By the Hanukkah Light [Hardcover]

Sheldon Oberman (Author), Neil Waldman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

The author of The Always Prayer Shawl, winner of the National Jewish Book Award, explores the meaning of Hanukkah in the story of a grandfather who recounts to his grandson his family's life under the Nazis."

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4. A grandfather gathers his family around him, first to tell them the story of Hanukkah and the Maccabees' victory over the Syrians. He also tells another story of Hanukkah, his own story of persecution and hiding as a Jew during World War II, unable to celebrate the holiday in the open for fear of arrest. He tells how he fought the Nazis like the Maccabees fought their oppressors. When he returns to his hometown and sees the destruction the war has caused, he experiences his own miracle?he finds his family's Hanukkiah (or menorah) gleaming up through the ashes?a miracle as precious to him as the miracle of the temple's oil. The man's granddaughter, Rachel, promises to pass on the stories in just the same way to her own children. The prose has a poetic quality, and the impressionistic artwork, done largely in pastel shades of acrylic, serves the story well. The warm palette, the soft focus of the rounded figures, and the effective use of shading capture the natural light in some scenes and the illumination of the candles' flames in others. The colored backgrounds for the double-page spreads have a dappled look of handmade paper. Endnotes give additional information on both the history and current traditions of Hanukkah. A solid library selection.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press; 1st edition (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563976587
• ISBN-13: 978-1563976582
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,819,307 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great book, April 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: By the Hanukkah Light (Hardcover)

A warm feeling will come over you and your children as you read this book together. It is touching and also very powerful as it deals with Hanukkah is a very original and sensitive way by making it relevant to the world we live in

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful story for learning for children and adults, December 26, 2000

By 

Deirdre M. Heck "dmh" (Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: By the Hanukkah Light (Hardcover)

I am not Jewish, and so don't know a lot about Hanukah, but I want to teach my children about the beliefs of different peoples around the world. So when I went to the library to get out some Christmas books, I got this book as well. My 3.5 year old son LOVED it. He wanted me to read it over and over so he could understand the story. And I embellished it a little bit telling him what little I knew, and telling him which of his friends, or other people he knew, who are Jewish. It was a wonderful learning experience that we both enjoyed. I highly recommend this to both Jewish parents who want to share with their children about their holidays by reading a story, and for non-Jews who want to know more about this holiday.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Way to Start a Holiday, January 3, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: By the Hanukkah Light (Hardcover)

We had a new way of starting Hanukkah this year. Instead of starting off with the gifts, the kids got to choose a Hanukkah Book to read to everyone - adults and kids after we lit the Hanukkiah. We picked By the Hanukkah Light and we read it to everyone together. It was great to read and everyone in the family really liked it a lot. It talks about Hanukkah in a really clear way and also it has a great story about a grandfather and his life. The two stories fit together really well. Its like you learn about Jewish history and the history of a family.