149. Eight Winter Nights by Liz Maverick

free Audible 
narrated by Eva Kaminsky and Jason Clarke
Unabridged audio (2:55)
2020 Audible Originals
approx. 100 pgs.
Adult Hanukkah RomCom
Finished 12/11/20
Goodreads rating: 3.51 - 406 ratings
My rating: 4
Setting: contemporary NYC in December

What I posted on Goodreads:  This is a great length for a romance, less than three hours.  Refreshing holiday story about Hanukkah and a group of Jewish friends in NYC.  Sort of a strange premise, but an easy holiday listen.

My comments: This is the perfect length for a romance, -they should rarely ever be longer - not too much breaking up, getting back together, misunderstanding repeat.  That's not to say that I thought the story was great...though it was definitely different and easy to listen to.  Hanukkah instead of Christmas.  A group of Jewish friends in New York City.  Refreshingly not steamy.

Goodreads synopsis:  

Hanukkah Picture Book Quickies

It's Hanukkah!
Jeanne Modesitt
Ill. Robin Spowart
1999
GR: 3.50- 12 ratings
My rating:  2
Mouse family, some is irrelevant just to rhyme:"We all dance the horah, even Great-Grandma Laura."  Don't really like the story or the illustrations, but the addendums about the holiday, menorah, and dreidels are useful.

It's Hanukkah Time!
Latita Berry Kropf
Photographs by Tod Cohen
2004
GR:  3.22 - 9 ratings
My rating:  4 - Perfect for Toddlers
I plan to use this for a toddler storytime (18 - 35 months)  It's simple, and photographs accentuate each idea that's presented.  (Note: Instead of latkes, they fry sufganiyot, and include a recipe in the back).

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah
Susan L. Roth
2004
GR: 3.63 - 43 ratings
Mice again.  Super simple: the words to a song.  Cut paper collage. Not a great read-aloud, IMO, but might accompany a recording of the song.
"Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah, come light the menorah.
Let's have a party, we'll all dance the hora.
And while we are playing,
The candles are all burning low.
One for each night, they shed a sweet light.
To remind us of day long ago.
    (Repeat twice)

Hanukkah Lights, Hanukkah Nights
Leslie Kimmelman
Ill. John Himmelman
1992
GR:  3.52 - 21 ratings
My rating:  3
Very simple story of how a family celebrates Hanukkah.  A bit misleading in that it might be interpreted that specific things are done on specific nights.  If it's made clear that there's no particular order of when to celebrate in each way, it works just fine.

One Night, One Hanukkah Night
Aidel Backman
1990
GR:  2.00 - 1 rating
My rating:  3
Great premise, one page contemporary, the next historical - but didn't quite pull it off.  As a read-aloud with explanation it would probably be fine.  Each page has a different traditions, a menorah with the correct amount of candles, and simple explanations if needed.

Hooray for Hanukkah!
Fran Manushkin
Ill. Carolyn Croll
2001
GR:  2.94 - 18 ratings
my rating:  2/5
Another simple way to show the eight nights of Hanukkah and share the different holiday traditions.  It's from the P-o-v of the menorah.  Old-fashioned clothing, though it's set in contemporary times - this bothered me.  And the repetition of "I am bright, but I could be brighter" became very tiring very quickly.

It's a Miracle! A Hanukkah Storybook
Stephanie Spinner
ill. Jill McElmurry
2003
3.92 - 36 ratings
A grandmother tells a different story on every one of the eight nights of Hanukkah.  All end up being a true story about family members she not only knows, but who will attend the family meal. Within the stories she tells are Hanukkah traditions.  Although the story is longish, it's delightful.  The book ends with "The Hanukkah Legend," a glossary, and the three Hanukkah blessings.

Picture Book - Our Eight Nights of Hanukkah by Michael J. Rosen

Illustrated by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan

2000, Holiday House

Seems to be out-of-print

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  3.92 - 25 ratings

My rating:  5
Endpapers: azure

1^st line/s:  "The very first night of Hanukkah, we polish the silver menorah that was my great-grandma's.  She brought it from Russia maybe a hundred years ago!  It's the oldest thing in the house, I think.  We all say the prayers together as we light the shammash -- that's the tallest candle -- and touch it to the first night's candle."

