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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | EASY ROS | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
One crescent moon glows in the sky. Two headlights shine through the window. . . . On each magical night of Chanukah, a young boy and his sister count more lights shining all around them! Join them as they discover what it means to celebrate Chanukah in a world filled with so many other lights. And look carefully at each of Melissa Iwai's delightfully playful illustrations, in which an ever-growing number of cats and cleverly hidden objects serve as reminders of each day's joyous Chanukah celebration!
This gentle and fun-filled exploration of the meaning of Chanukah reminds families everywhere that the warmth of the holiday extends far beyond the menorah.
Author Notes
Michael J. Rosen was born on Septembr 20, 1954 in Ohio. After getting his MFA in poetry, Rosen started work as a design consultant for the Jefferson Center for Learning and the Arts in 1982. In 1983, he became the literary director of the Thurber House in Columbus, Ohio. During his near-twenty-year stay as literary director, Rosen was the editor for several compilations of James Thurber's writings; he also was involved in the creation of the Thurber Prize for American Humor. Rosen has also "taught in the Ohio Art Council Poetry-in-the-Schools Program and Greater Columbus Arts Council Artist-in-the-Schools Program, and has conducted over 500 young authors' conferences, in-service days, writing workshops, guest author days, and residencies (for elementary, middle school, and high school students and teachers). He has acted as editor for Mirth of a Nation and 101 Damnations: The Humorists' Tour of Personal Hells, and his poetry has been featured in The Best American Poetry 1995.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-On each of the eight nights of Chanukah, a young boy finds a matching number of lights in the world around him to remind him of the burning candles on his family's menorah. The warm, appealing acrylic illustrations and the counting element make this a good choice to share with preschoolers.-E. M. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Rosen (Elijah's Angel) stresses multiculturalism in this bland venture. For example, on the seventh night of Hanukkah, the child narrator notices that the house of his best friend, who celebrates Christmas, is lit with lamps, "seven altogether"). The focus is so secular that the ending ("I think about... being Jewish in such a wide world of so many other lights") feels hollow. Iwai's (Night Shift Daddy) cheery acrylics contain an unannounced game: the numbers of cats per spread correspond to the successive nights. Ages 3-7. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Readers can count the lights from the first through the eighth day of Hanukkah as a family celebrates, lighting one candle each night. The text conveys the warmth of gathering with family and sharing the joy of the holiday with neighbors. The colorful paintings clearly capture the mood and the numbers. The spread for a ninth day abandons the counting but wraps up the season. From HORN BOOK Spring 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
This Chanukah offering from Rosen (Elijah's Angel, 1992, etc.) attempts to find metaphoric comparison for the lights of the Chanukah menorah. But while Angel soars, Lights falls flat. The metaphors are forced, the language stilted, and Iwai's (Night Shift Daddy, 2000, etc.) illustrations, while colorful and appealing, are flawed. On the first night of Chanukah the moon is like a flame. On the second night two headlights from grandpa's car resemble the Chanukah lights, defying the laws of parallel parking as well as the laws of physics by shining directly into the living room of the family's brownstone walk-up. On the third night, cousins come to visit and the young narrator switches on the lamps outside, "and suddenly there are three more lights, like in our menorah!" On the fifth night, five silver dollars shine like lights. By the seventh night, the family finds a Chanukah analogy in the seven bulbs burning in the windows of a Christian friend. Dad declares that "Chanukah is also about the joy of different religions sharing a street." So far, the story has revealed little about the meaning of Chanukah. Iwai's illustration for this spread shows a suburban neighborhood, despite already having depicted the family's street in the heart of a neighborhood that looks a lot like Brooklyn. A note following the text explains the origins of the holiday. Disappointing. (Picture book. 3-5)
Booklist Review
Ages 4-7. Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, as seen through the eyes of a young boy, is the focus of this simple yet effective story. Each two-page spread highlights one candle on the menorah as the boy finds other lights--in his home, his neighborhood, his world--that mirror the festive illuminations: "On the fourth night of Chanukah, I find four lights in the kitchen: Mom fries up platters of latkes, and four flames flicker under the sizzling skillets." Iwai's art has a solid feel that mirrors the sturdy story, while the unusual perspectives add a whimsical veneer. Children who don't know much about the holiday may be a little lost; an endnote makes clear some things, but not all. What kids will respond to is the warm feeling this generates and the sheer sense of wonder that the narrator so innocently exudes. --Ilene Cooper
