One Yellow Daffodil: A Hanukkah Story [Library Binding]

David A. Adler (Author), Lloyd Bloom (Illustrator)

Book Description

Putting his war-torn childhood out of his mind and concentrating on his flower shop, Holocaust survivor Morris Kaplan is invited by his favorite customers to spend Hanukkah with their family and finds the courage to face his past.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Ages 5^-8. Holocaust survivor Morris Kaplan spends his days tending his flower shop and trying to ignore his emotional emptiness. Two of his youngest customers, Jonathan and Ilana, visit every Friday to buy flowers for their family's Sabbath. He is surprised when the children arrive on a Tuesday, until they explain that this bouquet is for the first night of Hanukkah. After Mr. Kaplan admits that he no longer observes holiday traditions, the children invite him to join their family festivities the following evening. Although the celebration brings forth painful memories--including one of a single daffodil growing in the mud at Auschwitz--the experience helps Morris begin reconnecting with humanity. Bloom's rich acrylic paintings lend an appropriately thoughtful tone to the pensive text. The story is only marginally connected with Hanukkah, but it lends itself to sharing on Holocaust Remembrance Day. Pair with Feder's The Feather-Bed Journey for another perspective. Kay Weisman

Review

"A memorable family read-aloud.”—USA Today
"Optimistic...touches on many universal themes.”—The New York Times
"A tribute to the power of friendship and faith.”—The Boston Globe
"A simple but powerful story.”—School Library Journal
"Beautiful. ...This story tells of the miracles that love and friendship can perform.”—The Jewish Journal

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Library Binding
• Publisher: Gulliver Books; 1st edition (October 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152005374
• ISBN-13: 978-0152005375
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,406,732 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I write both fiction and non-fiction. I begin my fiction with the main character. The story comes later. Of course, since I'll be spending a lot of time with each main character, why not have him or her be someone I like? Andy Russell is based, loosely, on a beloved member of my family. He's fun to write about and the boy who inspired the character is even more fun to know. Cam Jansen is based even more loosely on a classmate of mine in the first grade whom we all envied because we thought he had a photographic memory. Now, especially when my children remind me of some promise they said I made, I really envy Cam's amazing memory. I have really enjoyed writing about Cam Jansen and her many adventures. For my books of non-fiction I write about subjects I find fascinating. My first biography was Our Golda: The Life of Golda Meir. To research that book, I bought a 1905 set of encyclopedia. Those books told me what each of the places Golda Meir lived in were like when she lived there. I've written many other biographies, including books about Martin Luther King, Jr; George Washington; Abraham Lincoln; Helen Keller; Harriet Tubman; Anne Frank; and many others in my Picture Book Biography series. I've been a Yankee and a Lou Gehrig fan for decades so I wrote Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man. It's more the story of his great courage than his baseball playing. Children face all sorts of challenges and it's my hope that some will be inspired by the courage of Lou Gehrig. I am working now on another book about a courageous man, Janusz Korczak. My book One Yellow Daffodil is fiction, too, but it's based on scores of interviews I did with Holocaust survivors for my books We Remember the Holocaust, Child of the Warsaw Ghetto, The Number on My Grandfather's Arm, and Hiding from the Nazis. The stories I heard were compelling. One Yellow Daffodil is both a look to the past and to the future, and expresses my belief in the great spirit and strength of our children. I love math and was a math teacher for many years, so it was fun for me to write several math books including Fraction Fun, Calculator Riddles, and Shape Up! Fun with Triangles and Other Polygons. In my office I have this sign, "Don't Think. Just Write!" and that's how I work. I try not to worry about each word, even each sentence or paragraph. For me stories evolve. Writing is a process. I rewrite each sentence, each manuscript, many times. And I work with my editors. I look forward to their suggestions, their help in the almost endless rewrite process. Well, it's time to get back to dreaming, and to writing, my dream of a job. David A. Adler is the author of more than 175 children's books, including the Young Cam Jansen series. He lives in Woodmere, New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Yellow Daffodil, April 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: One Yellow Daffodil: A Hanukkah Story (Paperback)

This emotionally engaging story is partly about Hanukkah andpartly about the Holocaust, but is mostly about real people and realfeelings. Morris Kaplan, a lonely man who is a Holocaust survivor, is very kind to Jonathan and Ilana, a brother and sister who come to his flower shop regularly to buy flowers, by giving them more flowers than they actually have the money for. A friendship develops and the children invite Mr. Kaplan to their home to help celebrate Hanukkah. This small kindness changes Morris Kaplan's life---and that of the family. I loved this story and the good feelings it evoked in me. I would recommend this story for all ages.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite Hanukkah story, December 7, 2006

By 

Randy Beres (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Yellow Daffodil: A Hanukkah Story (Paperback)

I love this book. I teach 3rd grade and happened upon it quite by accident. It was by far the most effective way to teach not only about Hanukkah, but also in a very age appropriate way, about the Holocaust. It lead to great discussions that day. I was moved to tears when I read it the first time. Yes, it is a story about deep grief, but also about the strength to live in unliveable situations. I highly recommend this book to anyone who teaches, who has children, or just wants to read a beautiful story of hope and renewal.

5.0 out of 5 stars True spirit of Hanukkah, December 21, 2011

By 

Hanukkah Mom - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: One Yellow Daffodil: A Hanukkah Story (Library Binding)

Not only is this a touching,sweet Hanukkah story, it is a wonderful first Holocaust story. The first time I found this book sixteen years ago I read it to our children who at the time were six,seven, and eight. They loved this story, which became a yearly part of our Hanukkah celebration. I have gifted this book many times. There are many lessons too important to miss within this honey of a holiday tale.