I liked this book of poetry and think that it could be of great use during the holiday season. I can picture this book being read simply to expose students to other holiday traditions. The poems basically give a general idea of what Hanukkah is and I really like that it did so without bashing other holiday traditions. I think the pictures are really nice and fit with the poems. The language is very clear so I think it's good for younger audiences. ( )

Poetry is not something that I usually gravitate towards, but this book was a pleasant surprise. The illustrations were beautiful and each of the chosen poems was beautifully written. I actually gained some insight into Hanukkah, the way it is celebrated, and how other people view it. I think this book would be an awesome writing model for poetry, as it showcases different ways poetry is written, approaches that can be taken, and can show readers how different people chose to write it. Personally, I do not have a lot of experience with poetry and do have a harder time comprehending it, but I love how beautiful and elegant it is. It amazes me how such big things can come from so few words. I would love to use this in an elementary classroom to expose children to poetry. ( )

This book covers several traditions and items related to the Jewish tradition of Hanukkah in a poetry format. My favorite poems were about the latkes. There were lots of those, and it made me really happy and hungry, ha. I was disappointed, though, because there wasn't a glossary, and someone like me who's not from a Jewish background, wouldn't know some of the terms used--like shamash. I didnt' know what it was and had to google it; it's the solar diety. ( )

The language in this book was a little hard for me to follow along. I had to google a few words that I had never heard of like, dreidel, menorah, latkes, gelt, shamash. This book also had a ton of adjectives like, wiggly, giggly, twirly, whirly, squiggly, dizzy, which made the book fun. ( )

Short poems about Hanukkah.