Celebrating Hanukkah (Hardcover)

by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith (Author), Lawrence Migdale (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Gr. 3^-6. Hoyt-Goldsmith and photographer Migdale continue their multicultural holiday series with this well-thought-out photo-essay about Hanukkah as it is celebrated in America. The photographs of 11-year-old Leora and her family are warm and inviting, with Migdale catching celebrations at home, at school, and in the synagogue. Even his obviously staged pictures (Leora's brother leaning over a huge pile of jelly doughnuts) are beautifully handled. The text is equally fine, well organized and rich in detail but also friendly. The basic history is here, as are instructions for playing the traditional game of dreidel and making potato pancakes, information available in most books about Hanukkah. But Hoyt-Goldsmith also includes lots of extras--for example, a chapter explaining what happens when Hanukkah falls on the weekly celebration of Shabbat. The narration is the book's one problem: Leora is set up as spokesperson, but it's Hoyt-Goldsmith's voice that readers often hear. That's a small concern, however, in an otherwise exceptionally good book that is equal parts spirit and substance. Stephanie Zvirin

Product Description
Presents the history, traditions, and significance of Hanukkah as it is celebrated by a Jewish family in San Francisco.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 31 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823412520
• ISBN-13: 978-0823412525
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 9.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,584,888 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A notch above most intro to holiday books, May 3, 2000

By A Customer

This colorful photo-essay tells the story of Hanukkah as seen through the eyes of eleven-year-old Leora and her family. A detailed history of the holiday is given--how more than 2,000 years ago, the Maccabees reclaimed the Temple of Jerusalem; and how the miracle of the light occurred when two-days' worth of oil continued to burn throughout the eight-day stay in the Temple.

Then Leora describes how her family prepares for and celebrates Hanukkah in their home, school and at the Synagogue. She tells how to light the hanukkiah menorah, or holiday candelabra, how to play the dreidel game, and how to make potato latkes.

The personalized account of how one family celebrates this religious festival, coupled with lots of bright, interesting photographs, makes this book come out a notch above most "introduction to holiday" books.