My comments:  A child tells of his family's traditional "doings" on each of the eight nights of Hanukkah.  Not only does it include all sorts of Hanukkah traditions, it includes how they celebrate with theiri non-Jewish friends so that Christmas is not ignored, but included slightly in three different places in this excellent story.  A bit long for 3-year-olds, but great for 4 and up.

Goodreads:   For Jewish families around the world, the eight nights of Hanukkah are unlike any others. For this family each night is an occasion to share cherished traditions such as lighting the menorah with family and friends. It's also a time to have fun dancing at the temple's big Hanukkah party, playing with dreidels and chocolate coins, and eating delicious latkes. This joyful celebration of Hanukkah miracles, great and small, presents a heartwarming picture of one family's festivities from the first night of the Festival of Lights to the last.

PICTURE BOOK - The Trees of the Dancing Goats by Patricia Polacco

Illustrated by the author

1996

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  4.32 - 754 ratings

My rating:5

1^st line/s:  "At our farm just outside Union City, Michigan, we didn't celebrate the same holidays as most of our neighbors....but we shared their delight and anticipation of them just the same."

My comments:  This is a wonderful way to introduce and/or remind non-Jewish children about Hanukkah, and a lovely way for Jewish kids to hear a new telling of a Hanukkah tale.  Nobody beats Patricia Polacco's storytelling OR illustrations!

Goodreads:  Trisha loves the eight days of Hanukkah, when her mother stays home from work, her Babushka makes delicious potato latkes,and her Grampa carves wonderful animals out of wood as gifts for Trisha and her brother. In the middle of her family's preparation for the festival of lights, Trisha visits her closest neighbors, expecting to find them decorating their house for Christmas. Instead they are all bedridden with scarlet fever. Trisha's family is one of the few who has been spared from the epidemic. It is difficult for them to enjoy their Hanukkah feast when they know that their neighbors won't be able to celebrate their holiday. Then Grampa has an inspiration: they will cut down trees, decorate them, and secretly deliver them to the neighbors, "But what can we decorate them with?" Babushka asks. Although it is a sacrifice, Trisha realizes that Grampa's carved animals are the perfect answer. Soon her living room is filled with trees -- but that is only the first miracle of many during an incredible holiday season. 
Based on a long cherished childhood memory, this story celebrates the miracle of true friendship.

PICTURE BOOK - All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah by Emily Jenkins

Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

2018, Schwartz & Wade Books

HC $17.99

40 pgs.

Goodreads rating: 4.05 - 133 ratings

My rating:  4

Endpapers:  Solid sage-gray

1^st line/s:  "When darkness comes, it will be thw first night of Hanukkah, 1912."

My comments:  This is a lovely picture book about a much-loved series for kids that was written almost 70 years ago.  Sweet story, telling of Hanukkah traditions, a large Jewish family at the turn of the 20th century, and particularly the making of latkes.  Not super crazy about the illustrations, for some reason....

Goodreads:  The beloved characters from Sydney Taylor's All-of-a-Kind Family return in this heartwarming picture book from a critically adored team--perfect for Hanukkah gift-giving! 
          Acclaimed author Emily Jenkins (A Greyhound, a Groundhog) and Caldecott Award-winning artist Paul O. Zelinsky (Rapunzel) bring the beloved All-of-a-Kind Family to life in a new format. Fans, along with those just meeting the five girls ("all of a kind," as their parents say), will join them back in 1912, on the Lower East Side of NYC, and watch as preparations for Hanukkah are made. When Gertie, the youngest, is not allowed to help prepare latkes, she throws a tantrum. Banished to the girls' bedroom, she can still hear the sounds and smell the smells of a family getting ready to celebrate. But then Papa comes home and she is allowed out--and given the best job of all: lighting the first candle on the menorah.
          First published in 1951, Taylor's chapter books have become time-honored favorites, selling over a million copies and touching generations of readers. In this time when immigrants often do not feel accepted, the All-of-a-Kind Family gives a heartwarming glimpse of a Jewish immigrant family and their customs that is as relevant--and necessary--today as when it was first written. Jenkins and Zelinsky's charming compliment to Taylor's series perfectly captures the warmth and family values that made the original titles classics.

