended for readers age 7+
This book was borrowed from the Brooklyn Public Library 

If you are wondering how to play the dreidel game, Scholastic offers simple instructions you can download HERE 
You can also download a template for making a paper dreidel that can be printed out, colored and glued together HERE

Thursday, December 3, 2020

Oscar's American Dream by Barry Wittenstein, illustrated by Kristen & Kevin Howdeshell

 
Oscar"s American Dream by Barry Wittenstein,
illustrated by Kristen & Kevin Howdeshell
Schwartz & Wade, 2020, 36 pages
Not long ago, I reviewed a book about a lake house that bore witness to the changing 20th century in Germany. Now, here is a book about a shop on a corner in New York City that bears witness to 100 hundred years of people's different American dreams from 1899 to 1999.

Oskar Nowicki arrived in New York City via Ellis Island from his native Poland. He has a dream and with money loaned to him by his mother, Oskar "replaced the k in his name with a c" and opened a barber shop on the corner of Front Street and Second Avenue in 1899. The barber shop was successful, but then the subway comes along, and in 1908, Oscar's dream changed when he went to work as a train conductor. 

Oscar's barber shop is replaced with Out with the Old, a successful women's clothing shop owned by Nettie and Yettie Jaffe. The Jaffe sisters dressed women from 1915s suffragettes to 1920s flappers, believing that "the good times were here to stay -" right up until the stock market crash of 1929 when "millions like Nettie and Yettie lost everything" and they were forced out of business. 
The shop on the corner of Front Street and Second Avenue becamed a soup kitchen, feeding hundreds of hungry out of work New Yorkers and their families every day. When America entered WWII in 1941, the soup kitchen morphed into a United States Army Recruitment Office and "young men lined up around the block, eager for a chance to become heroes." 
After the war, the building was boarded up until Moises Ortiz Jr. arrived in New York with money his brother in Puerto Rico lent him and the shop on Front Street and Second Avenue became Bodega Suprema, selling everything "from cigars to coffee beans, toilet paper to newspapers and foods from home..." But when television came along, Moises's bodega became Renate's TV Center, named for his baby daughter. 

Renate's TV Center was a good business until fire swept through the shop and "Moise's dreams were no más." Was that the end of the shop on the corner of Front Street and Second Avenue? No, indeed. Wittenstein continues through the 1960s and the March on Washington, and the changing demands of the 1970s and 1980s.
But in 1999, the "wheels of progress" brought a bulldozer to raze the the building. Will this really be the end of the shop that was the embodiment of so many American dreams?

Oscar's American Dream is fiction. There is a Front Street and there is a Second Avenue in NYC, but they don't intersect. No matter, because it is a story not interested in being a factual history, but in being a history about how American dreams are often manifested in the life of a single building. And in a way it tells us to look at that history from both a general point of view and a particular point of view. General, in that you could look at the history of any building anywhere that has been standing for a while and see how changing times and changing dreams have been reflected in it. It is particular because more and more old New York City buildings are being torn down and replaced with nondescript structures, devoid of any personality. Maybe that's true where you live, too. But, with those old buildings go a history of people's dreams.

I really liked the way Wittenstein seamlessly slipped from one era to the next, and using spare text provided a clear picture of what was happening both in the shop and in the world. His purpose, as he writes in his Author's Note, is to see if he could better understand the past by looking at just one building and I would say he has definitely succeeded at that. 

Complimenting the text are engaging pencil and pen digitally compiled illustrations. Readers will want to carefully explore these inviting illustrations and find all of little details that add to the story.   

Oscar's American Dream is an excellent way to introduce young readers to history, where they will discover that it "is alive. And if you stand on a corner and look carefully, you might even see it go marching by."

The NYC building I miss the most - Ralph's Candy Store on Church Avenue between Argyle and Rugby Roads - what great memories of candy, comics, chocolate egg creams, Mello-Rolls, and friends.  

This book is recommended for readers age 6+
This book was gratefully received from the author.
 
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