Ava's homemade Hanukkah

For Ava's family, Hanukkah tradition involves everyone bringing their own unique menorah (one is non-kosher) and telling the story behind it. Great-Aunt Sylvia's, "made long ago by a silversmith in Poland," was lost, then retrieved; Mom's, made of tin, helped her cope with homesickness; Aunt Tamar (who married into the family via Aunt Rachel) learned of her Jewish ancestry through one that is generations old. Ava is determined to make her own menorah, but she's not sure how or what her story might be. Cartoony digital-looking illustrations feature Ava's fluffy pet bunny, Maccabee, to whom she has been narrating and whose presence helps her figure it all out. Elissa Gershowitz November/December 2022 p.21(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Ava's extended family members bring their menorahs to celebrate the eighth night of Hanukkah. The girl decides to create her own menorah after she learns the story behind each special lamp. She tells her pet rabbit, named Maccabee (after the warriors who found the miraculous oil that burned for eight nights in the Hanukkah story), about their meanings. Pop-Pop's menorah uses "corks that float in jars of oil," often found in the Sephardic tradition. Aunt Rachel's lamp is fashioned with a clear glass tube displaying pieces of the special glass ceremonially broken at her wedding with Aunt Tamar. Aunt Tamar's traditional metal menorah was found by her grandfather in a box left by his grandfather. She tells Ava that she was excited to discover that she had Jewish ancestors, although she was not brought up as a Jew. Other relatives explain their menorahs, and Ava then makes her own menorah to remember people, places, a special event, and her family origins. The story reflects different aspects of contemporary Jewish life and could be used with other books that tell the story of Hanukkah as a festival of religious freedom. It would also work well as an introduction to a menorah-making activity. The characters are light-skinned, except for Aunt Tamar, who is brown-skinned, and Pop-Pop, who has slightly browner skin than most others, perhaps indicating Sephardic heritage. The colorful though pedestrian illustrations clearly show the details of each menorah. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Inspiring creativity and a closer look at personal observances of Hanukkah. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.