Papa's Latkes - Michelle Edwards

Illustrated by Stacey Schuett

2004 Candlewick

HC $15.99

32 pages

Goodreads rating: 4.04

My rating: 5

Endpapers: Hanukkah Blue

Smallish drawing of the latkes' raw ingredients

Illustrations:  Oil paintings that my students really admired

1^st page::  "Selma and her little sister, Dora, were waiting for Papa to come home.  It was their first Chanukah without Mama.  Selma's heart ached when she remembered how sick and thin Mama had looked last summer.  Thin enough to be blown away by a light summer breeze.  And then, right before school starated, Mama died."

This was a bittersweet but humorous story about a father and his daughters celebrating Hanukkah after the death of their mom.  I read this aloud to my (Jewish) students, which prompted a great conversation about family Hanukkah traditions.  They totally enjoyed it.  There was quite a bit of humor, the difficulty of "creating" latkes was well depicted as was the love of the dad for his girls.  Best of all, for me, was that the kids really marveled over the beautiful oil painted illustrations.  We decided this was a top-notch book.

"Santa Claus, Shmanta Claus!  Whoever heard of a Jewish Santa Claus carrying a fifty-pound bag of potatoes?"
It was Papa.  Selma ran to help him.
"Ho, ho, ho! Oy, oy, oy! Is this ever heavy! said Papa.""

Goodreads:  For Selma and her little sister, this is their first Chanukah without Mama. When Papa comes home carrying all the ingredients for latkes, Selma is worried. Can they make the latkes without Mama? In Michelle Edwards’s poignant story, warmly illustrated by Stacey Schuett, Selma comes to realize that while Chanukah — and especially latkes — will never be the same without Mama, Selma can still celebrate, and will always remember.

"A stirring, tender portrait of beloved children and a father helping them celebrate their mother’s memory." — BOOKLIST

Holiday Picture Books

I've been reading about lots of holiday book ideas - particularly thinking about "An Advent Calendar of Books." (which I found on Delightful Children's Books) I've always loved Christmas picture books, giving one to Laura on her December birthday for years and years, even as an adult (I think last year was the first year I didn't.  I wonder why?).  So I'm going to keep a list of the holiday books I've read, and try to read more!  Christmas.  Day of the Dead.  Halloween.  Thanksgiving.  Hanukkah (I do work at a Hebrew Day School, after all....).

Christmas

Agee, Jon - Little Santa
Appelt, Kathi - Merry Christmas, Merry Crow
Bastianich, Lidia - Nonna Tell Me a Story

Daly, Niki - What's Cooking, Jamela?  

Donaldson, Julia - Stick Man

Donovan, Jane Monroe - Small Medium &  Large
Drummond, Ree - Charlie and the Christmas Kitty
Duvall, John - The Great Spruce
Evans, Lezlie - Finding Christmas 
Frazee, Marla - Santa Claus The World's Number One Toy Expert

Hardie, Jill - The Sparkle Box 

Lewis, J. Patrick & Beth Zappitello - First Dog's White House Christmas
Lin, Grace - Robert's Snow 
Mader, C. Roger - Stowaway in a Sleigh
Major, Kevin - Aunt Olga's Christmas Postcards

O'Connor, Jane - Fancy Nancy, Splendiferous Christmas
Polacco, Patricia - An Orange for Frankie
..........Gifts of the Heart
..........Trees of the Dancing Goats, The
Reynolds, Peter H. - The Smallest Gift of Christmas

