A Dragon for Hanukkah

Written by Sarah Mlynowski

Illustrated by Ariel Landy

Orchard Books (Scholastic)

40 pp.

Ages 4-8

September 2024

 

Hanukkah, which is also known as the eight-day Festival of Lights, has many traditions from songs sung, candles lit, and foods eaten. But for Hannah, this Hanukkah is something especially magical.

From A Dragon for Hanukkah, written by Sarah Mlynowski, illustrated by Ariel Landy

In Hannah's family, a gift is given on each night, and the gifts this child is given and shares are extraordinary. On the first night of Hanukkah, Hannah receives a fire-breathing dragon whom she names Nerry. (Ner in Hebrew means candle, lamp, or light.) On the second night, her Bubbie (Yiddish for grandmother) gifts her with a rainbow! A treasure chest of gold coins and gems are a gift from her aunt on the third night of Hanukkah while the fourth night sees Hannah receiving a merry-go-round.

From A Dragon for Hanukkah, written by Sarah Mlynowski, illustrated by Ariel Landy

A time machine for the fifth night allows her and her cousin to go back in time and meet the Maccabees while the rocket boots she gets on the sixth night takes Hannah among the stars. On the seventh night, Hannah gets three rambunctious unicorns from her little brother. The eighth night is Hannah's turn to give gifts and hers is a tasty treat concocted in a lab.

From A Dragon for Hanukkah, written by Sarah Mlynowski, illustrated by Ariel Landy

Finally, when everyone is arriving and Hannah is tidying up her room, readers see what her gifts really were. There's a stuffed dragon, a box of rainbow-coloured crayons, a dreidel, chocolate "gelt" and more. And her special concoction? It's potato latkes which the family enjoys as they gather to sing, play dreidel, and celebrate together.

From A Dragon for Hanukkah, written by Sarah Mlynowski, illustrated by Ariel Landy

Writer Sarah Mlynowski, whose Whatever After and other series have made her a New York Times best-selling author, makes Hanukkah even more magical through Hannah's imaginative experiences with the gifts she receives for this festival. She includes all the traditions of Hanukkah from the tzedakah box of donated toys to the lighting of the menorah and the retelling of the Maccabees' story. And yet, among all the familiar elements, Sarah Mlynowski has created a story far greater and fantastic and one that evolves from a child's imagination and wonder. For young celebrants of Hanukkah, they will easily pick up on the traditional elements but for those unfamiliar with the Festival of Lights, Sarah Mlynowski appends her story with an informative dialogue between Hannah and Nerry to provide details related to the story. 

 

Illustrator Ariel Landy, an American based in France, brings the whimsy to Sarah Mlynowski's words making each gift and Hannah's delight with them even greater. From the rainbow that flows out of the room and carries Hannah along with it to a trio of spirited unicorns that arise from drawings her younger brother gives her, there is a playfulness that emphasizes the joys of the celebration. Moreover, Ariel Landy's use of brilliant colours like purples and pinks, lime green and blues make the story sparkle and fresh.

From A Dragon for Hanukkah, written by Sarah Mlynowski, illustrated by Ariel Landy

Perhaps not every child celebrating Hanukkah will receive a dragon or a rainbow but every child who reads A Dragon for Hanukkah will understand the magic that is part of Hannah's celebration. Through the festivities of gift-giving and of traditional food and activity, Sarah Mlynowski and Ariel Landy welcome all readers to a Hanukkah celebration like no other, while teaching them about the festival in an imaginative and colourful way.

Meet the Latkes

Written and illustrated by Alan Silberberg

Viking Books for Young Readers

978-0-451479129

36 pp.

Ages 3-6

October 2018

If it's American Thanksgiving, then you know that the holiday season, creeping upon us ever earlier, is here.  So, just in time for this year's Hanukkah, which starts on December 2, is Alan Silberberg's picture book Meet the Latkes about a family of fried potato pancakes who are ready to celebrate, dreidel and menorah in hand.

There's Mama and Papa, daughter Lucy and her dog, Applesauce, older son Lex, and Grandpa. 

They're just like you and me. Except they're potato pancakes!

As Lucy and Applesauce start to get excited for the first night of Hanukkah, grumpy Grandpa corrects Lucy's pronunciation of the celebration. She says Hanukkah. He says Chanukah. The ever wise Applesauce informs them both that since the holiday's name is Hebrew, it is said and spelled different ways in English. Lesson #1.

As the family, minus the sullen teen Lex, cooks and sings and decorates the house, their celebrations begin and Grandpa takes Lucy, his little latke, onto his lap to tell her about the miracle of Chanukah. His story may be a little different from those typically told. Grandpa's story starts with Mega-Bees "who buzzed and stung and fought to keep our people safe" and the bravest bee was Judah Mega-Bee who helped fight the alien potatoes from Planet Chhhhh. Applesauce, drawing from his font of knowledge, attempts to correct Grandpa Latke with every outlandish detail of his Chanukah story. He tries to set Grandpa, and avid listener Lucy, straight but his endeavours to mention the Maccabees and Judah Maccabee and king Antiochus are totally disregarded.

"Feh!" says Grandpa. "Whose story is this?"

In Grandpa's story, Judah and the Mega-Bees are trapped by "those evil tater tyrants" from Planet Chhhhh with only enough honey for one day. They construct a gigantic wooden dreidel, hiding inside, until they burst forth and "sliced and whipped and mashed those tater tyrants into tatters." And with some egg, onion and flour, Judah creates potato latkes.

From Meet the Latkes by Alan Silberberg

But with Applesauce telling the true story of Hanukkah, which Grandpa eventually acknowledges as a far better miracle, yet another miracle happens. (Parents of teens will understand.)

From Meet the Latkes by Alan Silberberg

Meet the Latkes may be a silly story of a potato latke family sharing the story of Hanukkah but it's actually very informative. By having Grandpa tell his story, as an alternative to Applesauce's correct version, as well as including an appendix with glossary about the true story of Chanukah, Alan Silberberg gives us many a laugh while teaching about this holiday. But forget for a moment the educational value of Meet the Latkes and instead think about the achievement Alan Silberberg has made by writing and illustrating a story in which potato pancakes are the stars. His characters have clear voices of senior drollness, youthful naïveté, canine frustration, teen moodiness and more. And they're potato latkes! It all comes through their words, eyes and smiles (or lack thereof) and Alan Silberberg's cartoons, filled with action and exclamations, bubble comments and commentaries, and colour and wacky shapes.

Take your children or students to Meet the Latkes for a Hanukkah, or Chanukah, like no other.