Eight Winter Nights: A Family Hanukkah Book by Laura Krauss Melmed

Eight Winter Nights: A Family Hanukkah Book Reviews

• 
  Candace

  We celebrate with a Jewish family the winter festive holiday of Hanukkah. In this book we light the eight candles and do a different Jewish custom for each night. We learn about the shammes candle, the Hora, Judah Maccabee, the dreidel game, golden coins (gelt), latkes and applesauce, opening presents and Tzedakah, and the lucky number 36 (18 doubled). At the end of the book Hanukkah and its traditions are further explained.
  
  The watercolor illustrations are centered around the family. Some of the text is written as poetry. The further explanations at the back of the book helped me understand the holiday better. This is a nice introduction to Hanukkah. It could lead into further questions and study.
• 
  La Coccinelle

  This December, I'm going to try to read one holiday-themed book a day. Since Hanukkah is earlier in the month this year, I decided to start with this book.
  
  I'm not Jewish, so I wasn't familiar with all the traditions and stories that go along with this holiday. I'd hoped to learn a little more about Hanukkah, and I did... though not from the text of the book itself. I think that may be this book's biggest weakness: the actual rhyming text assumes knowledge of the holiday, making it mainly suitable for Jewish children. Things such as the story about Judah Maccabee and dreidel games were mentioned, but not expanded upon in the poems, and as I was reading, I was thinking, "Well, that's not very helpful. Why is the story about Judah Maccabee important to Jews? How do you play with a dreidel?" (These things are all explained in the back of the book in an author's note, but I would've rather seen them incorporated into the main text of the book; I don't know if many kids listening to storytime are going to stick around to listen to the dry, scholarly notes at the end.)
  
  The format of the book was much like another picture book I read recently called Noisy Poems for a Busy Day (which I wasn't crazy about, either). The "story" is told through myriad short, titled poems. In this case, the meter was questionable, and I think the format made the book suffer a little. Trying to force all these ideas into rhyme is limiting (plus, you tend to end up with "poems" like the one that was basically chanting a repeat of "applesauce, applesauce"; I mean, applesauce is fine, but I kind of wanted to not hear about it ever again after that particular poem).
  
  The illustrations were really underwhelming for me. They're colourful and kids might like them, but they seemed kind of simple and amateurish.
  
  I did learn a few things about Hanukkah that I didn't know before. Unfortunately, they were from the author's note at the end; in other words, I could've skipped reading the main text of the book and learned the same thing from the note or from an article about Hanukkah. So this book might have more appeal to Jewish children, who can see their traditions reflected on the pages; it doesn't really work that well as a way to teach non-Jewish people about the holiday.
• 
  Abigail

  A rhyming text follows one family through the eight nights of Hanukkah in this sweet holiday picture-book, depicting the many ways that they celebrate the Festival of Lights. From gathering with family, whether that be having the grandparents over one night, or the entire extended clan the next, to enjoying special songs and games that mark this time of year in the Jewish calendar, they enjoy the wonder of the season, lighting another candle in the menorah each night.
  
  Eight Winter Nights offers a warmhearted depiction of one family's celebration of Hanukkah, focusing less on the meaning of the holiday, although Melmed does delve into that in her afterword, and more on the rituals associated with observing it. Although I can certainly see the appeal of the story here - there is a lovely sense of warmth and family - I was less than impressed with the text itself, often finding the rhymes awkward and forced. The artwork, done in pencil and pastel by Paris-based illustrator Elisabeth Schlossberg, was colorful, but had a sort of blurry, indistinct feeling that didn't appeal to me. If I could, I would subtract a half-star for the sometimes stilted text, and for the fact that the artwork didn't speak to me. Tastes vary, of course, so if you're in the market for a family Hanukkah story in picture-book format, you might want to give this one a try.
• 
  The Library Lady

  What I like about this book:
  
  No mention of that bullsh*t about "8 traditional presents"--let me tell you, my dad came from a religious family and he'll be happy to tell you what he got for Chanukkah in the 30s--nothing!
  
  The warm family pictures showing the celebration of everything from applesauce to the colors of the candles.
  
  What I don't like about this book:
  The prose/poetry. There are a few wonderful verses, but a lot of it is stilted and reads aloud badly. The verse about the "shammes" (9th candle) is particularly bad............
  
  Instead, I highly recommend
  I Have A Little Dreidel by Maxine Baum. I grew up hating the song, but the verses work perfectly with the tune (and the Julie Paschkis pictures)and explain the traditions of Channukah.
• 
  Chinook

  Lovely Poems
  
  This was a delight to read aloud. My daughter liked the pictures and she’s fascinated by the idea of dreidels and candles to light. I think we may make latkes in the coming week, since she’s learned about them now.
• 
  Sherry Scheline

  Happy Second Night
  
  “second Night
  we’ll choose two candles,
  Light the menorah
  Turn up the music
  And dance the hora”
  
  I loved this cute little family book. It was very informative and written in poetic verse.
  
