Review by New York Times Review
i have anxious kids. So when it comes to tragic events, my general philosophy is to do whatever I can to shield them. But last month, when a shooting left 11 dead in a Pittsburgh synagogue, I was consumed by the news - and it felt hard not to share with them a version of what had happened. My daughters couldn't really fathom that a person would hate anybody, let alone want to hurt people simply for being Jewish, as we ourselves are. For my 5-year-old, this feeling of deep injustice quickly transformed into an outsize pride in the upcoming Hanukkah as her holiday, one that should get equal standing with Christmas. When we visited a drugstore the other day, she marched off to the aisle of holiday trinkets to assess the overall balance of sparkling tinsel to kitschy dreidels. At the bookstore, she eyed the children's section to ensure that all religions were on display (we live in Brooklyn: so, yes). While Hanukkah is probably the bestknown and most accessible Jewish holiday in America, it has never been a particularly important one religiously. It was elevated, starting in the 19 th century, because of its proximity to Christmas and the chance it provided for Jews in America to have their own year-end gift-giving celebration. Cleansed, usually, of its actual roots as a story about forced assimilation and a bloody rebellion, it has also become a favorite subject of children's books, something for the Jewish boys and girls whose houses Santa skips. But the inescapable dominance of Christmas makes it hard to write about the Jewish holiday in a way that doesn't feel as if it's merely responding to the Christian one. A whole genre of books points out that Josh gets eight nights of gifts to Johnny's single day - as if the point of a Hanukkah book is to make children feel O.K. about the evergreen trees and stuffed stockings they will not have. One of the best depictions of Jews on their own terms is the All-of-a-Kind Family series, the beloved books by Sydney Taylor, published between 1951 and 1978, about five sisters growing up in turn-of-the-century New York. Basing the books on stories from her own large family on the Lower East Side, Taylor first started writing the series when her daughter complained of seeing only Christian characters in the books she was reading. (I have a feeling our daughters would have gotten along.) It was also the first chapter book series to center on a Jewish family and their rituals and traditions, from the Sabbath preparations to how they celebrate Purim and Passover. So it's fitting that one of the best Hanukkah books in a long time is an adaptation of those beloved chapter books. The author Emily Jenkins teamed up with the Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky to create all-of-a-kind family haNUKKAH (Schwartz & Wades 40 pp., $17.99; ages 3 to 7), a picture book that lovingly and dutifully brings to life the family's cozy Lower East Side apartment, with Zelinsky's warm, close-up illustrations - and occasional dazzling cutaways - which evoke both the cramped quarters and the strong emotional bonds of the family. Set in 1912, Jenkins's story focuses on the youngest daughter, 4-year-old Gertie, who throws a tantrum one afternoon when she's not allowed to help make the family latkes. "No, Mäusele," her mother says, pointing to the potato parer: "It's too sharp." With pans of schmaltz bubbling, Gertie is carted off for a timeout in the cramped room she shares with her sisters. There she pouts and listens to the joyous festivities happening without her. Eventually invited out by her father, Gertie joins the warmth of her family and is offered the honor of lighting a candle on the menorah and placing it in the window. Somehow even young Gertie seems to understand that while in exile in her room, she is missing out on the rituals that have bound her people together. As the family moves to the table after lighting the candles, they sit down for dinner to enjoy their hard-earned latkes, which "taste of history and freedom, of love and crispy potato." As delightful as the book may be, it's a shame that many of the best Jewish children's books are still set in a bygone era on the Lower East Side, where children run through dense streets of Yiddish-speaking peddlers to light the Shabbos candles on Friday nights in their parents' tenements - a world that increasingly means very little to today's generation of Jewish kids. These books can turn a holiday like Hanukkah into an artifact in a museum, something that seems to have been practiced authentically only in the past as opposed to being alive and thriving today. another new book takes a totally different approach to the holiday. In meet the LATKES (Viking, 36 pp" $17.99; ages 3 to 5), the author and cartoonist Alan Silberberg tells the story of Hanukkah through a nice family of latkes. "They're just like you and me, except they're potato pancakes!" he explains. The teenage latke, Lex, is in his filthy room eating pizza while Mom and Dad are in the kitchen frying up jelly doughnuts - a traditional Hanukkah treat that's preferable to latkes if (as in this case) you happen to actually be a latke. Then Grandpa sits down with the little latke to recount the story of Hanukkah. "We celebrate this holiday thanks to the brave bees who buzzed and stung and fought to keep our people safe," Grandpa explains, taking some creative license with the story, turning the Maccabees into a hive of Mega-Bees who fought to save the Jewish temple and the lives of Jews who worshiped there. Enter some "alien potatoes" standing in for the army of King Antiochus, and a wise family dog named Applesauce, and you've got yourself a full-blown kooky comedy unpacking an ancient Talmudic tale. It's good to be reminded of the story of Hanukkah right now. The holiday invokes a tale of good guys and bad guys, of resistance, of a community holding on to its values. It's about darkness and light, and the hope that light can ultimately triumph. Even coming from the mouths of latkes, that's a story we all desperately need to hear. Deborah kolben is the editorial director at 70 Faces Media and the founder of Kveller.com, a Jewish parenting site.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [June 30, 2019]
Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* The All-of-a-Kind Family gets new life in this handsome picture book that captures the charm of the classic middle-grade series. As with those books, about a Jewish family living on the Lower East Side of New York City at the turn of the last century, this brings readers close to the step-stair sisters Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte, and the four-year-old star of this book, Gertie. The family is getting ready for Hanukkah, which means lots of cleaning and cooking. Especially labor intensive are the potato latkes, the pancakes that are the culinary centerpiece of the festivities. But Gertie is too young to peel the potatoes or chop the onions. And the more she's not allowed to do, the angrier she gets, until a total meltdown ensues. Gertie is sent to her room. She hides under the bed until Papa saves the day and Gertie joins the family, just in time to say the blessings and enjoy a latke. Without concentrating too much on the details of the Hanukkah story, Jenkins captures the warmth the holiday engenders. Zelinsky does a masterful job with the artwork, drawing with bold strokes that have energy and emotion. Adults, especially those who love the original books, will appreciate his note, which details how he decided on the rough style he chose for his art. Here's hoping for more adventures starring these exceptional sisters.--Ilene Cooper Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
When two top picture book talents (the team behind the Toys Go Out series) introduce a new generation to Sydney Taylor's classic stories of Jewish family life on the Lower East Side, it's what's known in Yiddish as a mechaye-something that gives great joy. The year is 1912, and Gertie, the youngest of five sisters, throws a tantrum after being told she's too little to be included in the Hanukkah preparations: "No, Mäusele," says Mama when Gertie wants to use the potato peeler, "It's too sharp." Sent to the communal bedroom for a time-out, Gertie sulks, then worries she'll miss Hanukkah altogether. But with some sweet, timeless Papa humor and an important responsibility-lighting the first night's candle-the girl feels welcomed back into the family fold. Jenkins captures a wealth of feelings with a few understated words: "The latkes taste of history and freedom, of love and crispy potato." Zelinsky's warm-toned, rough-hewn pictures and intimate perspectives give readers a sense of both the close quarters of tenement life and the unbreakable bonds that made immigrant Jewish families so resilient. Ages 3-7. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-Four-year-old Gertie, the youngest of five sisters growing up on the Lower East Side of New York City in the beginning of the 20th century, is frustrated that she can't help prepare the potato latkes for the first night of Hanukkah. Charlotte gets to peel the potatoes and Sarah grates them; Henny chops the onions; and Mama cracks the eggs and adds the salt and matzo meal. Big sister Ella picks up Gertie so she can see the two big frying pans hiss and smoke on the stove, but Mama is afraid that the grease will spit and burn her and sends Gertie to her room. Discouraged and angry, Gertie hides under the bed until Papa comes home and lures her out with gingersnaps. Though she isn't old enough to help make the latkes, she is old enough to help Papa light the menorah. And at dinner, Mama gives Gertie the first latke to try and it tastes "of history and freedom, of love and crispy potato." Zelinsky's expressive and textured illustrations done in yellow, blue, and red earth tones with thick, bold lines perfectly capture the love and warmth of a large family despite the modest and overcrowded living quarters. The back matter also provides information about Sydney Taylor, the author of the original All-of-a-Kind Family (first published in 1951), life on the Lower East Side, and additional background about Hanukkah. VERDICT While readers need not be familiar with the classic series, generations of parents who grew up with this unforgettable immigrant family will certainly welcome this new picture book as the perfect way to introduce these memorable characters to the next generation of readers.-Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When darkness comes, it will be the first night of Hanukkah, 1912. This original picture book based on Sydney Taylors beloved characters serves as a perfect standalone Hanukkah read, or an inviting introduction to the authors All-of-a-Kind Family middle-grade classics. Four-year-old Gertie wants to help her older sisters prepare for the holiday; latke-making, however, involves dangerous hot oil and sharp objects. A tantrum ensues from left-out Gertie, and she is sent to her room. But eventually, with Papas coaxing, Gertie emerges ready to help Papa light the menorah for the first night of Hanukkah, for the first time. Jenkinss cozy present-tense text and Zelinskys thick-lined, expressive, color-saturated illustrations capture the happy bustle of a loving family amid lots of well-researched period details. Extensive back matter includes sources and a glossary of Yiddish terms. shoshana flax (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The first night of Hanukkah brings initial disappointment but finally great happiness to the youngest of the family.It is 1912 on New York City's Lower East Side, and two sisters are hurrying home to their family to prepare for Hanukkah. Gertie is especially eager because Mama will be making potato pancakesa once-a-year treat for her "all of a kind" five daughters. At 4, the youngest, Gertie wants to help her older sisters, but Mama will not let her peel or grate the potatoes, chop the onions, or fry the pancakes in the schmaltz, triggering a tantrum. After Gertie's fit of anger, Mama takes her daughter to the bedroom, where she hides under the bed. It is Papa, a very wise father indeed, who knows what to say and how to make Gertie feel so special. She will recite the blessings with Papa and light the first candle. A festive dinner of chicken and latkes for the entire family follows. Writing with the support of the Sydney Taylor Foundation, Jenkins expertly captures the warm family spirit of the classic books and their time for a new generation of readers. Zelinsky's digital artwork brilliantly evokes the crowded but cozy tenement world of the early 20th century, while his use of perspective lovingly draws readers into the drama.Share this joyous holiday tale of a Jewish immigrant family all year long. (glossary, author's note, illustrator's note, link to latke recipe, sources) (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
