Book Review: Way Too Many Latkes by Linda Glaser and Aleksandar Zolotic

9781512420920

$17.99

Faigel makes the best Hanukkah latkes in Chelm, but somehow, this year she's forgotten how to make them! She sends her husband, Shmuel, to ask the rabbi for help. And in Chelm, the village of fools—oy vey!—this becomes a recipe for disaster!

Is it too late for Hanukkah stories? Nah! If kids can check out Christmas movies at the library in the middle of summer, we can read this one just a few weeks after the holiday. 

If you are not familiar with Jewish folk tales, the village of Chelm is known as being full of foolish people who are often the subject of humorous stories - but often with a good bit of wisdom to be found. This title is quickly going to the top of my list of Chelm stories! The banter is quick, Faigel's frenzy and frustration are contagious, and children will roar with laughter at the dialogue. 

Glaser is no stranger to our shelves (Mrs. Greenberg's Messy Hanukkah is another Hanukkah go-to), but I don't seem to have anything by Zolotic. His characters' huge eyes and expressive faces (loved Faigel chopping the onions) add perfectly to the energy and humor.

First it made me laugh out loud (in a crowded library, I should add). Then it made me really hungry. Latkes for supper tonight, kids! And with my crew, there really isn't such a thing as too many latkes!

Winter Holiday Program

We decided to revamp our annual program this year for several reasons. Doing things the same old way can make them a bit stale to begin with, so I am always looking for a balance of tradition and freshness. The huge turnout at our Family Fright Night told us our old format of stories then Santa then crafts just might not work any more. At the same time, those were all elements people enjoy.

An addition to the fun, a couple patrons responded to my remarks that I would like to include other holiday celebrations. While I fully realize Hanukkah is not "The Jewish Christmas" and wouldn't normally put them together, they happen to start on the same day this year, and Hanukkah is a lot easier to celebrate with kids than, say, Yom Kippur.

We started off by scheduling two story times, on the hour and half-hour. And then I lost my voice! Lots of tea with honey, and I was able to croak through okay. Fortunately, everyone came to the first reading, so I didn't have to repeat after all!

I started by talking about how many holidays there are throughout the year - some serious, some just for fun. Yesterday, for example, was National Hot Cocoa day, which is a most excellent holiday to celebrate.

A more 'major' holiday coming up is Winter Solstice, December 21. As with each holiday, I asked who in the room might celebrate it, and how. We talked about Yule logs, incorporating nature, and making goals for the coming year. One of mine is to be more regular with my blog, so you guys can hold me to it!

Next up was Hanukkah. We have a great wood Hanukkah kit that checks out, so we looked at and talked about each of the pieces, then read:


9780807578841
$14.95

(Another one I like to use is Latke, the Lucky Dog)

Next up was Christmas, with, of course:


9780060081607
$16.99

By this time my voice was cutting out, so I didn't read through the Kwanzaa book, just mentioned each of the seven principals from it:


9780545018654
$16.99

I have noticed almost all my Kwanzaa books have checked out this year, where they normally just sit there on the display, which is great!

During the whole hour, we had Santa set up near the fireplace for chats and photo ops.

Of course he had little goody bags to hand out, to make sure everyone was getting properly sugared up.



Our Santa is so awesome! He really takes his time with each child, and makes them all feel at ease. Puppies, too!



Here, he is explaining what these children have to agree to if they are sure they want a slingshot for Christmas ;)

We also had several games and crafts in different parts of the library:

Melissa set up this cute little letter station a couple weeks ago:

She even made that mailbox!

Easy station to set up: guess how many in the jar.

(It was around 640 - a lot more than I would have guessed!)

Of course, you have to have the dreidel game! Chocolate gelt was crazy expensive, so I toyed with different ideas and finally realized pennies are...well, only a penny each! 

Bowling for snowmen:

Pin the heart on the Grinch:

Yarn wrapped ornaments:

Fishing for candy canes:

It's harder than it looks! 

And puzzle making with old holiday cards and popsicle sticks:

I think everyone had a good time...I know I did! Now, back to the tea with honey...

97 Shopping Days Until Christmas - but Only 89 Until Hanukkah! Review: Latke, the Lucky Dog

*Please check out my post from 9/12/14.