Pulver, Robin - Christmas Kitten, Home at Last

Rice, James - The Cowboy Night Before Christmas

Sabuda, Robert - Winter in White

Schachner, Judy - Willy and May, A Christmas Story

Shannon, David - It's Christmas, David!
Shulevtiz, Uri - Dusk
Smallman, Steve - Santa is Coming to Tucson
Stanton, Melissa - My Pen Pal, Santa
Strand, Keith - Grandfather's Christmas Tree 
Toht, Patricia - Pick a Pine Tree 
Underwood, Deborah - Here Comes Santa Cat
Wilson, Karma - Bear Stays Up for Christmas

Winter/Snow/Solstice

Aylesworth, Jim -  The Mitten
Burton, Virginia Lee - Katy and the Big Snow
Christiansen, Candace - The Mitten Tree
Donovan, Jane Monroe - Small Medium & Large
Gerber, Carol - Winter Trees
Hader, Berta & Elmer - The Big Snow
Harper, Lee - Snow! Snow! Snow!
Lin, Grace - Robert's Snow (There's a bit about Santa here, but it's MUCH more about snow!)
MacLachlan, Patricia - Snowflakes Fall
Neubecker, Robert - Winter is For Snow
Pfeffer, Wendy - The Shortest Day
Sabuda, Robert - Winter in White

Thanksgiving

Miller, Pat Zietlow - Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story

Day of the Dead

Click HERE for a separate entry for Day of the Dead

Joose, Barbara - Ghost Wings

Luenn, Nancy - A Gift for Abuelita

Morales, Yuyi - Just in Case
Thong, Roseanne Greenfield - Dia de Los Muertos

Winter, Jeanette - Calavera Abecedario

Halloween

Brown, Calef - Hallowilloween

Collins, Ross - Dear Vampa

Emberly, Ed - There Was An Old Monster

Gall, Chris - Substitute Creature

Moulton, Mark Kimball - The Very Best Pumpkin

Murray, Marjorie Dennis - Halloween Night

Pulver, Robin - Never Say Boo

Hanukkah

daCosta, Deborah - Hanukkah Moon

Edwards, Michelle - Papa's Latkes
Jenkins, Emily - All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah 
Polacco, Patricia - Trees of the Dancing Goats, The
Rosen, Michael - Our Eight Nights of Hanukkah

Passover

Kirkfield, Vivian -  Pippa's Passover Plate
Newman, Tracy - Around the Passover Table
Portnoy, Minda Avra - A Tale of Two Seders
Rappaport, Doreen - The Secret Seder
Snyder, Laurel - The Longest Night: A Passover Story
Weber, Elka - A Yankee at the Seder
Ziefert, Harriet - Passover

Sukkot
General Information about Sukkot
Hyde, Heidi Smith - Shanghai Sukkah

Taschlich

Schur, Susan - Taschlich at Turtle Rock

Hanukkah Moon - Deborah da Costa

Illustrator: Gosia Mosz
For: Kids
Pub: 2007
Rating: 3/5
Read: Sept. 11, 2001

Isobel is visiting her Aunt Luisa, recently arrived from Mexico, for a couple of days of Hanukkah. Aunt Luisa is a university photography teacher and lover of wildlife. She gives Isobel her own camera and introduces her to the birds and animals in her backyard at night. She also teachers her about "Rosh Hodesh", the luna nueva, the new moon, when the bright side of the moon is facing AWAY from the earth. This she calls the "Hanukkah Moon." In the extreme darkness the animals feel safe and come out to enjoy the feast of nuts and berries that Aunt Luisa and Isobel have left them.

Apparently this celebration of the Hanukkah moon comes from the Sephardic Jews (originally from Spain) who settled in Latin America. Particularly important is for kids to see that there are Hispanic/Latino Jews....that, indeed, Jews live in every country and are from many, many backgrounds. This book really showed me that now matter how much I try not to stereotype, I still do. It was so cool to see Hispanic Jews celebrating Hanukkah - Jewish, not Roman Catholic.

The illustrations are not in what I consider the "traditional" Hanukkah colors of blues and silvers, nor of the "traditional" primary colors of Latin America. They are in gorgeous purples, oranges, and yellow-orange.. Different and unusual, this was a fun book to read. A glossary in the back and an author's note in the front are helpful and informative.