At Hanukkah time, Gabi celebrates with her parents, making and eating latkes, lighting candles and listening to the story of the brave Maccabees. She is thrilled to receive a new tricycle at the end of the first night. Naming it "Hanukkah" and vowing to ride it "everywhere," Gabi finds it challenging when she falls off but learns to persevere and try again for success—"just like the Maccabees did" so long ago. Bright acrylic paintings of a traditional young family (mom, dad, daughter, dog) balance out this plain, run-of-the-mill story that places a preschooler’s appetite for learning and her ability to work out her frustration within a holiday framework. While Gabi's understanding of the story of the Maccabees seems a little out of step with her age, this nonetheless functions as an adequate introduction. (Picture book. 5-8)
