What to read on Hanukka

A roundup of Jeiwsh children's books in Engish certain to brighten all eight nights.

By PENNY SCHWARTZ, JTA
chagall book 88 298 (photo credit: )
chagall book 88 298
(photo credit: )
Four Sides, Eight Nights: A New Spin on Hanukkah by Rebecca Tova Ben-Zvi Illustrated by Susanna Natti Roaring Brook Press $16.95 (ages 4-8) An offbeat, fun book that goes beyond the traditional Hanukka story to explore the history of the dreidel and spinning tops from around the world. There are dreidel facts from collectors and Sevivon science, including a lesson on friction from Sir Isaac Newton. Natti is familiar to young readers as the artist of the popular Cam Jansen series, and her light touch and expressive characters enliven the book. Angel Secrets: Stories Based on Jewish Legend By Miriam Chaikin Illustrated by Leonid Gore Holt $18.95 (Ages 5 and up) Chaikin reveals her mastery of lyrically crafted, endearing stories based on biblical interpretations about the angels who link heaven and earth. Perfect for reading aloud. Chaiken writes warmly of angels of forgetfulness, alphabet angels and the palace of love. Gore's dreamlike illustrations accompany each story. Dybbuk: A Version By Barbara Rogasky Illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher Holiday House $16.95 (ages 7-10) This tale, loosely based on the famous Kabbalist play by S. Ansky, is a mysterious, intricate story of broken promises, retribution and love set long, long ago in the tiny village of Brinitz. Rogasky's retelling is skillful and engrossing. Illustrations by the award-winning Fisher are bold and haunting. Dreamer from the Village: The Story of Marc Chagall By Michelle Markel Illustrated by Emily Lisker Holt $16.95 (ages 4-8) From the attic window of his home in a small town in Russia, the young Moshe Chagall, better known as Marc, sees the world differently from others. Colors are bolder, houses float in the sky and fiddlers dance on rooftops. Markel chronicles Chagall's young life as he turns from a dreamer to an artist. Lisker's fanciful and colorful Chagallesque illustrations dance across the pages. A short biography is provided at the end. Hidden Child By Isaac Millman Farrar, Straus & Giroux $18.00 (ages 8-12) As a young boy growing up in Paris before World War II, Millman, whose name then was Isaac Sztrymfman, lived a happy life, accompanying his father on Sunday mornings to the nearby caf where Yiddish-speaking patrons debated politics. But the German occupation of France in 1940, when Isaac was seven years old, changed life forever. In straightforward prose and captivating graphic artwork and photographs, Millman recounts the story of his survival as he became one of the "hidden" children of the war. Millman strikes a perfect balance in recounting the tragic hardships he endured while revealing the acts of human kindness of people who took risks to protect him. A Horn for Louis By Eric Kimmel Illustrated by James Bernardin Random House 96pp., $11.95 (ages 6-9) Leave it to master storyteller Eric Kimmel to write a flowing and heartwarming story about the unique friendship between the young Louis Armstrong and the Karnofskys, a Jewish family in New Orleans. Great for reading aloud, this early-reader about New Orleans' most famous jazzman is made ever more powerful as a portrait of daily life long before Hurricane Katrina devastated this colorful city rich in American cultural history. Kibitzers and Fools, Tales My Zayda Told Me By Simms Taback Viking Juvenile 48pp., $16.99 (ages 3 and up) Bedtime reading doesn't get more fun than with these Yiddish tales recast by Taback, Caldecott-winning author and artist of Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. Be prepared to laugh along with the kids who'll delight in the baffling riddles of kibitzers and shlemiels. "Why bring along an umbrella full of holes?" asks Mendel. "I didn't think it was going to rain," replies Itzik. The colorful illustrations are as off-beat and humorous as the narrative. Taback fills his short stories with easy-to-learn Yiddish expressions (and their definitions) and adds a glossary at the end. Sholom's Treasure: How Sholom Aleichem Became a Writer By Erica Silverman Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein Farrar, Straus and Giroux 40pp., $16.00 (ages 4-10) The two award-winners are perfectly matched as Silverman engages young readers with the childhood world of Sholom Aleichem as he grows from class clown to master storyteller. Gerstein's illustrations are delightfully playful as he gives readers a Sholom with rosy cheeks, reddish-brown curls under his cap and an impishly endearing smile. The Travels of Benjamin of Tudela By Uri Shulevitz Farrar, Straus and Giroux 48pp., $17.00 (ages 5 and up) Shulevitz has created a wondrous, illustrated travelogue just right for children by recreating the little-known voyages of a Jewish traveler who visits Rome, Constantinople, Baghdad and Jerusalem in the 12th century. Shulevitz uses the first-person narrative to draw readers in. Shulevitz has won awards for several books, including The Treasure and The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship. All the books mentioned above can be ordered and shipped via amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.