Hanukkah Nights by Amalia Hoffman; Kar-Ben Publishing © 2022; ISBN 9781728-4288; 22 board pages; $8.99.
SAN DIEGO – If you look at the menorah on the cover of Hanukkah Nights, you’ll see that each candle flame is of a different color. What you can’t see—until you read the actual book—is that each flame was created with a different artistic technique. Imagine the wonder children will experience on parents’ laps as they are exposed to such different techniques for designing the flames as dripping, scraping, stamping, crisscrossing, sponging, spattering, doodling, and brushing.
Young children are very fond of repetition. In introducing the eight nights of Hanukkah, author Hoffman repeats the rhyme scheme of “light” and “night” throughout the book. Successively, the nights are special, happy, cozy, pretty, fancy, peaceful, bright, and glowing.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor emeritus of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com
My kids received this book!