  
• 
  Chloe (Always Booked)

  This was a quick kids book about Hanukkah. It’s told in verse then there’s a deeper explanation at the end. Decent introduction if you read the back section but the poems are only relatable if you know the background and traditions.
• 
  Kim Stock

  What a great story to teach kids about Hanukkah
• 
  Lara Maynard

  Meh. Neither the writing nor the illustration are particularity memorable. A nice little basic children's book about Hanukkah probably not destined for the canon of children's books.
  
  Does anyone have a favourite children's book about Hanukkah to recommend?
• 
  Amber

  Text-to-Self:
  
  While reading the book Eight Winter Nights: A Family Hanukkah Book written by Laura Krauss Melmed I made a text-to-self connection. Five years ago I met my husband and was introduced to the Jewish culture. In the book the family celebrates Hanukkah by lighting their menorah, eating latkes with applesauce, chocolate gelt (candy coins), and playing the Dreidel game. As I read this book I was reminded of all the great times I’ve had learning about and celebrating Hanukkah. From lighting our menorah, making homemade latkes, and playing the Dreidel game. I look forward to sharing this book and my family traditions with my future students.
  
• 
  carrietracy

  This is a cute Hanukkah book told in rhyme. Each page features several short verses telling about some aspect of the holiday and celebration. The length and format means that parents can pick and chose poems when reading to impatient readers, making this accessible to even the youngest audiences. The end of the book includes a very simple version of the miracle of Hanukkah, fairly sanitized (a band of fighters battle an army) as well as a glossary of terms used in Hanukkah traditions. My one small complaint is that they don’t actually explain the how to play the dreidel game, despite naming the Hebrew letters.
• 
  Eileen Carter

  Wonder book of poems to tell about the eight nights of Hanukkah. Each poem is meaningful and easy to understand. The pictures are adorable and will keep the children's attention. This is sure to become a favorite of all who read it.
• 
  Shawn

  For families celebrating Hanukkah - or for anyone who just wants to learn more about it. The first chunk of this book includes fun little poems about Hanukkah (not exactly the Adam Sandler kind, but not far off, either.) The last little bit is a short description of the history of Hanukkah and the related customs. I actually liked the informational part a little more than the poems - but I'm not 5.
• 
  J.D. Holman

  I love reading books about different holidays to my students. Today this was one of the books I shared for Hanukkah. It is a series of poems, going through the nights and traditions. The illustrations are pleasant.
  
  The rhyme about applesauce will really stick with you, especially when you read it to nine classes in one day. And they all thought it was a funny rhyme.
• 
  Molly

  I wasn't super into the layout/poetry of this- it was a little awkward. But there's alot in here- more than just your dreidel and menorah. It's an adequate title for the holiday collection, and that format means you can pick and pull pieces out, which is a nice option.
• 
  Misbah

  A book of rhymes to teach children about the traditions of Hanukkah.
• 
  Wendy

  The book was written in poem form.
• 
  Nancy

  Lots of facts explained
• 
  Ruth Ellen

  Wonder of the Light
  
  This is a good book to explain what Hanukkah is all about. It tell what each night is like with immediate family and extended family. Get it for your home.
• 
  Loree

  Cute friendly informative way to learn about Judaism. Perfect venue for teaching children about the world and expanding our cultural understanding.
• 
  Sages_and_Pages

  Cozy Heartwarming Family Book
  
  This is great for families with young children! It teaches the story of Chanukah and the traditions in an easy to understand fashion.
• 
  Cathy Hodge

  Super cute children's book about Hanukkah. The story is in poetry form and the pictures are darling. There are explanations of history, food, games, etc. Very sweet holiday book. Enjoy.
• 
  Alice

  This books is okay, the prose are kinda of weird. They are all different cadence and rhythm but I think the are meant to be that way. I didn't like the part about "Baby got a teddy bear and set in on the potty chair?" Really I don't want to read the word "potty" in a book I am reading unless it is a potty training book. I guess if you need a Hanukkah book it is okay, but isn't something I am going to buy to add to my personal Hanukkah collection
• 
  Elizabeth

  The illustrations are off-puttingly smarmy. There is something unappealing about the color palate... the hot pink piggish skin tones and the dopey expressions on the characters faces make me wish the author / illustrator had chosen to use anthropomorphized animals instead. The text is okay... nothing to write home about.
• 
  Cheryl

  Cartoony characters and lively colors illustrate this family's celebration of hanukkah. While the rhyme is a little forced, it has a gentle feel as each night is presented. I liked the author's notes at the end, especially the explanation of Tzedakah.
• 
  Amy

  THis book would be a good introduction to Hanukkah for children that are unfamiliar with the Holiday. The illustrations are whimsical, but the poetry in the book is a little hard to read, it seems a little forced.
  
  Genre: Realistic Fiction, Holiday
  Published: 2010
• 
  Katie Fitzgerald

  Read at Preschool/School Age Holiday Story Time on 12/15/11:
  http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...