What do you name a toasty brown pup rescued on the first day of Hanukkah?

9780761390381

Latke, of course! Latke is lucky to have a new home, but he is having a little trouble learning the rules. And, how can you resist the smell of fresh, powdery jelly donuts (sufganiyot), anyway? Fortunately, his new family is very understanding ("Poor, hungry latke. They didn't feed you enough at that shelter, did they?") Readers who are new to the traditions of Hanukkah will absorb them painlessly (as in, this is not one of those 'now I am going to teach you something' books), as they follow Latke's escapades. Those who already celebrate the holiday will appreciate a story they can just plain enjoy. And just look at that face!

Now, the obvious companion gift for this book would be your very own rescue dog. There are many reasons why the puppy-in-a-box gift on Christmas morning may not be the best bet, despite the great video you can post on Facebook. Alternatives could be a stuffed pet,

this one available here - no shots required!

or a book about choosing the right pet,

and a promise to take your time as a family and find just the right companion.

Not ready for a new family member? How about a promise to volunteer at a local shelter? If yours has a volunteer form, you can slip it inside the last page of the book!

Going another route, this Hanukkah set

has been very popular as a check-out item at our library, for those who aren't familiar with the holiday but who want to learn more about it. That angle opens the door to all sorts of tasty cooking possibilities and history lessons!

Okay, now I want a latke. And a new dog.

Holiday Giveaway - Part 4

I can't really call this a Christmas giveaway today, since the books we are giving away are all about Hanukkah. All three are from Lerner, so you know the printing and binding are all of great quality, right off the bat.

 

 

I was tempted to keep this first one:

 

Title: The Count's Hanukkah Countdown

Author: Tilda Balsley and Ellen Fischer

Illustrator: Tom Leigh

Publisher: Kar-Ben Publishing (division of Lerner)

ISBN: 978-076-137-5562

HC Price: $16.95

 

Besides the obvious appeal of the Sesame Street characters, we are working on counting at home. The number 8, of course, features prominently, along with some subtle number skills (wait...we only have seven...we need one more!). The very basics of the celebration, from the addition of a candle each night to the story of the Maccabees, are introduced. This would be a good book for children who have not celebrated Hanukkah, probably not so much for those who do. The only issue I have with it is really a tiny one - why do Jewish children in books always have to have traditionally Jewish names? Lovely names, of course, it just seems a bit contrived that no one in the family ever has a non-traditional name.

 

Moving on to:

 

Author: Lisa Bullard

Illustrator: Constanza Basaluzzo

Publisher: Millbrook Press (division of Lerner)

ISBN: 978-076-135-0774

HC Price: $23.95

 

Like the Sesame Street book, this one is part of a series (watch for a review of Carter's Christmas soon). I will be ordering the whole set for the library, so I don't mind including this one in the giveaway! I really like the explanations of the various parts of a Hanukkah celebration - Bullard manages to give a little more detail and background of some parts of it (such as the purpose of the dreidel) without weighing the book down. Finding a good Hanukkah read-aloud for story times is difficult, but this one would do nicely. There are even instructions for making your own dreidel out of a milk carton.

 

Last, but not least:

 

Title: Emanuel and the Hanukkah Rescue

Author: Heidi Smith Hyde

Illustrator: Jamel Akib

Publisher: Kar-Ben Publishing

ISBN: 978-076-136-6256

HC Price: $17.95

 

There are very few picture books that touch upon the persecution faced by the Jewish people over the years, and this one does so very gently - seen, as it is, through the eyes of a child who doesn't understand his father's fear. Emanuel's father, and many others in their whaling town, are 'secret Jews' who emigrated from Portugal. Although they are now free to practice their religion, they continue to do so in secret - until a storm late one Hanukkah night.

 

If I was giving any of these three as a gift, I would pair it with this set from Constructive Playthings:

 

 

We just got it at the library a couple months ago, and I have been very impressed with the quality and durability of the pieces. This set would be excellent either for children who celebrate Hanukkah, or for a classroom situation.

 

If you would like to win all three of these books (but not the play set - sorry, we're keeping that!), just check out the giveaway rules here, and leave us a comment!