Hopeful books for Hanukkah

As the most visible Jewish holiday of the marketing year, Hanukkah asserts itself in bookshops with a bounty of new titles.

REVIEWS BY JOANNA BRICHETTO

This season, award-winning writer Eric Kimmel offers another mildly creepy Hanukkah treat: Zigazak!. In a lively new take on an old folktale, Zigazak! features bedeviled villagers, a wise Rabbi and two foolish tricksters. The tricksters are no match for the Rabbi and meet their fate in a surprise ending that will not fail to give young readers a good gross-out. Kimmel's talents for conjuring up monsters, goblins and devils are served well by Jon Goodell's hilarious illustrations. However, caregivers of the very young and nightmare-prone might consider reading this story aloud during daylight hours.

Note that the cartoonish devils help illustrate the true message of the story: that "sparks of holiness exist in all things . . . if we look hard enough, we can find the good in all living creatures."


Another story with an optimistic message is Snow in Jerusalem, the first children's book by author Deborah da Costa. While not technically a Hanukkah book, its messages of tolerance, compromise and peace make it an appropriate addition to any home or library.

Illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, the story is set in Jerusalem, where a stray cat is befriended by two boys -- one from the city's Jewish Quarter, the other from the Muslim section of the city. Each boy, unbeknownst to the other, tenderly cares for the animal until it disappears. When the two boys meet accidentally, both claim ownership and prepare to fight. The cat, on its regular route, crosses many religious and political borders, becoming an agent of peace that forces the boys to reconsider their own boundaries and find a solution together.

No fabulous Eric Kimmel monsters in this book -- only the everyday goblins of prejudice and hate. For independent readers or read-aloud sessions, Snow in Jerusalem is a gentle story with a worthy message.


On the most basic level, Hanukkah is about bringing light to darkness, and both of these books could bring a little light into a child's universe. Bombarded as they are with horrific media reports, a story or two about the mending of the world (tikkun olam, in Hebrew) might just kindle a lasting flame.

Joanna Brichetto writes from Nashville.

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