Papa, Mama, Rebecca and Ezra love eating latkes and applesauce during Hanukkah. One year winter comes early and snow starts falling. All the apples and potatoes are buried in the snow. But wait! A stray kitten and a hungry dog appear at the family's door. Can these new furry friends be the key to saving the Hanukkah celebration. (book jacket summary)
An unexpected blizzard arrives early and the Menashe family's crop of potatoes and apples are buried. Without them they are unable to make latkes and applesauce for their Hanukkah feast. A stray kitten and a dog unexpectedly show up on the family's doorstep hungry and cold. They hardly have enough food to feed themselves during the storm but the family takes both animals in and shares what they do have. As the snowstorm begins to clear, the dog and kitten find some big surprises bringing the family a miracle for the Hanukkah celebration.
This year Hanukkah begins December 18th and here is a book just in time for the celebration. It is a wonderful story about family, culture and tradition. It was beautifully told and illustrated with warm, calming hues and tone. There were many things that I enjoyed and liked about this book. While the storm shows no signs of slowing and food becoming scarce, papa encourages his family to have faith and hope. Opening their door and hearts to the stray animals in need, while they were in need themselves, shows the generous nature and love for all of God's creatures. All of these together leads to the belief of miracles happening and a heartwarming ending for all. The authors note at the end about the Holiday of Hanukkah, latkes and applesauce and why children play with the dreidel helped me learn so much more that I truly didn't know. This is a wonderful updated version of the story originally published by the same author but a different illustrator. It does make a nice read aloud for the family. With the many themes of faith, hope kindness, sharing and miracles, I think this is a "just right book" for ages 4-10.~
Title: Latkes and Applesauce - A Hanukkah Story
Author: Fran Manushkin, illustrated by: Kris Easler
Pub. date: September 2022, Charlesbridge Publishing
genre: holiday picture book
Hardcover, 32 pgs.
No comments:
Post a Comment