THE FAMILY TREASURY OF JEWISH HOLIDAYS

In her introduction, Drucker (Grandma's Latkes, 1992, etc.) explains that Jewish tradition is made special by sharing stories, playing games, and singing songs. All of these help bring joy and understanding to holiday celebrations. To this end, Drucker has written and compiled this collection of stories, poems, activities, songs, and explanations for all the holidays in the Jewish calendar. It's a good idea, but Drucker doesn't pull it off as well as she might have. Some of the stories are not adapted well, like I.L. Peretz's Hasidic tale ""Maybe Even Higher."" Others are precious. Barbara Cohen's classic ""The Carp in the Bathtub"" is wonderful here but still better in the original picture book. The activities are generally fun, though not particularly inventive, and Drucker's explanations are informative but dull. Holiday traditions are important, but prepackaged ones will never replace those created and discovered by families with love.