Eight-year-old Sophie and her family get ready to celebrate Hanukkah by cleaning their small cottage, preparing holiday treats and shining the menorah. The family needs a week’s worth of oil to light the candles and cook treats, however, unlikely with the amount left in the jar. With a snow storm keeping them home, they find ways to make the oil last for eight days, paralleling the miracle of the oil that lit the menorah after Judah and the Maccabees rededicated their sacred temple. Spare use and reuse of the oil they have provides seven nights of lights and traditional foods. On the eighth, Mother creatively uses a piece of cheesecloth to wipe the jar’s sides, recovering enough oil to coat the pan and make one apple pancake to share. The family gratefully acknowledges “the nicest gifts are the ones that surprise us the most.” Penn’s storytelling provides a real sense of the holiday’s significance through joyful, yet simple celebration while Lyon’s cheerful and energetic watercolors depict an “old country” environment. A nice addition to classic retellings. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-933718-16-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A satisfyingly cozy winter holiday tale.
The protagonist of The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt (2020) enjoys a “boo-tiful” holiday.
The titular spirit—comprised of a patterned quilt rather than a plain white sheet like his peers—loves drifting outside in the cold. His heavier fabrics may slow him down the rest of the year, but in winter they keep him warm enough to enjoy the outdoors while his friends remain inside. One December evening, while visiting the human neighborhood, he notices people singing and putting up twinkling lights (amid the Christmas decorations, one window features a menorah). The little ghost quilt is happy for himself but sad that his pals aren’t witnessing all this, too. The sight of a holiday tree inspires him: He’ll bring a tree to his friends! A branch that blows off during a snowstorm will do nicely. For ornaments, he uses odds and ends from the attic of his house. And when his friends arrive at his home that night, everyone decorates the tree together. The moon, peeping through the window and reflecting off a mirror from the attic, provides the glorious pièce de résistance: The make-believe tree glows brilliantly. This quietly lovely holiday tale underscores the true meaning of the holidays: friendship and togetherness. The illustrations rely on a muted palette with spots of vivid colors; like a quilt, they’re soft and delicate. Human characters vary in skin tone.
A satisfyingly cozy winter holiday tale. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9781774885376
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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