REVIEW: Hanukkah Cookies with Sprinkles by David A. Adler, Illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler
B Reviews / Book Reviewschildren's book / Hanukkah / Holiday / Jewish characters / Jewish-faith / picture books16 Comments
Sara sees an old man pick up a bruised apple from the discarded pile next to the local market. She wonders if he’s hungry, as she eats her own breakfast. She wonders if he’s lonely, as she shares Shabbat dinner with Mom and Grandma. As Hanukkah approaches, a season of light and hope, Sara discovers that tzedakah can be as bright and colorful as a Hanukkah cookie with sprinkles.
A Note for Families provides context about the story and traditions of Hanukkah, and about the meaning of tzedakah, and challenges readers to think about ways they can give tzedakah, too.
Review
Oh, this is charming and the illustrations are wonderful. Young Sara sees an older man who seems to be alone and without a great deal. In helping him, she learns about giving tzedakah to those with less than you have. In inviting him to share first their Shabbat dinners and then their Hanukkah celebrations, Sara, her mother, and grandmother gain a friend – and someone who can teach Sara how to juggle, starting with bits of challah bread. And they’ve got a cat! B
~Jayne
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Oh! This is lovely! It’s going on my list of books to get the small people in my life–I think I know which kids might get this, this Christmas!
@Random Michelle: Wait – I just have to ask. You’re buying a Hanukkah book for someone for Christmas? ☺ I mean – yay – but ??
Yeah, I know. But it will work, because my family is very much about honoring traditions and caring for those in need, so it is perfect. Plus, their uncle (my cousin) was a world traveler, and usually brought his parents and siblings back items made by the local people of wherever he was visiting.
After all, they already know lots of the Christmas stories, and will learn even more as they grow older.
@Random Michelle: The book sounds touching and your giving the book for Christmas is just as touching. Thank you both for giving me warm and fuzzy feelings today.
@Random Michelle: Ah, now it makes perfect sense.
@Janine:
Birthdays and Christmas they get books. Older teenagers are unappreciative, but too bad.
All the kids books (especially picture books) are so much fun to find and pick out.
I keep a spreadsheet so I don’t give them same book to the same family (different kids) and (minus the times I forgot to enter the books) I’ve given these kids (minus my actual niece) 324 books so far. (The benefit of not having my own kids–I can spoil all the other kids in my life.)
In other words, if you ever need an idea for kids books–I’ve got a list. ;)
@Random Michelle: Well I’m an adult and love picture books which is why I review them here. Maybe the unappreciative teens will change their minds about them at some point in the future.
@Jayne: If you can ever find it, snag Francois Place’s The Old Man Mad About Drawing. I bought it for kids of friends when it was in print, but was out of print once the kids in my family were old enough for it. It’s just so lovely and delightful!
The young teens in my family (oldest twins just turned 13) still adore reading, so I’m good so far. (One of the 13 year-olds broke her arm last spring, and was delighted when I sent her a copy of Cole’s Best-loved Folktales of the World.) So hopefully that’ll keep up. (I shift to graphic novels and cookbooks for older teens otherwise.)
I too was the aunt who gave books to nieces and nephews, @Random Michelle. Now I’m giving them to great-nieces and nephews!
@Kareni: HUZZAH!
Since I’m the eldest cousin by more than a decade, I’ll probably be nearly decrepit by the time I get great-nieces & nehews. :)
@Random Michelle: If you are in the market for more picture books, one of my all-time favorites is David Wiesner’s (author / illustrator of the Caldecott Medal winning Tuesday) Free Fall. It’s an older book but the art is still amazing, and the thing I love about it is that each of the full-page illustrations (and they are all full-page) begins with the same lines and colors that the last one ended with, so that they flow into each other. If you took all the illustrations and taped them together in the order in which they appear in the book you would end up with a long mural that morphs from image to image but is all one picture, and tells an otherworldly story. There is no text but you don’t need it.
I also love Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are but that’s a totally unoriginal choice. So many people pick that one.
@Janine:
I’ve gotten Free Fall for kids before, although the Wiesner book parents told me about later getting a reaction was Sector 7. His stuff is so wonderful.
I actually have Where the Wild Things are and several other of his books on my own shelves. :D
I presume you heard his final Fresh Air interview with Terry Gross? It brings me to tears but is so so so lovely.
“I wish you all good things. Live your life, live your life, live your life.”
@Random Michelle: LOL. I thought you’d probably know him but since Free Fall is so old it was worth mentioning. I haven’t looked at Sector 7. I will now.
No I did not listen to that Fresh Air interview! It sounds wonderful.
@Janine:
Warning: You will cry.
https://www.npr.org/2011/09/20/140435330/this-pig-wants-to-party-maurice-sendaks-latest
@Jayne: I wanted to let you know I just got a text from my cousin and she and her husband and daughters LOVE this book!
My cousin especially loves the explanation in the back about the Maccabees.
So thank you for helping me with my Christmas shopping! L)
@Random Michelle: Yay! So happy they enjoyed this and it helped with the Christmas shopping.