Hanukkah in Alaska

by Barbara Brown, Stacey Schuett (Illustrator)

Overview

An Alaska family celebrates Hanukkah with a stubborn moose in their backyard and the Northern Lights as the best-ever menorah.

Hanukkah in Alaska is unlike anywhere else.

Snow piles up over the windows. Daylight is only five hours long. And one girl finds a moose camped out in her backyard, right near her favorite blue swing. She tries everything to lure it away: apples, carrots, even cookies. But it just keeps eating more tree! It's not until the last night of Hanukkah that a familiar Jewish holiday tradition provides the perfect—and surprising—solution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466845183
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	10/22/2013
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	34 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Barbara Brown has been a newspaper columnist, among other pursuits, before devoting herself to early learning. Hanukkah in Alaska is her first children's book. She lives in Anchorage, Alaska.

Stacey Schuett has illustrated many acclaimed books for children. She lives in Sebastapol, California.

Barbara Brown has been a newspaper columnist, among other pursuits, before devoting herself to early learning. Hanukkah in Alaska is her first children’s book. She lives in Anchorage, Alaska.
Stacey Schuett has illustrated many acclaimed books for children, including Hanukkah in Alaska and Somewhere in the World Right Now. She lives in Sebastopol, California.

Editorial Reviews

This refreshingly particular Hanukkah celebration effectively encourages readers to gain a new understanding of 'miracle'.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Brown crafts an informative Hanukkah tale accompanied by lovely acrylic and gouache illustrations by Schuett.” —Publishers Weekly

“Glorious.” —School Library Journal

“The text incorporates some facts about Alaska, the northern lights, and moose behavior (though do they really love latkes?). Luminous acrylic and gouache paintings reflect the "rainbow on black velvet" that is the aurora borealis.” —The Horn Book

From the Publisher

2013-09-01
In Alaska, Hanukkah can have its own special festival of lights when conditions are just right to witness the aurora borealis, or northern lights. Living so far north presents challenges as well as the wonder of a wintry natural landscape. In a little girl's backyard, a moose has taken up residence, nibbling on the branches of the tree where the girl's swing hangs. While beautiful, the moose can also be dangerous. Luring him away with apples and carrots does not work, but when the girl and her family cautiously come out on the last clear night of Hanukkah to watch the colorful display in the darkened sky, a trail of latkes on the snow tempts the moose away from the swing, to the relief of this clever little girl. This story was first published in the anthology A Hanukkah Treasury, edited by Eric A. Kimmel (1998). In this picture-book rendition, Schuett illuminates the uniquely glacial atmosphere with realistic acrylic and gouache paintings that visually climax with a sash of skylight colors that emulates the melding of Hanukkah candle wax. The symbolism of the holiday is articulated in the little girl's final reflection: "Hanukkah can be pretty funny in Alaska, and miracles can happen in a lot of different ways." This refreshingly particular Hanukkah celebration effectively encourages readers to gain a new understanding of "miracle." (author's note) (Picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews