Chanukah Lights is a visually magnificent pop-up book. The pristine, intricatelydetailed white pop-ups are set against the richly colored backgrounds and thecraftsmanship is superb. It is a coffee-table book, a work of art that isunlikely to survive constant handling. The text, a short paragraph foreach double page pop-up, does not have equal impact. The meanings ofseveral paragraphs are obscure and not suitable for the age recommended by thepublisher, which is five years old. On some pages, the text and pop-ups aremutually supportive, while on others they are confusing. In addition,historical allusions are not explained, for example, “…where in the holds ofships refugees long for peace like the sight of land.” This further diminishesthe impact of the text portions of the book. It would be wise to discussthe story and meaning of Chanukah before reading this book with children. For ages 9 and up; however, the pop-ups are ageless.
Children’s
Chanukah Lights
- Review
By
– December 19, 2011
Naomi Kramer is a retired reading consultant teacher who developed curriculum for using literature to educate children and adults in the history of the Holocaust. She is a docent and educator at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Education Center of Nassau County.
Discussion Questions
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