Stephanie Spinner is the author of Aliens for Breakfast (winner of the Texas Bluebonnet Award) and Aliens for Lunch, both with Jonathan Etra, Aliens for Dinner, and, most recently, Quiver, a novel for young adults. After a long career in children's book publishing, Ms. Spinner now writes, tends her garden, and reads with gusto. She lives in Manhattan and Pawling, New York.
Jill McElmurry (1954-2017) was the illustrator of many picture books, including her own Mad About Plaid, When Otis Courted Mama by Kathi Appelt, and the bestselling Little Blue Truck series, written by Alice Schertle. She happily divided her time between the wide landscape of New Mexico and a green island in Minnesota. Learn more about her life and work at JillMcElmurry.com.
Gr 2 Up-Miracles (big and small) and family stories are celebrated in this charming tale. Owen Block, aged six and a half, has just been named O.C.L.-Official Candle Lighter. Each night, as he performs his duty, he listens to Grandma Karen's cozy stories of family life. One tale is of a soldier from Iowa whose search for a miracle to save his dying wife leads him to call every Jewish name in his hometown phone book (all five of them) to ask the family to pray, with happy results. The holiday acts more as framework for these small vignettes than as the main event, but various traditional activities are explored. A brief retelling of the Hanukkah legend and blessings in Hebrew, English, and transliteration appear at the end of the book. McElmurry's gouache illustrations add a light, humorous touch. Adults will appreciate the lessons gracefully imparted, and children will enjoy the silliness of Grandma's fanciful, zany family stories. Readers will recall this title long after the holiday has passed.-M. A. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Nearly seven years old, Owen is now the family's O.C.L. (Official Candle Lighter), and Grandma Karen tells him he's a natural. She also tells him stories, one brief tale for each night of the holiday-one about a dentist who trains his parrot, Dreidel, to reassure his patients, one about a girl who wants to become a rabbi ("Like Cousin Shira?" asks Owen. "Exactly like Cousin Shira," replies Grandma Karen), etc. By the eighth night all the relatives introduced in the stories gather for a festive dinner. Spinner (Aliens for Breakfast) conjures modern characters happy to celebrate the heritage they share both as Jews and as members of the same family, and her light touch virtually promises that readers of many faiths will be glad of a seat at Owen's table. McElmurry's (Mad About Plaid) larky gouaches deepen the characterizations and accent the good humor of the text. Endnotes supply Hanukkah prayers and background on the holiday. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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