A Hanukkah tale sure to ignite kids’ creativity.
When a family forgets their menorah at home, a child’s alternatives inspire a new family tradition.
Daddy, Papa, and their child take a beach vacation over Hanukkah. Narrating in the first person, the little one describes feeling far from the comforting familiarity of home. Just before sunset, the parents realize that they’ve packed the candles but not the menorah. That’s when the child has an idea: to stick the candles into a banana. Voilà—banana menorah! By the next night, the banana has started to rot and needs to be replaced with something else (a bowl of granola). The pattern continues until the family goes home midway through the holiday. Returning to familiar routines feels good, but the child soon misses the fun of inventing new menorahs. The family decides to embrace both tradition and creativity, keeping their well-loved menorahs while also making new ones. The exposition in the initial pages is a bit heavy-handed, but the book hits its stride when the new menorah ideas begin to flow. Each new menorah is unveiled on its own full spread, creating strong comedic timing that builds anticipation for the next wacky idea. In case kids aren’t already bursting with a desire to try out their own ideas, backmatter provides prompts and safety tips. A concluding note briefly explains the holiday and reveals that the story was inspired by the author’s real-life experience. Daddy and the child are tan-skinned; Papa is pale-skinned.
A Hanukkah tale sure to ignite kids’ creativity. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781681156811
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Apples & Honey Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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